Muddy Buddy Cookies are a soft-baked peanut butter cookie with a smooth milk chocolate center and dusted in powdered sugar.
MUDDY BUDDY COOKIES
You will love these muddy buddy cookies! A soft-baked, thick peanut butter cookie with crinkly edges, a smooth milk chocolate center, and dusted in powdered sugar. Everything you love about that addicting muddy buddy snack mix in a cookie.
These muddy buddy cookies have been my most popular recipe in December since posting them years ago. They're perfect for a Christmas treat plate or fun Holiday baking to do with your family or kids.
They may look complicated but besides the cooling time needed between each layer, these cookies really are simple to make. Read below for step-by-step instructions (with pictures) and helpful tips and hints to help you.
HOW TO MAKE MUDDY BUDDY COOKIES
Peanut Butter Cookies - Make a simple peanut butter cookie dough.
- Butter
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar
- Large Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda
Milk Chocolate Center
- Milk Chocolate Chips
- Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil - This helps the chocolate melt smooth & silky so it easily drops into the center of the cookie.
Powdered Sugar
- This is for dusting on top of the cookies. Muddy Buddies snack mix are typically covered in chocolate & peanut butter and then coated in powdered sugar. This part is important so don't skip it.
- I bough a cheap 'powdered sugar duster' tool on Amazon but you could also use a fine mesh sifter/strainer to sprinkle it over the cookies are just use clean hands to sprinkle it over.
TIPS & HELPFUL HINTS FOR MAKING THIS COOKIE RECIPE
- Do not use all-natural peanut butter. It will make these cookies, and any baked goods, really dry and crumbly. Use the real peanut butter with the oil and fat, and sugar! It's much better for cookie recipes. Most of the time when I get a comment from saying that the cookies were dry it's because all-natural peanut butter was used. So please use normal creamy peanut butter like Jif brand, Skippy, or Peter Pan brand.
- How do I sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies? I found a very inexpensive powdered sugar sifter on Amazon (just search for it). You can also just use a spoon or your clean hand, and sprinkle it over tops the cookies. Or a fine mesh strainer will do the trick too.
- It may seem like an unnecessary thing but be sure you roll the dough into balls before placing them on the cookie sheet. You want those round edges because you have to press down on the cooked dough balls to get that nice, crinkly edges.
- Follow the directions exactly especially the cooling times. There is a reason you have to wait for the cookies to cool before adding the chocolate; if you add the melted chocolate onto a warm cookie it will just spill all over the cookie. Again, there is also a reason to wait and sprinkle the powdered sugar on until the chocolate is hardened. It's because if you try to sprinkle it on the warm, wet chocolate it will just melt and dissolve into the chocolate.
- Don't press down too hard when you press the cookies out of the oven. Depending on how thin or thick you want your cookies is how hard you should press down with the bottom of flat-bottomed glass or cup. For thicker cookies just barely press down until the edges start to crinkle. For a thinner cookie (which results in the chocolate being more spread out in the middle) press down slightly more.
- What do I use to press the cookies? You want to use a flat-bottomed glass or cup. If you don't have one with a flat bottom then use a measuring cup. That's what I do. I use a stainless steel ⅓ cup measuring cup to press the cookies.
- Put the cookies in the fridge to speed up the process of the chocolate hardening. If you leave the cookies at room temperature for the chocolate to harden then it will take about 2 hours. Put that cookie sheet into the fridge and the chocolate is hardened in about 15 minutes.
YOU WILL LOVE THESE OTHER FAMILY FAVORITE COOKIES TOO
Chocolate Reese's Cookies- Chocolate cookies with chopped Reese's peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips!
Perfect Sugar Cookies- They really are the best made with cream cheese which helps these sugar cookies hold their shape even while baking.
Reese's Stuffed Monster Cookies- The best monster cookies that are soft-baked and loaded with oats, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and m&m's and then stuffed with Reese's peanut butter cup in the middle.
No Egg Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies- No egg in these chocolate chip cookies so they're perfect if you have an egg allergy in your house. Even with no egg allergies in my house these are still our favorite version of the classic chocolate chip cookies. So soft and fluffy!
TRY THESE MUDDY BUDDY RECIPES
Muddy Buddy Cookies
Muddy Buddy Cookies are a soft-baked peanut butter cookie with a smooth milk chocolate center and dusted in powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookies
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter softened
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Milk Chocolate Center
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper or spraying with cooking spray.
Make the Peanut Butter Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a handheld blender, blend together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy and light in color. About 1-2 minutes. Add in the egg and beat to combine.
- In a separate smaller bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir with a wire whisk. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
- Take about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place 12 dough balls onto the cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 minutes. * Cookies do not flatten at all while cooking
- Immediately after baking, take a small flat-bottomed cup (or bottom of a measuring cup) and gently press down on the cookie. This will flatten them as well as give those pretty crinkly edges.
- Let cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet. This takes about an hour.
Make the Milk Chocolate Center
- Melt chocolate chips and canola oil in microwave-safe bowl (I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup) for 2 minutes. Stirring every 30 seconds.* You may not need the full 2 minutes. My chocolate is melted and smooth at 1:30.
