About This Recipe
Besides cinnamon and brown sugar, I can’t think of a better flavor combination than chocolate and peanut butter. They were just made for each other!
These cookies draw inspiration from a few different places. Growing up, my sister and I would fight over the last Reese’s peanut butter cup because they were a household favorite. We loved Reese’s Blizzards from Dairy Queen, our mom made the best Scotcheroos, and, of course, a few years ago, Crumbl started making some iconic-looking cookies featuring both peanut butter and chocolate.
With all of these muses in mind, I set out to create an ultra-thick, fudgy chocolate cookie topped with an impossibly light and velvety, mousse-like peanut butter buttercream frosting. And, of course, lest we forget, a heaping handful of chopped peanut butter cups on top!
These cookies are the perfect treat for a Halloween party, a holiday cookie box, or simply an excuse to use up all that leftover Halloween candy. Whatever the occasion, I’m convinced everyone will love them… because who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate together?
Don’t answer that question! Enjoy!
Key Ingredients
(Unsalted) Butter – Regular store bought butter will do- nothing fancy. Butter should be soft because we are creaming it with the sugars.
Granulated & Brown Sugar – I always use a mixture of both granulated and brown sugar- together they yield the best cookies. I use a little more granulated sugar in this recipe to help with spread and crispy edges in these cookies.
All – Purpose Flour – We are using a little less flour in this recipe as the cookies need to stay moist and spread as they bake!
Cake Flour & Cornstarch – I use a mix of cake flour with the AP flour (and a little cornstarch) to help give these cookies a tender, soft center. This will also help these cookies maintain freshness for a couple of days.
Baking Soda – Helps with spread, browning and those gorgeous crunchy edges in each cookie!
Dutch Process Cocoa – For color and depth of flavor. I don’t recommend the unsweetened cocoa powder as you wont have that rich flavor in the cookies. Dark cocoa works best here.
Fine Sea Salt – Will help cut the sweetness in these cookies but it will also bring out all of the natural flavors from the butter, sugars and cocoa powder. Try to avoid table salt and find some good quality FINE sea salt. It makes all the difference!
Peanut Butter – I definitely recommend JIF here! It is so iconic and makes our frosting ultra smooth and rich!
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – I also love Justin’s peanut butter cups- mini or regular- you can’t go wrong here!
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- Use room temperature ingredients: Let your butter, eggs, and other refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature before baking. This helps everything mix together evenly and creates a smoother cookie dough.
- Measure your flour correctly: Too much flour can make your cookies dry, thick, and cakey. For the most accurate results, I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients in grams. If you’re using measuring cups, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a straight edge instead of scooping directly from the bag.
- Chill the cookie dough: Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and allows the chocolate and peanut butter flavors to develop. If the dough feels sticky or soft, let it chill a little longer.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until everything is combined. Overmixing can lead to tougher cookies instead of soft, tender centers.
- Don’t overbake: Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to bake on the hot baking sheet as they cool, helping them stay soft and chewy.
- Let the cookies cool completely before frosting: Peanut butter frosting can melt or slide off warm cookies, so make sure the cookies are completely cool before adding the frosting.
- Adjust the frosting consistency as needed: If your peanut butter frosting is too thick, add a tiny splash of milk or cream at a time. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
- Use parchment paper: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper to help prevent sticking and encourage more even baking.
- Store them properly: Once the frosting has set, store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh and soft. I recommend storing them in the fridge once they have been frosted.
More Recipes!
Here are some similar recipes you might enjoy!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you try this recipe, I would love your feedback! Please leave a star rating, a comment below or on the reel in Instagram! Also please share what you made and tag @eatmaudes !! Thank you so much for stopping by and making yumminess with me!
Reese’s Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies
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Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temp but not melted
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (43 g) dark cocoa powder (I like to use Hershey’s dark or dutch process works great)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (120 g) cake flour
- 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (192 g) smooth peanut butter (I like to use skippy or jif
- 1 1/4 cups (150 g) powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) milk
- Mini peanut butter cups, roughly chopped
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- For the cookies, we will first the add butter and both sugars to a stand mixer, with paddle attachment. A hand mixer works fine too. Mix for about 30 seconds on low/medium speed- the butter and sugars should be nice and fluffy.
- Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix on low and mix well until everything is combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, sift all dry ingredients and mix gently until combined. And then gently mix the dry into the wet mixture. I use a rubber spatula to fold everything together until you can see no more flour. Once mixed, scoop the dough into 11 balls (roughly 80-85 g each). Place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and chill the balls of dough for at least 2 hours. (if you are short on time, you can chill the cookies uncovered in the fridge for 30 minutes)
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F /190.5°C. Place 3-4 cookies on the baking sheet. Cookies should be 2 inches apart, so they don't bake into each other in the oven.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges have set and the tops of the cookies are puffed up, but look slightly underdone. Remove cookies and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then using a spatula transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
- While the cookies cool, work on the peanut butter frosting. To a large bowl, add butter and peanut butter, Using a hand mixer, beat until the mixture is nice and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency is reached. Adjust milk and powdered sugar as needed. Note: This frosting uses less powdered sugar, as I like my buttercreams less sweet. Feel free to adjust the powdered sugar to suit your sweetness preference!
- Pipe or spoon the frosting onto the cookies, then top with the chopped Reese’s cups.
- Note: I like to store my cookies in an airtight container in the fridge and then take them out to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving (for best texture).