Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies are an irresistible delight, marrying the classic flavors of creamy peanut butter and rich chocolate in one decadent bite. These aren’t just any cookies; they’re generously loaded with Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chopped Reese’s Cups, making them truly special. Each cookie is big, satisfyingly chewy, and bursting with a flavor combination that everyone adores. Prepare for a cookie experience that will redefine your expectations!
If you’re a devoted fan of the iconic peanut butter and chocolate flavor combination, then get ready to fall in love with these jumbo peanut butter cookies. Crafted from scratch, this recipe is surprisingly easy to follow and quick to prepare, promising a batch of extraordinary cookies with minimal effort. It’s destined to become your go-to recipe for satisfying those intense peanut butter and chocolate cravings.
Indulge in Our Giant Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
We proudly call these cookies “giant” not just for marketing, but because of their truly impressive size. Each cookie can easily outweigh a regular-sized one, often reaching the approximate dimensions of your palm, or even larger. Here at Family Cookie Recipes, we’ve developed a growing appreciation for larger cookies, especially when they feature timeless flavor profiles like peanut butter and chocolate. The only way to truly enhance such a beloved classic is to make the delightful experience last even longer – and that’s precisely what we’ve achieved by significantly increasing the cookie size. The substantial dough provides a perfectly soft and chewy base, serving as an ideal canvas for the generous amount of fillings. This generous size ensures every bite is packed with flavor and texture, from the crisp edges to the tender center.
Imagine sinking your teeth into a warm, freshly baked cookie, so big and rich that it feels like a meal in itself. The extra surface area allows for a more pronounced distribution of all the wonderful mix-ins – from the crunchy Reese’s Pieces to the melty chocolate and peanut butter chips, and the delightful surprise of a mini Reese’s Cup in every other bite. These cookies are not just a dessert; they’re an event, a treat designed to bring maximum joy and satisfaction. They’re perfect for sharing (if you can bear to!) or for those moments when only an extra-large, extra-delicious cookie will do.
Essential Ingredients for Giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Crafting these phenomenal cookies begins with selecting the right ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving that perfect balance of flavor, texture, and size. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:
- Unsalted Butter: You will need ½ cup (one stick) of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content in the recipe, ensuring your cookies aren’t too salty. Softened butter is crucial for creaming effectively with the sugars, creating a light and airy base for the dough.
- Sugars: We use a blend of ¾ cup of packed brown sugar and ¼ cup of granulated white sugar. Brown sugar contributes to the cookies’ moistness and chewy texture, thanks to its molasses content, while granulated sugar ensures a delightful sweetness and helps with crisp edges. This combination creates a rich, complex sweetness.
- Large Egg: Just one large egg is needed to help bind the dough together, providing structure and richness. Ensure your egg is also at room temperature for better incorporation into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
- Vanilla Extract: A teaspoon of pure vanilla extract will infuse the dough with a warm, inviting aroma and enhance the overall flavor profile, complementing both the peanut butter and chocolate.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: For a truly great taste that permeates every bite, we’re adding ½ cup of creamy peanut butter. Opt for a classic, shelf-stable peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than natural, oil-separated varieties, as these can affect the cookie’s texture and consistency. This ensures a rich, unmistakable peanut butter flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: The structural base of our cookie dough mixture is 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Make sure to spoon and level your flour, rather than scooping directly from the bag, to avoid over-measuring which can lead to dry, dense cookies.
- Salt: To help naturally enhance the flavors in the dough and balance the sweetness, use ½ teaspoon of fine salt. It’s a small but mighty ingredient that makes a big difference.
- Baking Powder: This is our primary leavening agent, crucial for helping the cookies puff up nicely and achieve their soft, airy interior. You’ll need ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
- An Abundance of Candies: This is where the magic truly happens! You will need a generous 1¼ cups each of semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and Reese’s Pieces candy. Additionally, incorporate 1 full cup of Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups, roughly chopped if they’re not already mini. This medley ensures every inch of your giant cookie is loaded with that iconic peanut butter and chocolate bliss, offering varying textures and bursts of flavor in every bite.