- Immediately use a spoon and place a small amount of chocolate onto the center of each cookie and spread it gently.
- Let chocolate set and cool completely (about 2 hours at room temperature OR place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes) before dusting with powdered sugar. When you're ready to dust with powdered sugar use a powder sugared sifter (found on Amazon), a fine mesh strainer, or your clean hands.
- Store cookies at room temperature as the chocolate won't melt once it's hardened. If you prefer, these can be stored in the fridge but I prefer them at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Do not use all-natural peanut butter : It will make these cookies, and any baked goods, really dry and crumbly. Use the real peanut butter with the oil and fat, and sugar! It's much better for cookie recipes. Most of the time when I get a comment from saying that the cookies were dry it's because all-natural peanut butter was used. So please use normal creamy peanut butter like Jif brand, Skippy, or Peter Pan brand.
How do I sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies? I found a very inexpensive powdered sugar sifter on Amazon (just search for it). You can also just use a spoon or your clean hand, and sprinkle it over tops the cookies. Or a fine mesh strainer will do the trick too.
Roll the dough into balls : You want those round edges because you have to press down on the cooked dough balls to get that nice, crinkly edges.
Follow the directions exactly especially the cooling times : There is a reason you have to wait for the cookies to cool before adding the chocolate; if you add the melted chocolate onto a warm cookie it will just spill all over the cookie. Again, there is also a reason to wait and sprinkle the powdered sugar on until the chocolate is hardened. It's because if you try to sprinkle it on the warm, wet chocolate it will just melt and dissolve into the chocolate.
Don't press down too hard when you press the cookies out of the oven. Depending on how thin or thick you want your cookies is how hard you should press down with the bottom of flat-bottomed glass or cup. For thicker cookies just barely press down until the edges start to crinkle. For a thinner cookie (which results in the chocolate being more spread out in the middle) press down slightly more.
What do I use to press the cookies? You want to use a flat-bottomed glass or cup. If you don't have one with a flat bottom then use a measuring cup. That's what I do. I use a stainless steel ⅓ cup measuring cup to press the cookies.
Put the cookies in the fridge to speed up the process of the chocolate hardening. If you leave the cookies at room temperature for the chocolate to harden then it will take about 2 hours. Put that cookie sheet into the fridge and the chocolate is hardened in about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 140IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
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The chocolate did not melt like directions and I only did it for a total of 20-30sec. It was not smooth and runny.
It won't be smooth and runny after just 20-30 seconds. Directions say to microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
You have to melt it foe longer than that..
How do you store? Fridge or cookie tin? Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Once the chocolate is dried, I just left mine out on the counter. If you store them in the fridge they will get hard, so you'll have to leave them out at room temperature for a bit. Merry Christmas to you as well. Enjoy ?
Oh man these look amazing! As a massive cookie lover it's practically impossible for me to even look at these photos without drooling, haha
Julia // The Sunday Mode
Is it possible to use Nutella?
Yes! That sounds delicious. Enjoy ?
These look so yummy! We love Muddy Buddies around here 🙂 One question though - it looks like there's a small indentation in the middle where the chocolate is, but you don't mention that in the directions. Is this like a thumbprint cookie where you press down in the middle and put the filling in there? Maybe not, it's just that in the pictures it kind of looks like that. Thank you for sharing, I really enjoy the heart in your blog. Merry Christmas!
The directions say to press down the cookies, with the bottom of a cup, after they come out of the oven. This will produce that small indentation you're seeing in the pics ☺️
Okay, thanks. I thought that pressing on the cookies w/ a cup was to flatten them, but I guess if it's a cup that's smaller than the surface of the cookie it'll make the indentation...
I used a shot glass to press down so the chocolate wouldn’t run down the sides! These cookies are delicious!! I’m thinking next time I’ll add a little peanut butter to the melted chocolate ?
Oh yum ? Good idea!
Oh, and thank you for your sweet comments. I love sharing food & recipes ❤️ Merry Christmas.
Why the extra step (work)? When I make my peanut butter blooms I press the chocolate kiss in when they come out of the oven, as usual. I wait several minutes until the kiss is completely soft, then using my finger I swirl the chocolate around the top of the cookie. Same effect as yours, less work!
That's a great idea. Much easier too! I suppose the point of these cookies was to imitate the snack mix muddy buddies (coated cereal in chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar) it was not to make a pb blossom cookie. But, your idea would work well in these cookies too. Definitely a good tip for those that don't want to do the extra step of melting chocolate. Thank you for sharing your idea.
We love muddy buddies. One reason is the crunchy Chex or pretzel of texture. Have you ever added a little Chex mix into the melted chocolate? May be an extra surprise? Thoughts?
That sounds amazing! Maybe try crunchy peanut butter? Or sprinkle some chex mix (I've seen it at stores, you can buy premade chex mix) on top of the chocolate for that crunchy aspect, or add some chex into the chocolate like you suggested. Good luck and let me know if you try it.
