Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chunk Cookies
These Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chunk Cookies are big, chewy, and full of peanut butter, peanut butter cups, and rich melted chocolate! If you love chocolate and peanut butter, these cookies will become a quick favorite.
Hi, my name’s Rachel and I’m addicted to peanut butter. If you’ve been around my site before and have seen any of my many peanut butter recipes, you know that I can’t get enough of peanut butter. I especially love it when it’s paired with chocolate – white, dark, or milk. I don’t discriminate.
It’s not just peanut butter I love – it’s all nut butters. I love making them myself in my Vitamix (though it’s a long and loud process…) and I make new flavors all the time. Coconut butter is one of my favorites. Half coconut butter, half almond butter, with a bunch of spices and salt?? It’s so good. That almond coconut butter slathered on some thinly sliced apples is one of my favorite snacks.
But even with how much I love almond butter and cashew butter and coconut butter, my first nut butter love was peanut butter, and I’ll never get enough of it. Peanut butter cups have always been one of my favorite candies and I’ve always wanted to bake with those teeny milk chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s.
Well, I finally did it. Fun size Reese’s are a little too big to just be tossed into cookies whole, but the ones from Trader Joe’s are only a teensy bit bigger than chocolate chips so they’re perfect to add in to cookies. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, I think Reese’s now also makes Reese’s Minis, which are a similar size. You could also just chop up some bigger Reese’s and toss ’em in – as long as you get some peanut butter cups in there.
The cookies themselves are adapted from one of my favorite cookie recipes on the site, these Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. That recipe makes such soft and gooey peanut butter cookies, and that’s what I wanted to replicate with these…but full of chocolatey, peanut butter cup goodness. I adapted the recipe to get rid of the oats, cinnamon, and raisins, and added big chunks of dark chocolate and mini peanut butter cups.
The resulting cookies are soft and moist and full of peanut butter flavor, with the peanut butter cups and chocolate chunks making the cookies extra rich and decadent.
I did over-bake half the batch. I turned off the timer thinking, “I’ll just leave them in a sec longer” and wandered out of the kitchen, distracted on the phone. A few minutes later, smelling peanut butter, I dashed into the kitchen and managed to save the cookies before they were too dark – but they were definitely golden.
However, even the darker cookies were delicious if you like a crispier cookie. These cookies are pretty forgiving, so if you like crisper edges leave them in the oven for a minute longer – just be sure to set the timer. Don’t be like me.
This only makes a dozen cookies, but they’re BIG cookies. Thankfully, the recipe doubles easily or you can stretch the dough farther by making smaller cookies. Just be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly! Enjoy :)
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PrintPeanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter (softened)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
- ½ cup mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg until well blended.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add into the peanut butter mixture and beat until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chunks and peanut butter cups. Chill cookie dough, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 week.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide the dough into 12 balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven for 12 minutes, or until just pale golden. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
- Calories: 339
- Sugar: 29
- Sodium: 259
- Fat: 14
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 46
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 14
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Oh these cookies are totally calling my name for breakfast! Peanut butter and chocolate makes the best combo, so I’m loving these cookies! And I would have no shame in devouring this entire batch! :)
Thanks so much, Gayle! :)
Oh, man. They’re so huge and perfect I just want to sink my teeth into 10 of these right now! Seriously, anything pb cup is totally my weakness!
Me too!! Isn’t it the best, Sarah? Thanks :)
Hi Rachel! I’m Cheyanne and I’m addicted to peanut butter too (and all nut butters)! But don’t send help, just send more peanut butter! Or a few dozen of these cookies! These look AHHH-MAZING! I am totally loving the teeny tiny little peanut butter cups in these! So fun and 100% delicious! These are cookie perfection! Pinned! Cheers! :)
My children love peanut butter. Never knew reese’s came in that size. Now I know what to bake for my children this weekend. Thanks for sharing :)
Oh my goodness I looooovee those peanut butter cups from Trader Joe’s! I’ve gone on emergency trips when I was feeling a little down just to buy like 5 packs of them. I only get the dark chocolate ones so I’ll make these with those instead!
Oh. Yum. I too am pretty addicted to peanut butter, and can eat it all day every day. I love the idea of putting those mini PB cups in the cookies, what an amazing idea! Luckily (or unluckily?) I live very close to a TJs, so these are probably on my agenda shortly. Pinning these!
Those teeny pb cups in these enormous cookies are what I live for- so yum- pinning!!
Oh my gosh! These cookies look INCREDIBLE! Pinned!
I guess I need to get my holiday baking started! You never fail to come up with awesome peanut butter and chocolate recipes! These look amazing! Yum.
Haha thank you, Melissa! My baking brain always has chocolate + PB at the forefront :)
But SERIOUSLY. I kind of feel like I need to go to the kitchen immediately and make a batch of these. They look like the perfect combination of crispy and chewy!
Giant cookies are SO my thing! Especially when they have my favorite peanut butter cups in it!
A batch of peanut butter cup cookies basically equals out to one serving because like yourself, i’m a peanut butter fein.
From one peanut butter addict to another, these cookies are totally my jam! And I have never forgot cookies in the oven….. :)
What a fun looking cookie! I love the little peanut butter cups…they are the perfect size for a cookie!
These cookies look amazing!! Chocolate and peanut butter are such an awesome combo and I love that you used the mini peanut butter cups in here! I’ll take a dozen please :)
I could just imagine the heavenly smells emanating from your oven while these were baking Rachel – they look incredible, especially with those chocolate chunks. I have to admit (I know, I know…) that I am not a huge peanut butter fan.. do you think you could substitute in almond butter? Thanks! <3
You could definitely use almond butter, Claudia!! Or any other nut butter, really. Enjoy! :)
Ooooh I adore nut butters! I never thought of making them in the Vitamix – only in the food processor. I need to try it! And those cookies – swoon!
Love everything about these cookies! They would disappear in a hurry at our house!
I’m definitely a nut butter addict too!! I have at least 12 assorted jars currently in my pantry!! It’s a problem, lol! These cookies look amazing… I love PB + chocolate together!
I want one {or three – don’t judge} of these cookies in my hand right now!! So chewy and soft. Dying.
Yum! Peanut butter and chocolate are probably my favorite food pair!
These look amazing! I’m with you Rachel, I am a HUGE peanut butter (and chocolate) addict! I wish I could reach through the screen and eat one of these cookies right now!
I love peanut butter too! One of my pregnant cravings was peanut butter and popcorn. I think my poor baby is half made from the stuff!
Those look like the perfect ooey gooey cookies my dreams are made of!
Can we use baking semi sweet chocolate?
Definitely! Just chop it up into chunks. Enjoy :)
Hi Rachel, came here to tell you that your PB cookie recipe is the best I’ve ever had. Thank you for your delicious recipe! 5 stars!
Best compliment ever, Michelle! Thanks for the feedback :)
I made these last weekend and they were sooo good! I split the cup of PB with some TJ cookie butter and yum!!
I made these last weekend and they were sooo good! I split the cup of PB with some TJ cookie butter and yum!! I doubled the recipe, that’s why I did a cup of “butters”.
Sounds amazing! Glad you’re loving them, Meg!