Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies

These soft and chewy Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies are packing a peanut butter triple-threat! Perfect for fall or Halloween, these soft and chewy cookies are a dream for chocolate peanut butter fans!

Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies

When you think of Reese’s, what comes to mind? The shiny, foil wrapped cups that change color with the holidays? The giant eggs displayed alongside the plastic grass and pink baskets at Easter time? Or the classic discs with their thin, papery coat?

If you said it’s the crisp, tiny crunch of Reese’s pieces, these are the cookies for you.

These Reese’s Pieces Cookies give the unsung hero of the Reese’s lineup a chance to shine.

In my opinion, Reese’s Pieces are the BEST candy. Period. (Fight me M&Ms. Although, if that’s your thing, you should definitely check out these Monster Cookie Bars.) 

Reese’s Pieces have a retro-70’s color scheme, the perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter, and they were E.T.’s snack of choice. If a candy is the favorite Earth-snack of a highly intelligent interplanetary visitor, you should probably consider that a ringing endorsement.

But of course, Reese’s Pieces alone do not a cookie make. We’ve got a triple threat of peanut buttery goodness to make the ultimate thick and chewy, sweet and salty chocolate peanut butter cookie.

What Makes These Cookies Awesome

1. A pillowy soft and chewy peanut butter cookie base
2. A generous scoop of peanut butter chips that get all melty when you eat the cookies warm
3. The aforementioned Reese’s Pieces, that also get a little melty, but still have that irresistible crispy coating
4. A combo of peanut butter chips AND semi-sweet chocolate chips
5. A speedy prep time that requires NO refrigeration and can be completed, start to finish, in under 45 minutes.

Key Ingredients

• Baking staples, including flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Unsalted butter– I recommend unsalted butter for all my cookie recipes, because it allows us to control the exact amount of salt. If you use salted butter, be sure to reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
• Creamy peanut butter- I recommend basic commercial creamy peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy, for this recipe. Natural peanut butter can be too oily for baking and crunchy peanut butter won’t work for this cookie dough.
• Brown and white sugar– A combo of brown and white sugar is the key to cookies with a rich flavor and chewy interior. It’s what we use for our Big Chocolate Chunk Cookies too!
• Eggs– I recommend large eggs for the most consistent results when baking.
• Milk– A small amount of milk adds moisture to the batter.
• Chocolate and peanut butter chips- The perfect balance of sweet and salty! I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Reese’s pieces- Nothing can quite match the texture of this candy, but you can substitute finely chopped Reese’s cups if you must.

How To Make Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies

Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2: Whisk dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: Combine wet ingredients. In another bowl, beat together butter and peanut butter until light and creamy. Add sugars and beat until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed. Add milk and vanilla and beat until combined.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients and chips. Stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture until just combined. Pour in all three chips and beat on slow speed until just combined.

Step 5: Scoop and flatten. Drop cookies by the rounded Tablespoonful onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving an inch between them. Press the cookies down with your palm to about a 1/4 in thick.

Step 6: Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set on the outsides. Take them out when they’re just getting golden around the edges then allow the middles to set up on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling sheet.

How do you know when peanut butter cookies are done?

These cookies don’t really get brown like Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies. Instead, watch for the edges to be set and just barely golden. It’s good if the middle still looks puffy and pale.

The cookies will finish setting up on the warm pan after it’s removed from the oven. I always err on the side of under baking so they stay nice and soft.

Can I freeze Reese’s Pieces Cookies?

Yes you can! If you don’t plan to enjoy these cookies immediately, mix up the recipe and scoop the dough balls onto a cookie sheet, flattening them into 1/4 inch discs. The cookies can be close together, but should not be touching.

Flash freeze the dough for 1 hour, then put all the discs in a freezer zip lock bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

When you’re ready, pop them in the oven, adding a few minutes to the baking time. You’ll have fresh, warm-from-the-oven Reese’s pieces cookies in less than 15 minutes!

For more tips on freezing cookies and saving them for later, check out our Ultimate Guide to Freezing Cookies and Bars.

Need More Great Peanut Butter Recipes?

Get a slice of this dreamy No Bake Peanut Meringue Butter Pie.

Try this 5 minute Amish Peanut Butter. Drizzle it on basically everything.

These Fluffernutter Ritz Cookies are our favorite holiday cookie!

Snack on some Puppy Chow. It’s chocolate, peanut butter, Chex, and candy. Nuff said.

If you like oatmeal cream pies, try this Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cream Pie!

Inspired by the PB&J sandwich, these Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies are a wonderful afternoon snack.

And of course, the simplest, most delicious way to get your peanut butter fix is with a Fluffernutter Sandwich (we love it grilled!).

Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat