Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies

These cookies were prepared with the ultimate chocolate and peanut butter lover in mind. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies are prepared with a rich chocolaty and fudgy base, which is wrapped around a single miniature peanut butter cup candy. These are perfect for Christmastime when calories don’t count!

For the ultimate chocolate and peanut butter lover, these Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies are prepared with a rich chocolaty and fudgy cookie dough base which is wrapped around a single peanut butter cup. When you bite into one of the cookies, you get the perfect mix of chocolate and peanut butter. It’s perfectly indulgent and perfectly delicious for a Christmas treat!

Since I was quite young, I can remember buying those bright orange packages of everyone’s favourite peanut butter chocolates. I used to consider them a chocolate bar, but I think they fall under the candy category. Either way, they’re a classic, because peanut butter and milk chocolate will never go out of style or favour! To be honest, I’m surprised that I like them as much as I do because I’m not a fan of Hershey’s chocolate at all. I’m a diehard Cadbury fan!

A few years ago, John.e and I decided to take McKenna to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania for a mid-July road trip. We piled into the car, along with my ex-wife, and made the drive. The park was great! There were lots of rides, lots of activities, and lots and lots of chocolate.

Hershey’s chocolate was everywhere! And, much of it was free. Almost every shop at the park had an attendant handing out sample chocolate kisses. McKenna was so happy. And, so was John.e. But, I wasn’t. To be perfectly honest, I grew rather tired of declining the free chocolate. The purpose of the visit was to take McKenna there. I wanted to go because I knew a part of the trip would find me in Amish country, and I was dying to get to their markets! But, when Hershey’s Peanut Butter Cups are used in these stuffed cookies, it just works. I couldn’t get enough of them!

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into this brand-new series, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. And now, I’m starting out on this new series, which is the sixth annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the sixth year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 6! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family. 

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, do not add the additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt further down the ingredient list.
• Egg – One large egg is all you need. Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies.
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown cookies and cakes.  In cookies, the sugar will help the dough to spread, and will create a crispness to the bottom of the cookie.
• Brown Sugar – First of all, it has way more flavour than regular white sugar! And, in this recipe, brown sugar helps to keep the cookie moist and soft.
•  Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Cocoa Powder – Use good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids!
• Baking Soda  
• Salt 
• Peanut Butter Cups – You need to use miniature peanut butter cups for these cookies. Do not confuse miniature with mini. See the next paragraph for clarification.
• Sanding Sugar – Coarse sugar, sometimes referred to as sanding sugar, is used sometimes for decorative purposes.  It is sometimes called pearl sugar or coarse baking sugar.

MINIATURE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

A full-sized peanut butter cup is too large for these cookies. That is unless you want to make jumbo Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies on purpose! I’m using miniature peanut butter cups for this recipe. It’s important that you do not confuse miniature with mini – they are both different. Whereas full-sized cups are too large, the minis are too small.

Miniatures are packaged in those familiar brown waxed paper cups just like the larger variety. Minis, however, are not. They are packaged loosely just like the chocolates in a package of chocolate chips. Here is a link to the exact cups you want for this recipe.

IS SANDING SUGAR AND GRANULATED SUGAR THE SAME THING?

I get so many questions about the different kinds of sugars. Unless you’re a full-time baker, or really in tune with baking ingredients, it can be a little overwhelming. I use sanding sugar quite often and I hope it’s not too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes.

You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. These cookies are baked at 375 degrees F. I would only recommend granulated sugar if the temperature was at a maximum of 350 degrees F.

If you can only find granulated sugar, you can either skip the coating in the sugar step, or you can use turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is a golden brown though, so it will throw off the colour of your finished cookie. Wilton calls it sparkling sugar.

HOW TO MAKE REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUP STUFFED COOKIES

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes. Next, add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat those in too until well combined with the butter and sugar mixture. Set that aside and combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk those together until combined.

Lastly, add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. With a low speed on the mixer, beat until just combined. It’s important to not overmix the cookie dough, but be sure that all of the flour is absorbed into the wet ingredients. Set the mixer aside and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. That’s it – the cookie dough is ready!

Before you start, place the sanding sugar into a shallow bowl. You will need to roll the cookies into the sugar, so have the sugar ready to go. Ok, now, measure out one tablespoon of the cookie dough. Roll it into a ball. Holding the ball in the palm of your hand, use your index finger on your other hand to push a hole into the ball, but do not push all the way through. Nestle a miniature Peanut Butter Cup into the hole and fold the cookie dough over it. Roll the ball again to seal the dough around the candy. Finally, roll the ball into the sugar and place it onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

Continue to roll the cookies, placing them about two inches apart onto the baking sheet. Once done, bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Once done, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. These bake best when baking one tray at a time.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!