In this easy recipe, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are stuffed with a full-size Reese’s peanut butter cup. These Reese’s stuffed cookies are the perfect treat for peanut butter lovers!

Three Reese's stuffed cookies cut in half and stacked atop each other.

My traditional chocolate chip cookies have been a reader favorite for years, and I’ve always thought the recipe was perfect as written.

Until I tried stuffing them with peanut butter cups. And let me tell you – it’s officially my new favorite way to bake cookies!

The cookie dough base is similar to my original chocolate chip cookie recipe, but scaled down slightly so you end up with 15 to 16 large cookies. They turn out perfectly soft and chewy, with golden edges and soft centers. There’s also a full-sized Reese’s in every cookie, so they’re not short on chocolate peanut butter flavor.

If you’re looking for a fun twist on the classic cookie, this recipe is one you have to try!

An overhead view of the ingredients needed to make chocolate chip cookies with Reese's stuffed in the middle.

Ingredient Notes

  • Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted butter in my cookies in order to control the amount of salt that ends up in them. If you only have salted butter on hand, just reduce the salt to ⅛ teaspoon.
  • Sugar: I used a combination of granulated and brown sugar in these cookies. The brown sugar adds moisture and flavor, while the granulated sugar adds more sweetness and helps the cookies spread in the oven.
  • Egg + Egg Yolk: The additional egg yolk makes for a richer, chewier cookie. You can either discard the extra egg white or use it as an excuse to make some candied pecans.
  • Flour: This provides the structure for the cookies. It’s also extremely important that you measure your flour correctly by stirring it around, spooning it into your measuring cup, and leveling it off with the back of a knife. If you scoop the flour, you’ll end up with too much and your cookies will be dry.
  • Cornstarch: I love to add some cornstarch to these cookies to help keep them soft. If you don’t have any on hand, you can omit it from the recipe.
  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder: In my recipe testing, I found that the cookies spread a little too much over the peanut butter cups using just baking soda. The solution? Reduce the baking soda slightly and add a little baking powder! The cookies still spread in the oven, but stay thick and bake perfectly around the peanut butter cups. If you’re a baking nerd (like myself!) I have an entire post that explains the difference between baking soda and baking powder.
  • Chocolate Chips: I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but any kind will work. You could even swap them out for peanut butter baking chips for more peanut butter flavor.
  • Reese’s: Unlike my peanut butter cup cookies, we’re using full-size Reese’s inside of these cookies. Snack-size Reese’s will work too, just keep in mind that they are a little smaller.
Raw chocolate chip cookie dough in the bowl of a stand mixer.
An overhead view of unwrapped Reese's peanut butter cups on a baking sheet.

How To Make Reese’s Stuffed Cookies

  1. Make the cookie dough: Cream together the butter and sugars, then mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt before adding them to the wet ingredients. Mix or fold in the chocolate chips, then freeze the dough for 20 minutes.
  2. Freeze the Reese’s: Unwrap the Reese’s and then freeze them on a baking sheet. This will help them keep their shape as you stuff them into the cookie dough balls.
An overhead view of balls of chocolate chip cookie dough on a baking sheet.
An overhead view of a circle of chocolate chip cookie dough with a Reese's peanut butter cup in the middle.
  1. Scoop the cookie dough: I prefer to use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop. You should end up with about 30 to 32 balls of dough.
  2. Stuff the cookie dough with the Reese’s: Flatten one ball of cookie dough, place a frozen Reese’s in the middle, and then top with another flattened ball of cookie dough. Seal the edges and repeat with the rest of the cookies.
An overhead view of unbaked Reese's stuffed cookies on a baking sheet.
An overhead view of Reese's stuffed cookies on a baking sheet.
  1. Chill the cookie dough balls: Transfer the stuffed cookie dough to the fridge and chill for at least one hour.
  2. Bake the cookies: You’ll know the cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops no longer look wet.
An overhead view of a plate of cookies stuffed with Reese's peanut butter cups.

Recipe Variations

There are a few ways you can customize this recipe and make it your own:

  • Use a different baking chip: Feel free to replace the chocolate chips with chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, or a combination of the two.
  • Use a different nut butter-filled cup: You can easily swap out the Reese’s with almond butter cups or sunbutter cups.
  • Fill the cookies with something else: If you’re feeling something different, try using Oreos instead!
A Reese's stuffed chocolate chip cookie with a bite missing resting on another cookie.

Baking Tips

  • If the cookies aren’t perfectly round once they come out of the oven, you can use the back of a spoon to help shape them into a circle.
  • Don’t skip freezing the cookie dough and Reese’s! This will make them much easier to work with when it’s time to assemble the cookies.
  • Make sure the cookie dough is completely sealed around the peanut butter cups. If you don’t completely cover them, some of the chocolate may melt out on the baking sheet.
  • Don’t skip chilling the cookie dough again once you’ve stuffed each one. This will give the butter in the dough time to firm back up and prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
A stack of chocolate chip cookies stuffed with Reeses that have been cut in half.

Reese’s Stuffed Cookies

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
In this easy recipe, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are stuffed with a full-size Reese's peanut butter cup. These Reese's stuffed cookies are the perfect treat for peanut butter lovers!
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Ingredients

Servings: 15 cookies
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (170 grams; 1.5 sticks)
  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (150 grams)
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67 grams)
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (280 grams)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (270 grams)
  • 15 to 16 full-sized Reese’s unwrapped

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined.
  • Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, then mix in the chocolate chips on low-speed until fully incorporated into the cookie dough.
  • Cover the cookie dough tightly and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes. This is optional, but it will make the cookie dough a little easier to work with!
  • Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the unwrapped Reese’s on the baking sheet, then place the baking sheet in the freezer.
  • Line a separate large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • Remove the cookie dough from the freezer. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheet. You should end up with 30 to 32 balls of cookie dough.
  • Remove the frozen peanut butter cups from the freezer.
  • Flatten one ball of cookie dough and gently press one of the frozen Reese’s into the flattened piece of cookie dough. Flatten another ball of cookie dough, place it on top, and seal the edges together so that the Reese’s is fully covered with the cookie dough. Place the ball of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining balls of cookie dough, you should end up with 15 to 16 large balls of cookie dough.
  • Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  • Once the dough is almost chilled, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Line two to three large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Divide the balls of cookie dough between the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave about 2-inches of space between each one.
  • Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown and the tops are set. Remove from the oven and use a spoon to quickly shape the cookies into a circle.
  • Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storage Instructions: Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Freezing Instructions: Cookie dough will freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, assemble the cookies, and bake as directed.
 
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle Rye
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.

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