How to Make Decadent Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies: A Step-by-Step Guide
Creating these glorious giant cookies is a rewarding process. Follow these steps carefully for the best results:
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened unsalted butter and both the brown and granulated sugars until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This process incorporates air, which is essential for a tender cookie.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Beat in the large egg, vanilla extract, and creamy peanut butter. Mix until all ingredients are well combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough, as this can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tough cookies. The dough will appear quite thick and crumbly at this stage, which is perfectly normal.
- Fold in the First Round of Candies: Now for the delicious mix-ins! Add ¼ cup each of the semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and Reese’s Pieces to the dough. Stir them in gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Divide and Shape: Divide the dough out into 6 equal-sized portions. Since these are giant cookies, each portion will be substantial. Roll each portion firmly into a ball using your hands. Consistency in size will help ensure even baking.
- Top with More Goodies: This step is key for that “loaded” look! Press the *remaining* semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, Reese’s Mini Cups, and Reese’s Pieces all over the tops and sides of each cookie dough ball. This creates beautiful, appetizing cookies with visible candy goodness.
- Chill the Dough: Place the shaped cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer them to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Chilling is a crucial step that helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking, ensuring they maintain their thick, chewy texture.
- Preheat Oven: While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare another baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Bake to Perfection: Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving ample space between them to allow for spreading. Bake your cookies for approximately 18 minutes. They should be lightly golden brown around the edges and still appear slightly soft in the center when removed from the oven.
- Cool and Enjoy: Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the hot cookie sheet before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This initial cooling period on the baking sheet helps them set and prevents them from falling apart. Once cooled, they’re ready to be devoured!
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Reese’s Peanut Butter cookies loaded with Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter & chocolate chips, and Reese’s Cups! Big, fat cookies packed with great peanut butter chocolate flavor that everyone loves!
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Recipe Details
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Servings: 6 giant cookies
Calories: 1431 kcal
Author: Jessica & Nellie
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cups peanut butter chips
- 1 ¼ cups Reese’s Pieces candy
- 1 cup Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. The dough will be thick and crumbly.
- Stir in ¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, ¼ cup of peanut butter chips, and ¼ cup of Reese’s Pieces into the dough.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Form each portion into a large, sturdy ball.
- Generously press the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, Reese’s Mini Cups, and Reese’s Pieces all over the tops and sides of the cookie dough balls. Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Place the chilled cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced apart. Bake for 18 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
For more regular-sized cookies, divide the dough into 18 balls. Bake smaller cookies for 9-10 minutes, adjusting bake time as needed based on your oven.
Nutrition Information (per serving, approximate)
Calories: 1431kcal | Carbohydrates: 166g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 77g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 587mg | Potassium: 645mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 115g | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 7mg
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Essential Baking Tips for Perfect Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Achieving cookie perfection often comes down to a few key techniques. Keep these tips in mind as you bake your giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Always start with softened butter and a room-temperature egg. This allows them to emulsify better, creating a smoother, more uniform dough that traps air efficiently, resulting in a lighter and more tender cookie texture. Cold ingredients can lead to a lumpy dough and inconsistent results.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, dry, and less tender cookies. A few lumps are perfectly fine and often preferable to an overmixed, smooth dough.
- Accurate Flour Measurement: Use the spoon-and-level method for measuring flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup until it overflows, then level it off with the back of a knife. Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to too much flour in the recipe and a dense, dry cookie.
- The Power of Chilling: The chilling step is absolutely crucial for these giant cookies. Not only does it help prevent spreading, but it also allows the flavors to meld and deepen. Don’t skip it!
- Even Baking is Key: Use light-colored baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Darker sheets can cause the bottoms of cookies to brown too quickly. Rotate your baking sheet halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking, especially if your oven has hot spots.
- Doneness Cues: These cookies should be lightly golden brown around the edges and still look slightly underdone and soft in the center when you remove them from the oven. They will continue to bake and set as they cool on the hot baking sheet. Overbaking will lead to dry, crumbly cookies.
How Long Do Peanut Butter Cookies Stay Fresh? Optimal Storage Tips
Once baked, you’ll want to ensure your delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies stay fresh for as long as possible. These cookies maintain their fantastic taste and texture for about 3-5 days when stored correctly. To maximize their freshness, it’s essential to keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. This prevents them from drying out and helps retain their chewy goodness.
