Reeses Cookies Recipe | Soft Centers, Crisp Edges

These peanut butter cup cookies bake up thick, soft in the middle, and packed with chocolate in every bite.

This cookie tastes like a mash-up of peanut butter dough and chopped candy bars. The dough stays soft and buttery, while the candy melts into little pockets of chocolate and creamy filling.

This recipe is built for home kitchens. You don’t need fancy gear. A bowl, a hand mixer or sturdy spoon, and a short chill are enough to keep the cookies thick instead of flat and greasy.

You’ll get crisp edges, tender centers, and a cookie that still tastes good the next day. Brown sugar, peanut butter, and an extra yolk keep the middle soft. This batch makes about 18 medium cookies.

Why This Reeses Cookies Recipe Works So Well

The dough starts with a balanced mix of butter and creamy peanut butter. Too much peanut butter can make cookies crumbly or sandy. Too little leaves the candy doing all the work. This ratio gives you a peanut butter cookie base that still feels like a cookie, not a pressed shortbread.

Brown sugar brings moisture, chew, and a deeper flavor. The extra egg yolk helps the centers stay plush after cooling.

• Chilling the dough keeps the cookies thick.
• Freezing the chopped candy for a few minutes keeps it from melting away into the dough.
• Pulling the tray when the centers still look a touch underdone gives you the soft middle you want.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Use standard creamy peanut butter here. Natural peanut butter can split the dough. Chop the candy into small chunks so you get pieces in every cookie, not one giant pocket in the middle of three cookies.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, optional

Baking Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies For Thick, Soft Centers

Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In another bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and a little fluffy. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Stir in the dry mix until only a few flour streaks remain, then fold in the chopped candy and chocolate chips if you’re using them.

Scoop the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons each. Chill them for 30 minutes. While the dough chills, slide the chopped candy into the freezer so it stays chunky. If you want the closest candy flavor, use chopped pieces from REESE’S Peanut Butter Cups rather than a peanut butter baking chip. The cups melt into soft pockets instead of staying firm.

1. Place the chilled dough balls 2 inches apart on the trays.
2. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan once.
3. Take the cookies out when the edges look set and the centers still look puffed.
4. Press a few extra candy bits on top right away if you want a fuller look.
5. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.

Don’t wait for a fully dry center in the oven. The cookies finish setting on the hot tray.

What The Dough Should Look Like

The dough should feel thick, soft, and easy to scoop. It should not run like cake batter. If your kitchen is warm and the dough feels loose, chill it a bit longer.

Skip tasting the raw dough. The FDA’s flour safety advice warns that raw flour and raw eggs can carry bacteria, so save the sampling for the baked batch.

Ingredient	Amount	What It Does
All-purpose flour	2 1/4 cups	Gives the cookies enough body to hold candy pieces without collapsing.
Baking soda	1 teaspoon	Helps the cookies spread just enough and brown at the edges.
Baking powder	1/2 teaspoon	Adds a little lift so the centers stay thick.
Fine salt	1/2 teaspoon	Sharpens the chocolate and peanut butter flavor.
Unsalted butter	3/4 cup	Builds flavor and gives the edges their crisp bite.
Creamy peanut butter	1/2 cup	Adds nutty depth and keeps the middle tender.
Brown sugar	3/4 cup	Brings chew and a deeper caramel note.
Egg plus yolk	1 egg + 1 yolk	Gives the dough structure while keeping the center soft.
Chopped peanut butter cups	1 1/2 cups	Creates melty chocolate pockets and creamy peanut butter streaks.

Small Tweaks That Change The Cookie In A Good Way

This dough handles small swaps well. A handful of roasted peanuts brings crunch. A spoonful of espresso powder makes the chocolate taste darker. A few flaky salt crystals on top sharpen the sweet-salty contrast.

For a neater bakery look, hold back some chopped candy and press it into the tops after baking. For a thicker cookie, make 3-tablespoon scoops and add 1 to 2 minutes to the oven time. For more texture, mix in chopped pretzels instead of chocolate chips.

When To Use Minis Instead Of Full-Size Cups

Mini cups are handy when you want tidy chunks with less chopping. Full-size cups give you bigger ribbons of melted filling. Both work. Keep the pieces small enough to spread through the dough evenly.

If You See This	Try This Next Batch	Likely Reason
Cookies spread too wide	Chill the dough longer and measure flour with a spoon and level.	Warm dough or light flour measurement.
Centers feel dry	Pull the tray 1 minute earlier.	Bake time ran too long.
Candy disappears into the dough	Freeze the chopped cups before folding them in.	Chocolate melted too fast.
Cookies crack apart	Use standard creamy peanut butter, not natural style.	Oil balance in the dough shifted.
Bottoms brown too fast	Use light-colored pans or double-stack dark pans.	Pan ran too hot.
Cookies taste flat	Add the full salt amount and use fresh baking soda.	Seasoning or lift was weak.

Storage And Make-Ahead Notes

Once the cookies are cool, store them in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 3 days. Slip a piece of sandwich bread into the container if you want to hold onto that soft center a little longer. Freeze the baked cookies in a zip bag with parchment between layers for up to 2 months.

You can also freeze the dough balls. Bake them straight from the freezer and tack on 1 to 2 extra minutes.

If the cookies sit out after a party, don’t leave them there all night. The USDA’s leftovers guidance says perishable foods should be refrigerated within two hours. Cookies are lower risk than meat or dairy dishes, though warm rooms and long holding times still shorten freshness.

Serving Ideas That Fit This Cookie

These cookies are rich, so pair them with simple things. Cold milk is the easy move. Hot coffee also works. For dessert plates, serve one cookie with vanilla ice cream and a warm spoonful of chocolate sauce.

If you’re baking for a crowd, make the dough a day early, scoop it, and chill the portions on a tray. Then bake in waves so each batch goes out warm.

Make this once and you’ll spot the rhythm right away: thick dough, cold candy, short bake, rest on the tray.