Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies from Table for Two

Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies - made dough June 23, 2025 from Table for Two

1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all purpose flour

6 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup (65 grams) plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (110 grams) brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

2 cups peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add egg, vanilla extract and milk, mixing to combine.
4. Add dry ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed after each addition, until just combined.
5. Fold in peanut butter cups, reserving a handful for later use.
6. Portion dough into golf-ball size dough balls and flatten slightly into thick discs. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space chilled dough balls. Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw or shiny. Remove from oven and gently press reserved peanut butter cups on top of hot cookies. Let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

If you've noticed I've been baking more lately, you'd be correct. I was able to score reasonably priced eggs which helps drive the baking muse when you have ingredients. But I also started baking more for local friends at the monthly trivia night I go to, friends in my quilting group, friends I met up with when I went on a road trip and my fellow volunteers who've become friends over the years I've been volunteering for the food bank. In other words, lots of people to test out new recipes on. With, I mean with.

Chocolate and peanut butter are a classic combination. I love chocolate and I like peanut butter well enough, especially when paired with chocolate. This is a great recipe when you have excess peanut butter cups to use up (remind me not to buy the big bag from Costco again, even when they're on sale) as well as milk you bought for a different recipe.

This turned out well and was a big hit with my fellow food bank volunteers when I brought them to a mobile harvest distribution. It doesn't spread much, the cookies are chewy and have a good balance between the chocolate and the peanut butter. Those are two dominant flavors but they played well together in this cookie. If you want to amp up the peanut butter more than the chocolate, add more peanut butter cups. Conversely, if you want chocolate to dominate, cut back on the peanut butter cups and add more chocolate chips. Either way, it's hard to go wrong.