These Reese's Pieces peanut butter cookies are soft, chewy, and loaded with peanut butter flavor. Each cookie is sprinkled with colorful Reese's Pieces that add the perfect mix of sweetness and crunch. They bake up with melt-in-your-mouth centers and lightly crisp edges, making them an easy crowd-pleasing treat for any peanut butter lover.
The dough comes together quickly with simple pantry staples. Whether you need a fast dessert for your family or a fun cookie to share, Reeses Pieces peanut butter cookies are easy to make and always turn out delicious.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft, Chewy, and Perfectly Sweet: The centers stay tender while the edges get just a touch of crispness, giving you the perfect bite every time.
- Loaded with Candy: These cookies are a lot like my old-fashioned peanut butter cookies, however, each cookie is dotted with colorful Reeses Pieces candies that add sweetness, crunch, and a fun pop of color.
- Easy and Quick: No fancy techniques or equipment needed - just mix, scoop, and bake.
- Family-Friendly: Kids and adults alike love them, and they're perfect for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, or sharing at a gathering.
- Versatile: You can adjust the candy amount or even swap in peanut butter cups or chocolate chips for a fun twist.
Ingredients
- Sugar and brown sugar - The combination gives the cookies their perfect balance of sweetness, chewiness, and lightly crisp edges.
- Butter (and/or shortening) - Butter (I use salted) adds rich flavor, while shortening can help keep cookies soft and thicker.
- Creamy peanut butter - Provides that classic peanut butter flavor. Regular creamy works best; natural peanut butter with oil separation can make the dough looser. (I like to use Skippy or Jif brand.)
- Eggs - Bind the dough and keep the cookies tender without being dense.
- Vanilla extract - Enhances all the flavors and adds depth to the sweetness.
- Flour - Gives structure to the cookies while keeping them soft.
- Baking powder and baking soda - These work together to create the ideal texture: the baking soda reacts with the brown sugar to help the dough spread slightly and stay chewy, while the baking powder gives a gentle lift so the centers stay soft. (Use aluminum-free baking powder.)
- Salt - Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
- Reese's Pieces candy - Adds pockets of chocolate-peanut butter goodness and a fun pop of color. You can also swap in mini peanut butter cups or extra chocolate chips for a variation.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies With Reese's Pieces
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Cream the sugars and butter in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. This helps give the cookies a tender, chewy texture.
- Add the peanut butter and mix until fully combined, creating that rich, classic peanut butter flavor in every bite.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla until the dough is smooth.
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a separate bowl, then slowly stir them into the wet mixture. Mix until just combined to avoid overworking the dough, which keeps the cookies soft.
- Fold in the Reese's Pieces candy, making sure the colorful candies are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop the dough onto your prepared baking sheets (I often bake smaller cookies, using a 1 Tbsp. cookie scoop), leaving about an inch or 2 of space between each cookie. For a polished look, you can press a few extra Reese's Pieces on top of each cookie before baking.
- Bake for approx. 9 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned but the centers still look soft. They'll firm up slightly as they cool.
- Cool and enjoy - Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze for later.
Tips
- Chill the dough for thicker cookies: If your kitchen is warm or your butter was very soft, refrigerate the dough for 20 - 30 minutes before scooping. This helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents them from spreading too much while baking.
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs: This helps everything mix evenly and keeps the cookies soft and tender. The butter should be soft enough to press a finger in easily but not so soft that it's greasy or melting, or the cookies may spread too much.
- Don't overmix after adding the flour: Overmixing can make cookies tough - stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Press candy on top: Adding a few extra Reese's Pieces on top before baking makes the cookies look colorful and adds candy in every bite.
- Watch your bake time: 9 minutes gives soft centers; bake 1to2 minutes longer for slightly crisper edges.
- Storage: Let cookies cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They also freeze well if you want to save a batch for later.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not required, but chilling the dough 20-30 minutes can help cookies hold their shape, especially if your butter is very soft or your kitchen is extra warm.
Yes! Mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, or even M&M's can work. Just keep in mind they may change the cookie's texture slightly.
Chill the dough, add a bit more flour, scoop slightly larger cookies, or use slightly less butter to prevent spreading. Shortening does not spread as much as butter, so you could try using more shortening instead of butter.
Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze baked cookies to keep them fresh - freeze them immediately after they are cooled.
Or scoop and freeze the dough to bake later.
More Amish Cookies & Bars With Peanut Butter
- Outrageous Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Gluten-Free Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies
- Reese's Peanut Butter Bars
These Reeses Pieces peanut butter cookies are quick, easy, and full of peanut butter and chocolate goodness in every bite. Soft, chewy, and colorful, they're the kind of cookie that disappears fast, whether you're sharing them with family, friends, or keeping them for yourself.
Give this recipe a try and see how simple it is to make cookies that look and taste like a treat from your favorite bakery - but homemade and way better. If you try this Amish recipe for the Best Peanut Butter Reeses Pieces Cookies, I would love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened (or ½ c. butter & ½ c. shortening)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (add an extra ½ c. flour for thicker cookies)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (9-oz.) package Reese's pieces candy (or more as desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugars and butter until smooth and well-creamed.1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup butter, softened (or ½ c. butter & ½ c. shortening)
- Add the peanut butter and mix well.1 cup creamy peanut butter
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and stir them into the wet mixture to combine. (Don't overmix.)2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the Reese's pieces and mix.1 (9-oz.) package Reese's pieces candy
- Scoop the cookie dough onto greased or parchment-lined baking trays and bake for approximately 9 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. (Bake an extra minute or two for crisper edges.)
- Let the cookies rest for a minute, then remove them to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container. (These cookies freeze well if you want to keep some fresh for later.)
Anna
The perfect cookie for enjoying with a cold glass of milk!