These fun Holiday Peanut Butter Cookies are baked in a mini muffin pan and then stuffed with mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and decorated with Holly Sprinkles for a festive Christmas treat!

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Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Growing up, my Mom was known for her beautiful cookie platters filled with every possible delectable Santa-worthy Christmas cookie known to humankind! (Those cookie platters were like treasure chests filled with gleaming gemstones!)

The kitchen was always warm and filled with the aroma of sugar and spice! It was the best place to be during the holidays.

I had several favorites, too many to actually mention, but one of my favorites, year-after-year, were these Mini Cups stuffed with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. What’s not to love about a warm gooey peanut buttercup wrapped in a soft chewy peanut butter cookie?! It’s a stressed Mrs. Claus Dream cookie!

Mom didn’t get too fancy with her version of this cookie. She went with the classic presentation. I, however, wanted to “gussy” them up a tad for the holidays. So… I rolled mine in chopped peanuts and placed small Holly Sprinkles on the tops.

A few small adjustments to the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie, and they’re ready to shine on your Holiday Cookie Trays! You’ll want to add these to your cookie baking list this year!

What You’ll Need to Make Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
½ cup peanut butter – any brand will work. You could use crunchy too if you like nuts!
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped (highly recommend you unwrap them) I used the original Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups. Better quality of chocolate than an off-brand.
½ cup chopped peanuts
Holly Sprinkles – or any holiday sprinkle you prefer

Ingredients measured out and on a table for Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.

How To Make Cookie Dough

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

One of the things I love about this recipe is how easily these cookies come together. If you need a last-minute treat…these work beautifully in a pinch! Just delegate the unwrapping of the peanut cups to the kids!

Place 1¾ cups of all-purpose flour in a large mixing bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Stir with wire whisk until well incorporated. If you do not have a wire whisk you will need to sift these ingredients together.

TIP: Whisking dry ingredients replaces the need to “sift” in a recipe that calls for sifting.

Mixing bowl with dry ingredients being whisked together.

In the bowl of your mixer, add ½ cup softened butter, ½ cup of granulated sugar, ½ cup of peanut butter, and ½ cup of brown sugar. Cream together until fluffy!

Butter, sugars, and peanut butter in bowl of stand mixer whipped until fluffy.

Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk. Mix until incorporated.

Adding wet ingredients into blended sugars in mixing bowl.

Adding Dry Ingredients to Cookie Batter

Add the flour mixture to the creamed sugar and butter mixture. I highly recommend the mixer be turned off during this addition…unless your big into flour facials!

Beat on low speed until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined.

Adding flour and dry ingredients into creamed ingredients to make cookie dough.

Shaping Cookies with Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Shaping these Peanut Butter Reese’s Cookies couldn’t be any easier! Simply shape the dough into about 40 balls. (Yes! You get to play with your food for this recipe and no one will scold you!)

I used a 1-inch cookie scoop. Place the scoop of dough into the palm of your hand and roll it back and forth until you have a perfectly shaped, or not so perfectly shaped, ball. There will be no judging of how well you can roll a cookie ball.

Roll each ball in the chopped peanuts, if desired. This step can be skipped if you’re not a fan of chopped peanuts. You can also roll them in sugar for a little “sparkle” for the Holidays.

Rolling Peanut Butter Cookie dough in chopped peanuts.

Place each ball into a un-greased mini-muffin pan. I used a 24-cup mini non-stick muffin pan, and it worked beautifully for this recipe.

Rolled Peanut Butter Cookie Dough placed in the cups of a mini muffin pan.

Baking Instructions

Bake in preheated 375 °F oven for about 8 minutes.

TIP: I recommend only taking one tray at a time, or switching muffin tins on baking racks halfway through the baking time.

Remove the cookies from the oven carefully, but immediately press a mini peanut buttercup into each baked cookie ball.

*Note the pan is very hot so be careful!

Placing reese's peanut cup into the center of each baked peanut butter cookie while in the mini muffin tin.

Cool and place Holly Sprinkles on top of each melted Reese’s cup using small tweezers. Allow the cookies to completely cool and carefully remove from the baking pan.

TIP: I remove the cookies by carefully sliding a butter knife down the side of each muffin cup and gently lifting under the cookie.

Close-up shot of individual Peanut Butter Cup cookie decorated with Holly Sprinkles.

Recipe Wrap-up

These are seriously the BEST Peanut Butter Cup Cookies I’ve ever had! Even better than Mom’s! The peanut butter cookie cup is soft and chewy and each bite is filled with hints of chocolate and peanut butter filling!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie with a bite out of the cookie.

I love how pretty these cookies turned out with the touch of Holiday sprinkles on top. You can use any Holiday Sprinkle you like. The Holly takes a little time, but I think it’s worth the extra effort.

This fun, easy Peanut Butter Cup cookie is sure to shine on your Holiday Cookie Exchange Platters or on your Christmas Party Dessert Table! They’re a classic!

Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Cookies on a white platter.

Other Favorite Holiday Cookie Recipes

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoy this Classic Favorite as much as we do at this Nest! Cookies are one of my Holiday Favorites!

Happy Nesting!

Photo of Noring with her signature in pink.

Printable Recipe Card

Christmas Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These fun Holiday Peanut Butter Cookies are baked in a mini muffin pan and then stuffed with mini Reese's peanut butter cups and decorated with Holly Sprinkles for a festive Christmas treat!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Total Time 35

Servings cookies

Calories 91 kcal

Ingredients

1¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup butter softened
½ cup white sugar
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons milk
½ cup chopped peanuts
Holiday Sprinkles of choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. set aside. Note ingredients can be placed in a large mixing bowl and stirred with a whisk rather than sifting.
In the bowl of your mixer cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls, roll in chopped peanuts, and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
Bake in preheated 375°F. oven for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into the center of each ball. Cool slightly, add Holiday Sprinkles. Cool completely and remove from pan.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 91kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 102mgSugar: 5g

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About the Author

Meet The Author

Photo Credit: Jenelle Lacy Photography

Hi! I'm Norine, the cook, baker, and recipe creator behind Norine's Nest. I love sharing and creating recipes that invite family, friends, and neighbors to gather around the dinner table. Sharing good food and creating memories with those we love brings me happiness. Thanks for stopping by my Nest!