These chocolate peanut butter cup cookies are loaded with rich, fudgy chocolate goodness and melted pools of creamy peanut butter cup in every bite. Imagine combining a brownie and a peanut butter cup into cookie form, and you've got these delicious cookies!
The dough uses melted butter and doesn't require any chilling, so you can satisfy your cookie craving ASAP.
After making my chocolate fudge cookies, which are rich, dark and moist, I couldn't wait to make something similar with a peanut butter twist.
Peanut butter and chocolate are one of my all time favorite combinations. The rich, smooth sweetness of chocolate and the salty, nutty flavor of peanut butter are such a good match.
These double chocolate peanut butter cup cookies are so easy. You can mix up the simple double chocolate chip cookie dough with basic pantry ingredients. One of the benefits of this cookie - the dough doesn't require any chilling time. Get your chocolate peanut butter fix ASAP!
These cookies are made with cocoa powder, melted butter, and an extra egg yolk to prove a richly dense, flavorful dough that creates a soft and gooey cookie filled with semisweet and dark chocolate. Melting the butter reduces volume (which means more density) and creates a dough that you can easily mix up by hand.
Store bought dark chocolate peanut butter cups are an easy way to add intense flavor, striking visual pop, and make these cookies over-the-top delicious.
The texture of these homemade chocolate and peanut butter cookies is dense and moist, with a crispy outer layer and a tender, chewy center. The peanut butter cups spread as they melt, covering the tops of the cookies with a sweet, salty peanut butter chocolate layer on top. Pockets of melty, gooey chocolate chunks and chips add extra chocolate flavor in every bite. These are for serious peanut butter and chocolate lovers!
For more peanut butter and chocolate, these chocolate dipped peanut butter ice cream bars are just the treat to enjoy when it's hot outside (or anytime, really. After all, it's ice cream!)
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Ingredients
* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
Peanut butter - In this recipe, I use creamy, conventional store-bought peanut butter with a silky smooth texture. I find that most natural peanut butter has a coarser grind than I prefer here.
Chocolate peanut butter cups - These are the key ingredient! For this recipe, I used Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups, which are 12.5 grams each. There are plenty in one container.
Comparable sizes from other brands include:
Reese's miniature peanut butter cups - Reese's are slightly smaller (8.6 grams). Go for the gold wrapped miniature cups, not the minis, which are closer to chocolate chip size.
The classic wide, flat version that comes in the orange snack packs is too big for this recipe. Reese's also makes a dark chocolate version in their miniature size.
Reader input: the cookies made with dark chocolate Reese's peanut butter cups are delicious, but don't melt as much as the Trader Joe's version. (Reese's likely adds more stabilizers to keep their chocolate from melting.)
Justin's mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups are 12 grams each, so they're pretty close in size to the Trader Joe's type. The downside is that they come in packs of 12, and this recipe makes 14 cookies, so you'd need 2 packages.
Aldi choceur mini peanut butter cups are 10.3 grams each. One 12 ounce bag has 33 peanut butter cups, which is more than enough for this recipe. Note that they're milk chocolate.
Instructions
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl.
To a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, peanut butter and sugars. Mix until well blended.
Add vanilla, whole egg, egg yolk, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Add dry ingredients. Stir until just a few flour streaks remain.
Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and chunks.
Measure dough into 2½ Tablespoon balls (approximately 48 grams each).
Top each dough ball with a peanut butter cup (right side up).
Barely press the peanut butter cups down - just enough to prevent them from falling over.
Portion 6 peanut butter cup topped dough balls (say that three times fast) onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. No need to chill the dough!
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 8 minutes. Cool on pan for 10 minutes before moving to cooling rack.
Hint: Don't overbake these cookies! Since they're made with a dark dough, you won't be able to use color cues to tell when they are done. They should look much less oily and shiny and have an almost dull, matte finish. The edges will be beginning to set. They'll still be soft when you take them out, but will firm up as they cool.
Substitutions
Peanut butter - If you need to avoid peanuts due to a peanut allergy, substitute the peanut butter in the dough with almond butter or sunflower butter (sunbutter). Replace the peanut butter cups with miniature almond butter cups or sunflower butter cups. You'll find them at many grocery stores or online.
Variations
If you'd like to try a different twist on this recipe for double chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, try these variations:
- Peanuts - Add ¼ roasted, chopped peanuts to the dough when adding the chocolate chips. Alternatively, use chunky peanut butter for a similar crunchy texture.
- Chocolate chips and chunks - Feel free to vary the percentage of chocolate that you add to the cookies. Here I've used a combination of dark chocolate chunks and semisweet chocolate chips. You could use all dark chocolate, all semisweet, all milk chocolate, or a combination of the above. You can also use all chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Peanut butter chips - Replace the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips for extra peanut butter flavor.
- Espresso powder - Adding 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the melted butter will enhance the chocolate flavor and add extra depth to these cookies without creating a noticeable coffee taste.
- Chocolate peanut butter thumbprint cookies - You might want these cookies to have a more pronounced thumbprint shape, with less of the peanut butter cup spreading over the top. If so, press the peanut butter cups more deeply into the dough balls, about halfway down.
Equipment
Cookie scoop - To shape these chocolate peanut butter cup cookies, I use this medium cookie scoop which measures out 1½ Tablespoons of dough. It's a size 40.
Baking pans - I bake my cookies on rimmed half sheet baking pans (18 x 13 inches).
Parchment paper is great for lining the baking pan. The cookies won't stick at all if you use parchment paper underneath.
