When you need cookies, these fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are going to be your new go-to chocolate cookie recipe! A simple but very important secret ingredient creates chocolate cookies that are rich, chewy, and fudgy, and that taste just like brownie cookies. Let’s get to making the most delicious chocolate cookies with mini peanut butter cups, shall we?!
Never ever will I turn down any sort of chocolate peanut butter cookie. Like, NEVER. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is by far the most classic treats combination and it’s always a gigantic winner in my house!
I mean, how could you possibly go wrong with things like a classic icebox cake turned into chocolate peanut butter icebox cake, this fudgy chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, and peanut butter pie?
Those are by far a few of the most popular recipes on this site and for good reason: they’re phenomenal, just like these chocolate peanut butter cup cookies are!!
For these cookies, we’ve got fudgy – almost brownie-like – chocolate cookies stuffed full of mini peanut butter cups.
The chocolate fudge cookies are incredible cookies on their own but why not turn plain chocolate cookies on their end and make them utterly unforgettable with melted peanut butter cups studded throughout them?
What’s So Great About These Cookies?
Want to know why these are THE BEST chocolate peanut butter cup cookies? Here are just a few of the reasons:
- Chocked full of mini peanut butter cups – inside and out!
- Chewy and melty, these fudgy chocolate cookies are completely addictive.
- Scoopable chocolate fudge cookie dough makes perfectly round cookies.
- Chocolate and peanut butter combination is the best combination for sweets of all kinds!
- 1 pound of melted chocolate (the secret ingredient!!) mixes into the chocolate cookie dough to create the fudgiest chocolate cookies ever!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s the basic shopping list for this chocolate peanut butter cup cookie recipe.
Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card below for the full printable Ingredients list for this great recipe!
- All-purpose flour
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Table salt
- Semi sweet chocolate – from a block of chocolate
- Large eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Espresso powder
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Mini peanut butter cups
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Here are the basic instructions for how to make these chocolate cookies with mini peanut butter cups. Be sure to keep scrolling down to the recipe card below for the full set of Instructions!
STEP 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together.
STEP 2: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs and vanilla together. Sprinkle the instant espresso powder over the egg mixture and set aside to allow the granules to dissolve.
STEP 3: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in the light brown sugar and white sugar until well combined. Gradually beat in the egg mixture and then mix the chocolate into the bowl.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients and mix until barely incorporated. Stir in half of the peanut butter cups. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the cookie dough stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like.
STEP 5: While the dough rests, preheat the oven. Scoop the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets with a cookie scoop. Gently press a few extra peanut butter cups into the top of each dough ball.
STEP 6: Bake until the edges of the cookies just begin to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the sheets for about 10 minutes before then transferring them to wire racks.
PRO TIP!
Do not overbake these cookies! You want them to be chewy and fudgy, like brownie cookies. Pull the cookies from the oven when they are still very soft; they will continue to bake while they cool on the baking sheets.
FAQs on Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Does the dough need to chill before baking? No, you don’t need to chill the dough. You’ll need to let the cookie dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before you scoop it. The dough is very wet and sticky after you mix it. The rest allows the melted chocolate in the dough to cool and firm up so you can easily scoop it.
- How big are mini peanut butter cups? I made these cookies using Reese’s Minis Unwrapped. You can use any kind of larger peanut butter cups and chop them up. Trader Joe’s also sells mini unwrapped peanut butter cups.
- How many cookies does this recipe make? The recipe yields approximately 3 dozen cookies.
- Can I use other types of candy? Sure! Mix in whatever type of candy you think will go great inside a fudgy chocolate cookie!
- Can I use dark chocolate peanut butter cups? Absolutely!!
- Can I use a box of brownie mix to make these cookies? While there are lots of boxed mix brownie cookie recipes out there, this isn’t one of them. I’ve never made brownie cookies with a boxed mix so I can’t give you instructions on how to adapt a mix into this cookie recipe.
Our Forever Favorite Cookie Recipes
Homemade cookies are a very big thing in our house and these 5 are a few of our all-time favorites:
- Chocolate Wafer Cookies
- Pan Banging Cookies
- Italian Christmas Cookies
- Raspberry Linzer Cookies
- Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
When you need something sweet, skip the store-bought cookies and make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies instead! They're chewy, fudgy, rich, and outrageously delicious. And with everyone's favorite flavor combination, how could they not be?!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10 oz or 285 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1 ½ oz or 42 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp table salt
- 16 oz (455 g) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp espresso powder
- 10 tbsp (5 oz or 139 g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 ½ cups packed (10 ½ oz or 300 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (3 ½ oz or 102 g) granulated sugar
- 16 oz (453 g) mini peanut butter cups (see Note below)
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth. In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs and vanilla together. Sprinkle the instant espresso powder over the egg mixture and set aside to allow the granules to dissolve.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds. Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until barely incorporated. Stir in half of the peanut butter cups until the mixture just comes together, being careful not to overbeat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.
- While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 ¾-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart. Gently press a few extra peanut butter cups into the top of each dough ball.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies just begin to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Do not overbake! Cool the cookies on the sheets for about 10 minutes before then transferring them to wire racks. Allow to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets before baking more batches with the remaining dough.
Notes
I made these cookies using Reese's Minis Unwrapped. You can use any kind of larger peanut butter cups and chop them up. Trader Joe's also sells mini unwrapped peanut butter cups.
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