Our Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, peanuts, and Reese's Pieces. These cookies stay soft and chewy for days thanks to a box of instant pudding mix. Enjoy them with a glass of milk for the perfect snack.
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Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
We've made many treats over the years, but these OG peanut butter pudding cookies are still among the most popular. They have received thousands of great reviews.
Peanut butter cookies are great by themselves, but adding a secret ingredient to the dough makes them even better. A dry pudding mix keeps the treats soft and chewy for days. Plus, it's an easy way to add extra flavor with one additional ingredient.
I love baking these soft peanut butter cookies for get-togethers, picnics, or just a cozy night in. They disappear in a hurry every single time!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. The cookie dough comes together in minutes with just one bowl.
- No chilling is needed! You can bake the dough as soon as you make it.
- Loaded with chocolate and candy. Adding chocolate chips and Reese's Pieces to the cookie dough packs each bite with goodness.
Are you looking for more soft-batch cookies? Make these Reese's peanut butter cookies for the peanut butter lover in your life, and watch their eyes light up with joy.
Main Ingredients
With simple kitchen ingredients, you can make delicious pudding cookies. They are so good, you'll want to make more!
- Unsalted Butter - Set it out ahead of time to soften. You can substitute salted butter and adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly.
- Peanut Butter - We use a creamy variety for this recipe, but a crunchy one would add a fun texture to the dough. Oily or natural peanut butter is NOT recommended.
- Sugar - Light brown sugar and granulated sugar sweeten the dough.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix - This adds a soft and chewy texture to the dough. Make sure you only use the DRY pudding mix.
- Flour - We usually use all-purpose flour in our baking. It stabilizes the dough and controls the cookies' thickness. Spoon and sweep to avoid extra flour in the dough.
- Mix-Ins - We love using chocolate chips, peanuts, and Reese's Pieces because they add a fun flair.
How To Make Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
One of the great things about this peanut butter cookie recipe is that you can bake them immediately. As soon as you have the dough ready, start scooping and baking. And don't forget to snack on a few while you are at it!
- Make the cookie dough. Beat the room-temperature butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add the vanilla extract, eggs, and honey and mix again. Slowly add the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Add the mix-ins. Gently stir the chocolate chips, Reese's Pieces, and chopped peanuts into the mixture.
- Divide the dough. Use a scoop to divide the cookie dough evenly into 36 even dough balls.
- Bake and chill. Place a few balls of dough on a prepared cookie sheet, then top with extra candy before baking. Let the cookies rest on the hot sheet pan for a few minutes. Then, gently remove and place them on a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely.
Storage Recommendations
On the Counter: Keep the cooled pudding cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.
In the Freezer: Individually wrap each pudding cookie with plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag. Freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw them on the counter for a few minutes before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a cookie scoop. A scoop lets you create uniform-sized treats, so they bake evenly.
- Avoid overbaking. Overcooked cookies are hard and crumbly. Bake just until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set.
- Add other mix-ins. Try mini Reese's peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips, toffee bits, banana chips, or chopped pretzel pieces to add texture and crunch.
- Flatten the tops. These candy-loaded cookies come out of the oven thick and puffy. Gently tap the tops with a flat spatula to flatten them a bit. Be careful while doing this because it can damage the tops.
- Enjoy a sweet & salty flavor. Sprinkle the melty chocolate chips with coarse sea salt to give them a sweet and salty flavor.
- Keep them soft. Add a slice of bread to the container to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
FAQs
If you're feeling adventurous, you can substitute your favorite pudding flavor. This recipe can be easily adjusted to your liking.
Natural peanut butter tends to have a different consistency, which can affect the texture of the cookies. For the best result, use a regular variety.
Press the dough onto a greased 11x17 baking sheet and then bake it at 350°F for 11-12 minutes.
More Cookie Recipes
- Reese's Chocolate Cookies
- Vanilla Pudding Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Classic No Bake Cookies
- Strawberry Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
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Recipe
Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
Our Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, peanuts, and Reese's Pieces. These cookies stay soft and chewy for days thanks to a box of instant pudding mix. Enjoy them with a glass of milk for the perfect snack.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 - 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips + extra
- 1 cup Reese's Pieces + extra
- ½ cup rough chopped salted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a Silpat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey and beat again.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients, then slowly add them to the wet ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips, Reese's, and peanuts by hand.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to make 36 even dough balls. To make them pretty, press extra candy and chocolate chips into the tops of the dough balls.
- Bake for 10 minutes, being careful not to overbake. Cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. If needed, add extra candy or chocolate chips to the tops of the warm cookies.
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop. A cookie scoop lets you create uniform-sized cookies so they bake evenly.
- Avoid overbaking. Overcooked cookies are hard and crumbly. Bake just until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set.
- Add other mix-ins. Try mini Reese's peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips, toffee bits, banana chips, or chopped pretzel pieces to add texture and crunch to the cookies.
- Flatten the tops. These candy-loaded cookies come out of the oven thick and puffy. You can gently tap their tops with a flat spatula to flatten them a bit. Be careful while doing this because it can damage the cookies.
- Enjoy a sweet & salty flavor. Sprinkle the melty chocolate chips in the warm cookies with coarse sea salt to give them a sweet and salty flavor.
