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These Reese’s Pieces cookies are packed with rich peanut butter and crunchy candy pieces. They’re the perfect cookie for any peanut butter lover!
Okay. I have a confession. I have a completely unhealthy relationship with Reese’s Pieces. Much like Nerds and the Skittles in the blue bag, I simply can’t have them around, or I will eat every single piece.
And I’ve been known to get a little feisty if someone asks me to share. Don’t mess with a girl’s Reese’s Pieces. Or Nerds. Or Skittles. You’ve been warned.
They used to make mini Reese’s Pieces. The first time I found them in the store, I bought three bags and immediately had to come up with a way to use them.
That’s when these Reese’s Pieces cookies were first born. What could possible make soft, chewy peanut butter cookies more amazing than an entire bag of Reese’s Pieces?
I took that first batch of cookies to my dad because he loves peanut butter almost as much as he loves chocolate. Eric dropped them off at his work and they were completely wiped out in less than 30 minutes.
Sadly they don’t seem to make the mini Reese’s Pieces anymore, but the regular-size ones work just as well in this recipe. Grab a bag next time you’re at the store or snag them from your kid’s Halloween candy basket – I won’t tell!
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Pin ItChewy Reese’s Pieces peanut butter cookies
I love putting candy in cookies and cookie bars. Whether it’s M&M cookies, monster cookie bars, or even Cadbury Egg cookies, there’s something extra fun about crunchy candy pieces paired with a chewy cookie base.
These Reese’s Pieces cookies are one of the best examples of that combination.
The cookie dough base uses creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, and oats for tons of nutty flavor and chewy texture. Add in the Reese’s Pieces and you get crunchy bits, chocolate, and extra peanut butter all in one.
If you want cookies that’ll impress a mob of people and get them on your good side, these are those cookies. If you want cookies that will make your kids look at you with adoration, these are those cookies.
Got extra Reese’s Pieces on hand thanks to leftover Halloween candy? Try making mini Reese’s cookie bites or harvest chex mix, too!
How to make my Reese’s Pieces cookies
These cookies are really similar to my peanut butter oatmeal cookies, but we’re swapping out the peanut butter chips for Reese’s Pieces. The great news is both recipes are equally easy and delicious!
Ingredients you’ll need
To make my Reese’s Pieces cookies, you will need:
- 1 cup room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 (9.9-ounce) bag Reese’s Pieces
- flaky sea salt (optional, but recommended)
Make sure your butter has softened to room temperature before you get started. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, check out my tips for softening butter quickly.
Brown sugar is one of the most important ingredients in this recipe. It gives the cookies a rich flavor and helps with their chewy texture.
If you are out of brown sugar, you can make a simple brown sugar substitute to use instead. If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, learn how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the store.
Make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This is a seemingly simple step that can really make or break how your Reese’s Pieces cookies turn out!
Making these cookies
To make the cookie dough, use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar with the peanut butter until light and fluffy. This will take at least a few minutes, so don’t try to rush it.
Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together the flour with the baking soda and salt. Gradually add this mixture to the butter mixture. Add in the oats and fold in the Reese’s pieces.
Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, but you can let it rest in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
When you’re ready to bake your Reese’s Pieces cookies, use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough onto lined baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 16-18 minutes; the edges of the cookies should be golden brown.
I like to sprinkle the tops of my cookies with a bit of flaky sea salt immediately after pulling them from the oven. It adds a bakery feel to them and helps balance out the sweetness.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage tips
These Reese’s Pieces cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag for 1-2 months.
If you want to freeze the cookie dough, I suggest freezing it already portioned so you can easily grab as many cookies as you want and bake them. Check out my post on how to freeze cookie dough to learn more about that process.
Recipe FAQs
I used regular JIF for these Reese’s Pieces cookies, but I have also made them with the no-stir natural JIF before.
If you want to use natural peanut butter, I do not recommend using the kind that is just ground peanuts that you can sometimes get made in-store at places like Whole Foods. In my experience, it isn’t smooth enough for using in baked goods like this.
When I’m out of quick-cooking oats and only have old-fashioned oats, here’s what I do:
Pop the old-fashioned oats into a mini food processor and pulse them a few times, just to break them down a bit. This helps the texture be more like quick oats. Then measure out the amount of oats you need and proceed with the recipe.
If you want to use a medium (1.5 tablespoon) cookie scoop, you will get about 60 cookies. Bake them for 12-15 minutes at 350°F.
Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter we used JIF
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 bag Reese’s Pieces 9.9 ounces
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in oats and fold in the Reese’s Pieces. Cover and chill dough for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons), scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving a few inches between each cookie. Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. If desired, immediately sprinkle each cookie with a little flaky sea salt. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love reese’s pieces too! These cookies look wonderful!
ugh.. your killing me with all the delicious recipes! definitely craving a peanut butter cookie right about now.. so glad i stumbled across your website, you now have a new subscriber!
I was going to make a guy my husband takes his car to some peanut butter cookies. He is very nice, single, and suffers terribly from a bad back. Pretty tough if you are a mechanic and work on sports cars all day. I think I will divide the dough in half (he is a purist) and put Reese’s Pieces in half. I’ll let you know if/when I find out how he reacts.
Great pictures. I’m hungry for one right now but don’t want to go to the store again.
You always make my kind of cookies! I have a serious peanut butter addiction and these cookies are calling my name! Can’t wait to bake them!
These pictures are awesome! You just can’t go wrong with peanut butter :)
Thanks so much, Medha!
Yum! Reese’s pieces are so addictive! Love this recipe.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle!
I LOVE Reece’s Pieces! And in a cookie? How can ya go wrong? :)
You can’t, Natalie. You just can’t!
I haven’t had Reese’s Pieces in a long time! I think I need to make these cookies ASAP!
You should totally get some! I’m betting they’s be the perfect pregnancy treat! :)
I see absolutely nothing wrong with purchasing 3 large bags of Reese’s Pieces at a time. I may have the same unhealthy relationship with that candy! These look like the perfect little cookie to enjoy more peanut butter goodness with.
You make me feel so much better about my purchase! Thanks for stopping by, Jocelyn!
Oh my word I am the same way with Reeses Pieces and Skittles. It’s a horrible, delicious addiction! These cookies look awesome!
I agree – definitely an addiction! Thanks for stopping by, Aimee!