These Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies are a must-try for any peanut butter lover! They are made with two kinds of peanut butter candies, so they are extra delicious. Plus, they stay soft and chewy for days.
If you love cookies with pudding, try these Reese's chocolate cookies, too. They are just as amazing!
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Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
I love baking a big batch of cookies at the beginning of the week to have on hand for lunches and snacking. With hungry kids in the house, they usually only last a few days.
This week, I cleaned our pantry and found an extra bag of peanut butter cups and Reese's Pieces. So, I changed these peanut butter pudding cookies with all the candies.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
These Reese's peanut butter cookies are soft, puffy, and so full of peanut butter goodness. You won't be able to get enough of these delicious treats.
They are perfect for parties, events, or just because you are craving peanut butter cookies.
- These peanut butter cookies stay soft for days!
- Each cookie is loaded with Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's Pieces.
- This recipe is easy to change based on what candy you have in your pantry. Try using M&M's, Butterfinger, or Snickers instead.
- They will satisfy your chocolate and peanut butter cravings with just one bite!
Pudding Cookies
Adding instant pudding mix to cookies makes them soft and chewy and adds more flavor. Pudding cookies stay soft for days. Trust me—this is the best pudding cookie recipe out there!
On a very rare occasion, one or two peanut butter pudding cookies were left in the jar a week later, and they were still soft and chewy.
Key Ingredients
These peanut butter cookies call for simple ingredients you probably already have.
- Butter: Gives the cookies a great flavor. We use unsalted ingredients in all our recipes but feel free to use salted ingredients and adjust the salt in the recipe.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: This is the most essential addition to a peanut butter cookie.
- Sugar: A mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar sweetens the cookies.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix: Adds a soft and chewy texture to the cookie dough. Just make sure you only use the DRY powder in the cookie batter.
- Flour: We usually use all-purpose flour in all of our baking. Most baking problems result from not knowing how to measure flour.
- Mix-Ins: We love using chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, and Reese's Pieces to give these pudding cookies a fun flair.
How to Make Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies
Another thing I love about pudding cookies is that you do not have to chill the dough. As soon as you mix together your ingredients, you can scoop it up and bake it.
- Beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a large bowl until creamy.
- Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and slowly mix it into the butter mixture. A stand mixer really does work best to mix the dough together because it is thick and sticky.
- Add the chocolate chips, Reese's Pieces, and peanut butter cups and then stir by hand gently.
- Use a cookie dough scoop to make 36 even dough balls. Top each dough ball with the extra candy.
- Place the cookie balls on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Do not over bake.
- Remove and let the cookies sit on the hot cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes. Gently remove and place the cookies on parchment paper until they cool completely.
BruCrew Tip: Save some of the candy to press into the top of the dough balls so they bake up extra pretty.
Storage Recommendations
On the Counter: Store the cooled peanut butter pudding cookies in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
In the Freezer: Wrap each cookie individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag for 1-2 months. Thaw on the counter for a few minutes before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- We love using creamy peanut butter, but crunchy adds a fun texture to these cookies. An oily or natural peanut butter is NOT recommended.
- These cookies are thick and puffy when they come out of the oven. Because they are loaded with candies, they do not spread as much as regular peanut butter cookies.
- Use a flat spatula to gently tap the tops of the hot cookies to flatten them slightly. Be very careful doing this because it can mess up the tops of the cookies.
- Want to make these into bar cookies? Press the dough into a greased 11x17 baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes.
More Pudding Mix Cookies
- Vanilla Pudding Cookies
- Nutella M&M Cookies
- Butterscotch Pudding Cookies
- S'mores Pudding Cookies
- Mint Pudding Cookies
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Recipe
Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies
These Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies are a must-try for any peanut butter lover! They are made with two kinds of peanut butter candies, which makes them extra delicious. Plus, they stay soft and chewy for days.
Ingredients
- Ā¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- Ā½ cup creamy peanut butter
- Ā½ cup granulated sugar
- Ā½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Ā¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Ā½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark)
- 1 Ā¼ cups halved Reese's mini peanut butter cups, divided
- 1 cup mini Reese's Pieces, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- Beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla and mix again.
- Stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and dry pudding mix in a bowl. Slowly add to the peanut butter mixture until everything is mixed in.
- Gently stir the chocolate chips, 1 cup peanut butter cup halves, and Ā¾ cup Reese's Pieces into the dough, making sure all the candies are mixed in evenly.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to make 36 even dough balls. Press the extra candy into the tops of the dough balls to make them bake pretty.
