Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Peanut butter cookies stuffed with a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup! These thick & soft baked peanut butter cookies are full of peanut butter flavor with a candy surprise in the middle.

Course Dessert

Keyword peanut butter cookies, peanut butter stuffed cookies, peanut butter surprise cookies

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 8

Total Time 33

Servings

Calories 231kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

1 bag (12 oz) miniature Reese's peanut butter cups
1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare cookie sheet(s) by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
Unwrap the miniature Reese's peanut butter cups and place them into a bowl. Refrigerate until you are ready to use them.
1 bag (12 oz) miniature Reese's peanut butter cups
In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, or use a stand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until it's fluffy and light in color.
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 cup creamy peanut butter
Add in the large eggs and vanilla extract. Continue beating just until combined.
2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Add the dry ingredients; all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed just until combined and no flour streaks or pockets remain in the dough.
4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea salt
Place the granulate sugar (for rolling the dough balls in) in a small bowl.
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to scoop the cookie dough out and roll it into a ball. Similar to the size of a golf ball. Flatten the ball in the palm of your hand, and place a miniature Reese's cup in the center, bring up the sides and roll it into a ball.
Roll the cookie dough ball in the granulated sugar until it's coated all around. Place 12 cookie dough balls per cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will still be puffy, lighter in color, but should not be browned at all.
^{*Don't overbake these! They should still be pale and soft looking, but not like wet raw looking, when you pull them from the oven. They will continue baking and setting as they're cooling.}
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the warm cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Enjoy these cookies warm or at room temperature.

Notes

The recipe makes about 36 cookies, so you will need 36 individually wrapped miniature peanut butter cups. However, depending on the size of the dough balls you may get less or more cookies. I recommend buying a larger bag of the Reese's so you have plenty if needed.

Use classic smooth creamy peanut butter. I love the Peter Pan brand but Jif or Skippy are also great too. I don't recommend using the all-natural peanut butter or any peanut butter that has a thick oil layer on top. These tend to produce drier and denser cookies.

To make all the cookies the same size, and it makes scooping the dough easy, use a medium cookie scoop.

Have fun with the recipe by using different miniature peanut butter cups. Reese's makes so many now; dark chocolate, white chocolate, Reese's Pieces, Cookie Crunch, Oreo, etc. Any miniature Reese's will work just make sure they're the ones individually wrapped in the foil paper.

Make sure you are beating the butter, peanut butter, and sugar for at least 2-3 minutes. You really want it whipped, fluffy, and lots of air whipped into it. This is what produces the best cookies!

Nutrition