I was thinking that I could roll the raw dough in crushed chex cereal before baking to get that Muddy Buddy texture Any thoughts? When I try it, I'll touch base!
That’s a fun idea! Let me know how it turns out!
Would those chocolate wafers for melting work in these cookies too? I think there might be some good-quality wafers out there. The cookies look awesome!
I think would work just fine.
These look yummy and I want to try them soon. Do you mean salted or unsalted butter? There is no added salt in the recipe, so I'm assuming salted butter but since I use mostly unsalted butter in my baking I wanted to check with you. Thanks!
I always use salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter you may want to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Peanut butter itself is salty so that’s the reason there is no additional salt.
Made these last year for Christmas. First cookies I ever made! They were a huge hit at my wife’s cookie day with the girls. Making them again this week. Thanks for a great recipe!
Made these last year at my wife’s cookie day with the girls . It’s the first cookie I ever made. They all said they were the best cookies of the day. Making them tomorrow again. Thanks for the great recipe!
These are such pretty cookies and taste wonderful! Perfect on a cookie plate to take somewhere. To save a little effort, I used a candy kiss, let it sit on the cookie about 2 minutes, and used a toothpick to "stir" it. It doesn't look like the peanut butter blossoms then, and it does save the mess of having to fill each cookie with the melted chocolate. Same results with a time saving element to it. Thanks for the recipe!
These cookies are awesome. They are a new family favorite. They taste just like Reeses Peanut Butter cups. Tried it with/without powdered sugar on top. Both ways are good.
Could I try Almond Butter instead? We have a peanut allergy kiddo. These look amazing though!!!
You could try. I have never done it but judging from the thick, drier consistency of almond butter I am afraid it will make the cookies to dry.
My family loved these. We used Dark Chocolate Chips because that was what we had and they were still great. We also keep them in the fridge because my kids (and husband) like the chocolate on the harder side. Big hit. Going to make again for Mother’s Day. Thank you!
How many cookies are in a batch?
24 cookies
Easy recipe, my family LOVES them! Will definitely be making again, thank you so much for the awesome cookie recipe!
Excellent, came out perfectly.
The vanilla is mentioned up above but is left off in the recipe. So I didn't see it until after the fact!
I will double check that. Thanks for letting me know.
These cookies are fantastic! Easy to make, presentation ready and beyond delicious.
Made these cookies today and they turned out AMAZING! Love how soft they are, flavor is great, overall a pretty perfect cookie! Yes, they’re more work than a traditional peanut butter blossom, but in my opinion they are much better! I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to flatten the cookies and it worked like a charm. Highly recommend everyone try this recipe!
Easy to make and everyone loved them!
Yay! I love hearing this. Thanks for coming back to comment and let me know.
I have a peanut butter cookie recipe I have used for 20 years never thought I’d switch but these cookies or even better! For the chocolate I melted milk chocolate dove candies and that they were fabulous! I also like the fact that two days later the cookies actually still taste great.
Oh my goodness the Dove chocolate in the center sounds amazing! I will definitely have to try that. Thanks for your comment, rating, and sharing your tips.
As a family we are quite the cookie connoisseurs. We made these are part of our Christmas cookie extravaganza and they did not disappoint. They are delicious and visually stunning to look at too. We did read the directions carefully and followed them exactly including cooling times during the stages. Thank you for the wonderful add to annual tradition!
Can you tell me how,I have vanilla is used? Thank you
Sorry about that mix up, I'll make sure vanilla gets added to the ingredient list. For now, I would suggest adding 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the cookie dough when you mix the wet ingredients.
Are these supposed to be soft in the middle after cooled? Mine still seem very soft so not sure if these are supposed to be crunchy or little soft in the middle. Also my hands were full of oily peanut butter while I was rolling, too much peanut butter maybe or is this how they are supposed to be. Sorry first time making so wondering if this is how others are coming out for them. Thanks!
My first thought is that they weren't flattened enough prior to baking, these cookies don't flatten as they bake so you have to create the 'cookie' shape for them. The cookies are on the softer side. Don't be sorry! I'm happy to answer questions and help in anyway I can.
I just took these out of the oven and I'm waiting for them to cool. How could they not be absolutely delicious? As I'm waiting for them to cool I'm reading through your entire recipe and I did notice at the upper portion of "how to make" vanilla is listed. However, in the actual recipe I see no mention of vanilla in the ingredients list. I didn't include vanilla - in hindsight I thinking it should have been included???
I hope you loved them! You’re so right, I didn’t list vanilla extract in the recipe. The cookies aren’t ruined, they’ll just have a different taste than your regular cookie. The recipe should call for 1tsp vanilla extract, I’ll fix that.
Can these be frozen and still taste good?
I’ve never tried it but I think it would work out pretty well!
These cookies were so fun to make with my 1.5 year old! She mostly ate the unmelted chocolate chips! The cookies turned out so well and have become my husband’s favorite! Thanks for a fun recipe!
Oh I love to hear about kids getting involved with baking! Thank you for your comment!
Got rave reviews when I brought them to work today. They were delicious!
Thank you Renee!