- Place 12 dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the hot cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then gently move to a piece of parchment paper to cool completely.
Notes
- We love using creamy peanut butter, but crunchy would add a fun texture to these cookies. A natural or oily peanut butter is NOT recommended.
- These cookies are thick and puffy when they come out of the oven. Because they are loaded with candies, they do not spread as much as regular peanut butter cookies.
- Use a flat spatula to gently tap the tops of the hot cookies to flatten them slightly. Be very careful doing this because it can mess up the tops of the cookies.
- Want to make these into bar cookies? Press the dough into a greased 11x17 baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 11-12 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 4g
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 August 2012. The pictures were updated in August 2018, and the post was republished in May 2022.
Charlene
These cookies were just perfect! Soft and delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe. My new go to!!
Jocelyn
I am so glad that you liked the cookies! They are one of our favorites too š
Anemone
Thank you for the idea of making it gluten-free! I love puffy cookies!
Brenda Martin
Is that the small pudding box or log one
Jocelyn
The recipe says 3.4 ounce box of pudding which is the smaller size box! Hope that helps and you enjoy the cookies!
Deanna
Could you use chocolate pudding mix versus tha vanilla?
Jocelyn
Yes, you can use any instant pudding mix in place of the vanilla if you like. If you use chocolate, the cookies will be a light shade of brown, but still very tasty!
Amanda
These look delicious, but is there a way to reduce the sugar? With two kinds of sugar and honey I think they might make me & my daughter bounce of the walls.
Jocelyn
I have never made them with less sugar. But you could leave the honey out and reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup of each kind and see how they turn out. Keep me posted on what you think!
Beth
I want to make these for my son's wedding. Can they be made ahead of time and frozen?
Jocelyn
I think the cookies themselves would be fine to freeze. But the issue I see happening is that the candies and chocolate on top are going to become discolored as they thaw out. Then they wouldn't be as pretty for a wedding.
Beth
Probably right. Iāll add them to the āday beforeā list. My future daughter-in-law loves peanut butter so I have to make them. ????
Jocelyn
Awe! You sound like an awesome mother-in-law! I hope the day is incredible for you and for the happy couple!
Beth
Thanks so much! Iām doing a cookie table for the reception and this will be a great addition.
Nancy Goff
Wow -- these sound and look great, but for another recipe I've been looking for the Mini Reese's Pieces. I can't find any of those things anywhere, except on Amazon where they cost as much as a car. Where do you get them? My local Walmarts and Targets plus all the groceries do not carry them.
Jocelyn
Did you look in the baking aisle of Walmart? That's usually where I find them. If not, you can totally use the regular Reese's Pieces instead!
Nancy Goff
I shop at a BIG Walmart and I checked the baking aisle, the candy aisle and the cake decorating aisle. The regular/big Reese's Pieces are in the candy aisle .... I'll use them.
Thank you!
Liz H
could you substitute agave nectar for the honey ? My cousin's boy is allergic to Honey.
Jocelyn
I think that would work just fine. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Jenn
So I have made these twice now (making them right now actually) and have found that they don't spread. I learned after the very first batch that I need to press down the cookies. I am not sure why they aren't, is that what they are supposed to do? Yours look like they spread out. Thanks for any input! Regardless of how they look, they taste amazing!
Jocelyn
Mine don't really spread out either. Sometimes I tap the tops of the cookies with a flat spatula when they come out of the oven to flatten the tops slightly. Just be careful doing that because it will mess with the melted candy on top! I'm glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Diane
I made these a few weeks ago and they were so delicious! Do you think they would freeze well - baked or freeze the dough and bake when needed? Thanks for an awesome cookie!
Jocelyn
I'm not sure how the dough would do frozen because of the cream cheese. I would recommend making the cookies and freezing them that way. I hope that helps and I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies.
Laura W
I'm confused, I don't see cream cheese on the list of ingredients. Did I miss something?
Jocelyn
Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry! I think I was looking at another recipe when I answered that question. There is not any cream cheese in this recipe, so you can disregard the previous comment. Again I am so sorry for the confusion!
Laura W
Thanks, I figured that, but I just wanted to make sure. Starting my first batch now. ????
Ashley
This are so good. I substituted chocolate chips and chunks for the reeses. Cause i didnt have them and it's still super good!
