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Reese's peanut butter cookies are a triple-threat dessert designed for the ultimate peanut butter and chocolate enthusiast. This recipe elevates the traditional cookie by folding in mini peanut butter cups, Reese's Pieces, and chocolate chips into a base made remarkably soft by a secret ingredient: instant vanilla pudding mix. The result is a thick, bakery-style cookie that maintains its "fresh-from-the-oven" chewiness for nearly a week. It is a high-impact, indulgent treat that turns a simple snack into a colorful, multi-textured experience that is guaranteed to disappear from the cooling rack in minutes.
I knew I had a winner when my neighbor Sarah practically invited herself in just to follow the scent of these baking. Since then, they’ve become a staple for school bake sales and college care packages. My daughter says they stay soft in her dorm room all week, which is the ultimate testament to the pudding mix trick. It’s a recipe that looks over-the-top but is fundamentally reliable and incredibly satisfying.
Master Your Ingredients
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Use a standard processed brand. Natural varieties contain oils that separate, which can lead to greasy cookies or excessive spreading in the oven
- Instant Vanilla Pudding: One small box (dry mix only). Do not prepare the pudding; the powder is what modifies the starch structure of the dough for a soft bite
- Unsalted Butter: Soften completely so it can properly aerate during the creaming stage, leading to a tender rather than dense cookie
- Brown & White Sugars: The molasses in the brown sugar provides the chew, while the granulated sugar ensures the edges develop a slight, golden crisp
- Honey: Adds a unique moisture profile and a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with roasted peanut flavors
- The Reese's Trifecta: Mini peanut butter cups, Reese's Pieces, and semi-sweet chocolate chips provide the essential flavor contrast
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Baking the Perfect Batch
- The Creaming Foundation:
- Beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars for a full three minutes until light and fluffy. This creates the air pockets necessary for a soft crumb. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, followed by the honey and vanilla, until the base is completely smooth.
- Integrating the Dry Mix:
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and dry pudding powder. Add this to the wet ingredients gradually on low speed. Stop the mixer the moment the last streak of flour disappears; overworking the dough at this stage will make the cookies tough.
- Shaping and Topping:
- Gently fold in the candies with a spatula. Scoop two-tablespoon portions and press the reserved candies into the tops. Bake at 350°F for exactly ten minutes. The centers should still look slightly underdone—they will finish setting during the two-minute rest on the hot baking sheet.
In my twenty years of baking, the biggest game-changer was learning to pull these out while the centers still looked a bit raw. It feels wrong the first time you do it, but that residual heat is what creates the perfect texture. I also found that if the dough feels too soft to handle, chilling the scooped balls for thirty minutes before baking helps them maintain that thick, bakery-style height.
Creative Variations
You can easily turn these into decadent bar cookies by pressing the dough into an 11x17 inch pan and baking for 11–12 minutes. For a holiday twist, use seasonal Reese's Pieces colors. If you want a deeper chocolate flavor, add a quarter-teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients—it intensifies the cocoa without adding a coffee taste.
Storage and Freshness
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to seven days. To keep them pristine, place parchment paper between layers so the candy shells don't stick. The dough also freezes exceptionally well; scoop the balls and freeze them on a tray, then move to a bag. You can bake them straight from the freezer by adding just 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
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Ultimately, Reese's peanut butter cookies are about pure, unadulterated joy. They are the perfect go-to for when you need to impress or simply want to treat your family to something extraordinary. Once you see the colorful candies and smell the roasted peanut aroma, you'll understand why this has become the most-requested recipe in my kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy?
- Yes, crunchy peanut butter works and adds extra texture. Just avoid natural or oily peanut butter since it changes how the cookies bake.
- → Why do these cookies stay so soft?
- The instant vanilla pudding mix in the dough helps lock in moisture, keeping the cookies chewy for several days after baking.
- → Can I make these as bar cookies instead?
- Absolutely. Press the dough into a greased 11x17 inch pan and bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes. Let them cool before cutting into squares.
- → How should I store these cookies?
- Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. They'll stay soft and delicious for up to a week.
- → Why don't these cookies spread much when baking?
- All the candy pieces make the dough heavier than regular cookies, so they stay thick and puffy instead of spreading out flat.
- → Do I have to press extra candy on top before baking?
- It's not required, but it makes them look prettier and ensures every bite has plenty of candy. Totally worth the extra minute.