- Keep the cookies soft. Add a slice of bread to the cookie container to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
- Make bar cookies. Press the dough into a greased 11x17 baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 183Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 3g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
This post was first published in April 2012. It was updated and then republished in April 2024.
Onalee
I love these cookies, I wanted to know though if you are suppose to scoop then roll them into a ball or can you just scoop and dump onto the baking sheet.
Jocelyn
I just scoop them and drop them onto the baking sheet, then press a few extra candies into the top. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Sarah
What size cookie scoop should be used for 10 min of baking?
Jocelyn
You want to use a 2-tablespoon scoop (listed in step 5 of the recipe card) to make the dough balls. I hope you like the cookies as much as we do.
Kay
Did you get this recipe from https://passionatepennypincher.com/reeses-peanut-butter-pudding-cookies/?
Jocelyn
No, I did not. In fact, if you look at the date at the bottom of my post, I created and first published this recipe in August 2012 after making this cookie in April 2012. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/peanut-butter-pudding-cookies/ All the posts that I can find regarding these cookies, link back or lead back to mine eventually.
Ritzman Ritzman
What could I use in place of honey? Or could I just omit?
Jocelyn
You can just leave it out or use peanut butter in place of the honey. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Elisabeth Knose
I would like to make these double the size / jumbo-size cookies. Would I just bake them for like 13 mins then??
Jocelyn
Yes, you would need to bake them a little bit longer. Since I haven't actually baked these in a different size, I can't give you you an exact time. Maybe try baking a few just to get the right timing.
peggy josefowicz
When I saw the recipe on facebook it showed reese mini peanut butter cups but when I printed the recipe it didn't have it listed but had dried banana chips. Did I copy the wrong recipe
Jocelyn
You are on a different recipe. The one with the Reese's is here: https://insidebrucrewlife.com/reeses-peanut-butter-pudding-cookies/ They are basically the same but with different mix ins. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
terri cape
can you use chocolate instead of vanilla pudding?
Jocelyn
Yes, you can. The cookies will obviously look different because of the chocolate, but will taste delicious!
Lily
Can I leave the pudding out? Just realized I am out of pudding.
Thanks
Jocelyn
The pudding mix really does add a lot of flavor and softness to these cookies. Here is another peanut butter cookie recipe that doesn't call for pudding. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/peanut-butter-reeses-cookies/
Tasha
No success with these cookies for me. They didn't spread/flatten at all. In fact, they retained their cookie dough scoop shape, making them little rounded cookie balls. The taste was good but would like them to actually LOOK like cookies.
Jocelyn
That is seriously the strangest thing. Every time I have made them, they bake flat. One trick to flatten puffy cookies is to tap them with the flat side of a metal spatula when they come out of the oven. I never have had to do that with these cookies though! I'm not sure why they didn't flatten for you.
Jen
I did all kinds of fun things with this recipe! For the 1/2 c. peanut butter, I did a 1/4 pb, and a 1/4 nutella! I added little Reese's cups, and I used chocolate pudding! They are delightful!!
Sarah
Can you use sugar free pudding mix, or will that just ruin everything? I have sugar-free on hand...
Jocelyn Brubaker
You know I have never tried it with the sugar free pudding mix before. Now you have me curious how it would work...I think it would be fine, but I can't say for sure.
Rachael
Has anyone added butter scotch or chocolate pudding to the batter? I make these and sell them at work to raise funds for a local Cancer Research Hospital. Huge success every time!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Hi, Rachael. I am glad you are enjoying the cookies. I have a recipe here on the blog for chocolate pudding cookies, and butterscotch pudding cookies. If you click the recipe tab at the top, then click cookies. You will see all the ones I have tried 🙂
Shantel
I'm a not a fan of peanut butter cookies, but these babies here are DELICIOUS!! Not only are these cookies tasty, they are nice and soft. I followed your recipe to the "t", with the exception of the banana chips. Thank you for sharing and Merry Christmas!
Darlene
I've made these cookies at least 5x since finding this recipe. These cookies are AMAZING! Everyone that tries them raves about how good they are!
Lisa @ Wine & Glue
A couple things. First, I am probably a more disorganized blogger than you, if that makes you feel any better (but somtimes I think I work better under pressure, one of my posts that is the biggest hit was thought of, made, photographed, and posted all in the same morning). Second, who are these bloggers who work full time and also have kids??? Superheros. Third, yes. Peanut butter, yes. Cookies, yes. Pudding, YES!!
Megan
Looks amazing!
Linda
My step daughter made these and her were delicious. She gave me the recipe and I made them and they sure did not turn out like hers, hers were flat and mine were fluffy. I used the same ingredients, but only thing I did was make a double recipe. What could I have done wrong. Followed the intructions exactly. Mine were still good but my husband said that they don't taste the same as hers. Help
Jocelyn
The only thing I can think of would be to make sure you used baking soda not baking powder? Mine weren't super flat, but I wouldn't say they were fluffy either. I wouldn't think doubling the recipe would made a difference.
Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake
These cookies were fabulous!! Seriously some of the best cookies I've ever made! Thank you for the amazing recipe! 🙂
Jocelyn
I am so glad to hear how much you liked them:-)