I have to try the full version next time.
One thing I would add to the recipe, is for mixing the dry ingredients in a separate Bowl, if I hadn't kept reading ahead I wouldn't have known that. Thank!
Jocelyn
I'm glad you liked the cookies. Definitely try them with the Reese's next time...so good! And the directions to mix the dry ingredients together is in the recipe (step 4) and is shown in the video too. I hope that helps. Have a great day!
~T~
I just baked these cookies for the first time, and already my husband has declared them his favorites. Thanks for sharing!
Sheryl
OMG I just pulled them out of the oven and they smell sooo good can't wait to eat them!!!! nom nom nom ????????
Claire
Made these yesterday and they turned out perfect! I didn't read directions well and accidentally added all the reese's pieces in the batter and didn't have any left to press on top - but they are still amazing! I am not usually too successful at baking so I was so excited! I will be making them again!
Claire
I just made these today. This is the 2nd time with some alterations. I backed way off the chocolate chips and added a few more mini cups. I was also able to back off the sugar a bit. They didn't bake in great shape...ran a bit too much. So this made them a little fluffier and a little kick of the salty peanut butter taste. I consider myself a pretty experienced baker but I don't think I'll make these again...theres just too much added. They're better with less.
Jocelyn
Well, we will have to agree to disagree because I think the recipe is perfect as written. I have made them countless times for events and they always disappear in a hurry!
John
I call these āAddictionā, love these cookies and have made them every week since the first ones came out of the oven. Thanks for sharing ????
Barb Barbour
What do they mean in recipe 1. 3.4 box instant vanilla pudding
Jocelyn
It just means 1 box of pudding that is 3.4 ounce in size. I noticed the recipe was missing the word "ounce", so I corrected it. I hope you enjoy the cookies.
Victoria
What kind of chocolate chips do you like for this recipe?
Jocelyn
I don't generally discriminate against any chocolate š But my preference is to use dark chocolate chips. Is that what you are wondering?
Victoria
Yes, thank you very much! ???? & I completey agree! Lol. ????
Abigail
What kind of flour do you use all purpose or self rising flour ? Thanks
Jocelyn
I use all purpose flour for all my recipes. If I would ever use a different one, I would mention it in the recipe. I hope you enjoy the cookies.
Lacey
Help! I'm not sure what I did wrong but mine turned out dry and crumbly. I'm not sure if there is an altitude adjustment in not seeing but the texture was just off. They still tasted amazing, my husband's new favorite cookie, but I would like to fix the texture.
Jocelyn
Oh, that's not good. I have made them so many times and they have never been dry and crumbly. I hate to ask this but are you sure you measured everything exactly as the recipe is written? It sounds like they might be over baked, so maybe your oven just runs hotter. Do you have an oven thermometer to check that? You could always try again and just bake them a little less. When I need to test baking times, I usually just bake 6 cookies at a time until I know the exact time to get the right texture. Also, you mentioned an altitude adjustment...are you at a higher altitude?
Lacey
I measured right. I have never checked the oven temp since it's new to me. We are staying with my in-laws and I think my mother in law would die if I suggested it was her oven. I am high altitude. I will play around with things on my end for cook time and was just wondering if it was something I missed.
Adriana
Mine came out dry and crumby too š
I measured everything correctly too. And Iām not at a high altitude.
Jocelyn
That is so crazy to me because I have made them so many times and they have never been dry or crumbly!!! I am so sad to hear these didn't work for you. I would try baking them a minute or two less next time because I wonder if your oven runs hot.
Coreen Wood
Tonight my husband and 8 year old daughter made these cookies and they were awesome. Really soft and yummy. Perfect!
Cindy
I too am a puffy , chewy cookie lover! I made these with gluten free flour and left out the chocolate chips(added extra Reese's pieces). Oh my goodnessI also flattened them a little before baking. I have made 100's of cookie recipes and I would say these are in the top 10! A peanut butter lovers dream. My cookie testers and I are in heaven. Thanks for the excellent recipe!
Jocelyn
Woo hoo! I love hearing this!!! Glad you are enjoying the cookies!
Wanda Post
In using gluten-free flour, did you have to make any other changes to the recipe to accommodate it? My sister-in-law is new to the gluten-free lifestyle, and if I bake these so that she can have some, I will have to make them that way. Many g-f recipes I have seen call for the addition of xanthan gum (and possibly something else) when substituting g-f flour for all purpose. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.