Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are a delightful treat marrying the rich, creamy flavor of peanut butter with the irresistible sweetness of chocolate peanut butter cups. These cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with mini peanut butter cups, making them perfect bite-sized indulgences for any occasion.
You’ll love these cookies because they blend a buttery, peanut buttery dough with pockets of melted chocolate peanut butter cups for a gooey surprise in every bite. Simple to prepare, baked in mini muffin tins, and topped with a whole peanut butter cup after baking, these cookies are a crowd-pleaser that’s both fun to make and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 40 miniature chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease or ungrease a mini muffin pan.
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In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add the beaten egg, vanilla extract, and milk, mixing until combined.
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Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring well to form a cookie dough.
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Divide the dough into 40 equal balls and place each into a cup of the mini muffin pan.
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Bake for 8 minutes until the cookies just start to set.
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Remove the pan from the oven and immediately press an unwrapped mini peanut butter cup into the top of each cookie.
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Allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before carefully removing.
My Best Tips for Success

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Use small, unwrapped peanut butter cups for easy topping.
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Don’t overbake to maintain soft, chewy cookies.
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Keep cookie dough balls uniform for even baking.
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Let cookies cool before removing to avoid breakage.
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Store in an airtight container to keep cookies fresh.
Delicious Variations to Try
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Add chopped nuts for extra crunch.
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Use flavored peanut butter for unique twists.
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Drizzle melted chocolate or caramel over cooled cookies.
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Add a pinch of cinnamon or sea salt to dough for depth.
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Substitute mini peanut butter cups with peanut butter chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute mini peanut butter cups?
Yes, peanut butter chips or chopped larger peanut butter cups work well.
How long do these cookies keep?
Store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
Can I freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies?
Yes, both freeze well; thaw dough before baking or cookies before eating.
Are these cookies gluten-free?
Use gluten-free flour blends to make them gluten-free.
Can these be made dairy-free?
Substitute dairy-free butter and check peanut butter cups for dairy content.
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 40 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Soft, chewy cookies combining buttery peanut butter dough with miniature chocolate peanut butter cups. Each cookie baked in a mini muffin tin and topped with a melty peanut butter cup for a gooey chocolate center.
Ingredients
1⅞ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
40 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Instructions
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Preheat oven: Set oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a mini muffin pan or line with paper liners.
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Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, sift flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
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Cream butter and sugars: In another bowl, beat butter, white sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add wet ingredients: Mix in egg, vanilla, and milk until combined.
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Combine dough: Gradually blend dry ingredients into the wet mixture until dough forms.
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Portion dough: Roll into 40 even balls and place each in the mini muffin cups.
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Bake: Bake 8 minutes, or until edges just begin to set.
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Add peanut butter cups: Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.
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Cool: Allow cookies to cool completely in the pan before gently removing.
Notes
Do not overbake; cookies finish setting as they cool.
Let cookies cool fully to prevent candy centers collapsing.
Chill dough for easier shaping.
Store airtight up to 4 days at room temperature.
Freeze dough balls or baked cookies up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (1/40 recipe)
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
Keywords: peanut butter cup cookies, mini muffin tin cookies, chocolate peanut butter cookies, chewy peanut butter cookies, reese’s cookie cups