Round cookie cutters - Use a round cookie cutter or the rim of an upside down glass to swirl these peanut butter cup chocolate cookies back into a round shape after baking. Do this as soon as you remove them from the oven while they are still hot and pliable. I use my set of round cookie cutters all the time!
Storage
Store: Store these dark chocolate peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
The first photos show the cookies while still warm, while the last photos show them set up. You'll notice the peanut butter and chocolate have become firmer to the touch, allowing these to be transported, stacked or packed with ease.
Freeze: Store baked cookies in a large zippered freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months
Make ahead: Although these are very easy to make on a whim, it's always great to have extra cookie dough on hand.
To freeze unbaked cookie dough, place scooped dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour or two. Do not add the peanut butter cups. Once frozen, transfer dough balls to a zippered freezer bag. Store dough for up to 3 months frozen, unbaked.
Defrost on cookie sheets at room temperature 60 minutes. Place peanut butter cups on top and bake per recipe instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend Dutch process cocoa powder (also called Dutched or Alkalized cocoa powder) for this recipe. The process of alkalizing, which reduces the acidity, creates a darker colored cocoa and a deeper chocolate flavor.
I have not tested this recipe with natural cocoa. I expect that it would produce a lighter, slightly cakier cookie due to the acidic reaction with the baking soda.
Make sure not to overbake these chocolate fudge peanut butter cookies!
The dough should look much less oily and shiny and have an almost matte finish. The edges will be set but the middles will still be soft.
They will become more dense as they set, so don't move them from the cookie sheet until they have cooled 10 minutes.
Also, don't try to make these cookies smaller than the recommended size! (Approximately 2½ Tablespoons - 48 grams.) I tested the recipe with both 1½ Tablespoon and 2½ Tablespoon cookie dough balls, and the larger size is what helps create the soft, fudgy center.
I recommend baking a mini batch of 2 cookies on the first baking sheet so that you can confirm if the baking time works for your taste (and oven.)
I am lucky to have a Trader Joe's nearby, so I used a package of their dark chocolate peanut butter cups. See the ingredient notes for details on other brands and sizes I recommend!
More Cookies
For more chocolate cookie recipes, check out these other delicious treats!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below, and scroll down to leave a review. Your comments, suggestions and adaptations are very helpful to other bakers. Thank you for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 160 grams (1⅓ cups) all purpose flour
- 30 grams (¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons) cocoa powder, Dutch process
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 84 grams (6 Tablespoons; 3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 64 grams (¼ cup) peanut butter, creamy
- 150 grams (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 56 grams (2 ounces; ⅓ cup) chocolate chips
- 56 grams (2 ounces; ⅓ cup) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks. Substitute with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- 16 peanut butter cups, miniature size. I use dark chocolate variety
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350° Fahrenheit (177° Celsius, Gas mark 4).
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Whisk together until fully incorporated. Set aside.160 grams (1⅓ cups) all purpose flour, 30 grams (¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons) cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- To a large mixing bowl, add melted butter, peanut butter and sugars and stir until well blended.84 grams (6 Tablespoons; 3 ounces) unsalted butter, 150 grams (¾ cup) brown sugar, 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar, 64 grams (¼ cup) peanut butter
- Add vanilla, whole egg, egg yolk, and salt and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add dry ingredients. Stir until just a few flour streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips and chunks.56 grams (2 ounces; ⅓ cup) dark chocolate, 56 grams (2 ounces; ⅓ cup) chocolate chips
- Measure cookie dough into 2½ Tablespoon balls (48 grams*). Top each dough ball with a peanut butter cup (right side up). Barely press the peanut butter cup down - just enough to prevent it from falling over.*If you have a #40 medium cookie scoop like I do, use 1½ scoops per cookie. For each cookie, scoop one full scoop, then combine with a half scoop.16 peanut butter cups
- Place 6 cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
- Immediately after removing cookies from oven, place a round cookie cutter or the rim of a wide drinking glass around each baked cookie and gently swirl the edges of the cookie. This will push the cookie into a uniformly round shape.
- Cool cookies on pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool. The melted peanut butter and chocolate will be soft for a while, but will firm up enough to be stacked after a few hours.Repeat with remaining cookie dough, one sheet of 6 at a time, until all cookies are baked.
Art W says
Among the choices of peanut butter cups you recommended, which will melt like the Trader Joe’s cups? Unfortunately, the closest store is a bit of a drive for us. This is such a creative cookie recipe, that I’ve sent it to all of my baker buddies!
Kathleen Culver says
Thank you, Art!
I totally understand that not everyone has a TJ's nearby. I'm really lucky!
I haven't tested all the different varieties yet myself, but based on the ingredients, I think Justin's brand will behave the most like Trader Joe's peanut butter cups.
The Reese's has a higher amount of stabilizers added to the chocolate. This also also impacts its ability to melt in the oven.
TJ's has less, and likely uses a higher quality/amount of cocoa butter.
I'd love to update the recipe with your input if you give a different brand a try!
Kathleen
Catherine S says
Terrific recipe! I appreciate being told the cookie size in grams because I only have one cookie scoop! I followed the recipe but I substituted Reese’s mini dark chocolate cups and they didn’t melt down like yours do in your photo. Absolutely delicious and I would make them again!
Kathleen Culver says
Thanks, Catherine!
I'm glad the grams reference came in handy. No need to buy an extra scoop.
Sorry that the Reese's didn't melt down : (
I'm guessing they've added extra stabilizers to keep them from melting.
At least they still tasted great!
Kathleen