If you find yourself with more cookies than you can enjoy within a week, or if you simply want to prepare a batch ahead of time, freezing is an excellent option. To freeze baked cookies, allow them to cool completely. Then, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (this prevents them from sticking together). Once solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag, layering parchment paper between cookies if stacking. Frozen cookies will keep well for up to 2-3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply thaw them at room temperature or gently warm them in the microwave for a few seconds for that fresh-from-the-oven feel.
You can also freeze the raw cookie dough. Shape the dough balls, top them with extra candies, and then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, you can bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
The Non-Negotiable Step: Why Chilling Cookie Dough is Crucial for Success
You might be tempted to skip the chilling step for these cookies, but we strongly advise against it! Chilling the dough is a fundamental step that significantly impacts the final texture, shape, and flavor of your cookies. It’s what transforms a good cookie into a truly great one.
So, why is chilling so important? Firstly, it solidifies the fats (butter and peanut butter) in the dough. When the fats are cold, they melt more slowly in the oven, allowing the cookies to set and hold their shape better before they spread out. This prevents thin, overly spread-out cookies and instead yields thick, delightfully chewy cookies that maintain their impressive “giant” stature.
Secondly, chilling allows the flour to fully hydrate, which leads to a more tender and cohesive dough. This hydration process also gives the flavors a chance to develop and deepen. The longer the dough chills, the more pronounced and complex the peanut butter and chocolate flavors become, resulting in a richer and more satisfying cookie experience. While 30 minutes is the minimum, an hour or even overnight can yield even better results. So yes, that additional time in the fridge is absolutely worth it for superior texture and enhanced flavor.
Explore More Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookie Creations
Can’t get enough of that delightful peanut butter flavor? We have a treasure trove of other cookie recipes featuring this beloved ingredient. Whether you’re craving more chocolate-peanut butter goodness or something uniquely different, you’re sure to find a new favorite:
- REESE’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CORNFLAKE COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER CHIP CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- REESE’S CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- LOADED REESE’S COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER KETO COOKIES
- REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER PUDDING COOKIES
- CAKE MIX PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS
- REESE’S CHOCOLATE COOKIE CUPS
- BUTTERFINGER PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE MIX COOKIES
- PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH COOKIES
The Irresistible Duo: Why Peanut Butter and Chocolate Reign Supreme
The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is more than just a flavor pairing; it’s a culinary phenomenon. For generations, this dynamic duo has captivated taste buds worldwide, and for good reason. The rich, creamy, and slightly salty notes of peanut butter provide a perfect counterpoint to the deep, often sweet bitterness of chocolate. This creates a symphony of flavors and textures that is both comforting and exciting.
In our Giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies, this classic combination is taken to the next level. The various forms of Reese’s candies – the crunchy shell of Reese’s Pieces, the smooth melt of peanut butter chips, and the iconic chocolate and peanut butter blend of Reese’s Mini Cups – ensure that every bite delivers a multifaceted experience. The saltiness from the peanut butter cuts through the sweetness, preventing the cookie from being overwhelmingly sugary and inviting you back for more. It’s a balance of sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy that few other pairings can achieve, making these cookies truly unforgettable.
Peanut butter and chocolate were undoubtedly made to be together, and you can savor this divine combination for longer in these indulgent giant Reese’s peanut butter cookies. Made from scratch with a straightforward recipe, these cookies are good to the very last bite, promising an explosion of flavor and a satisfying texture. This cookie recipe is sure to become a cherished favorite in your kitchen, perfect for any occasion or simply for treating yourself to something extraordinary.
Earlier this summer, three of my five kids were away at overnight camps, which left my youngest two with their own rooms for the week! Score, right?! Wrong. You see, the peculiar thing about being kid #4 or #5 is that you’re simply not accustomed to being alone. Ever. So, all it took was about an hour alone in their spacious new territories, and sure enough, these two suddenly decided they needed to bunk with me. At least they had their own bed to sprawl out in! It quickly turned into a fun, week-long slumber party that created some unforgettable memories for all of us. Those little moments of unexpected togetherness are often the most cherished.
