Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies are soft and chewy peanut butter cookies made with vanilla pudding mix and chunks of Reese’s peanut butter cups too!
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies are one of those recipes you’ve just got to try. I love peanut butter cookies. My go-to Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie recipe has been made at my home way more times than I’d like to admit and I loved it so much that I never even really tried any other recipe. Both of these recipes are among the most popular cookie recipes on our site!
One day, I started thinking about how a lot of my other favorite cookies had pudding mix added to them and I began to wonder why I’d never tried to make peanut butter cookies with pudding in them. So I tried it and the results are delicious!
I had some mini Reese’s peanut butter cups in the pantry and thought they would be good, so I chopped them up and threw them in along with some mini chocolate chips. This combination was amazing in the cookies, but Reese’s Pieces would work well or just regular chocolate chips would be fine. You don’t have to put anything in the dough if you don’t want to – the plain peanut butter cookie is so good by itself that you would still be loving the results!
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Making Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding cookies is easy! Here are a few tips for getting perfect cookies every time!
- Make sure you use softened butter – DON’T melt it! One of the most common errors in cookie making is using butter that is either cold and hard, or using butter that is too warm and melted. If you have time, just leave butter out on the counter for about 1-2 hours before making your cookies. If you are like me and don’t plan your cookie cravings that far in advance, just place the butter in your microwave and soften in 5-second intervals, being very careful to pull it out before it melts. I like to use the defrost setting on my microwave to soften butter- I don’t know the technical reasons behind it, but it seems to soften the butter more evenly and takes a little bit longer so I’m less likely to start melting it!
- Use regular peanut butter, not the more natural kind. The peanut butters where the oils separate out tend to be a little runnier and just don’t yield consistently favorable results in baking!
- Most cookie recipes require that you mix the dry ingredients separately before adding the wet ingredients. This is an important step!
- Spend a little extra time when you mix the butter and sugars. Creaming them together for 2-3 minutes will improve the consistency of your cookies.
- Preheat the oven. This will help your cookies turn out right every time!
- Use a cookie scoop if you want all your cookies to be perfectly shaped and have them all be exactly the same size.
Ingredients in Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
Butter – I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer. No margarine! Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before adding to the recipe.
Peanut butter – Every time I have made these cookies I have used a regular creamy peanut butter (like Jif or a store-brand alternative). Many readers have commented that peanut butter cookies do not turn out as well when using a more natural peanut butter.
Sugars – You will need 1/2 cup each of granulated sugar and brown sugar. For best results, make sure the brown sugar is soft and fresh.
Vanilla pudding mix – A small box of instant vanilla pudding mix adds flavor to the cookies and results in cookies with the perfect consistency.
Eggs – Two eggs will help bind all of the other ingredients together.
Vanilla extract – The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better!
Flour – All-purpose flour works best in these cookies. Cake flour also works well.
Baking soda – Baking soda is the leavening agent in the cookies. For best results, make sure the baking soda isn’t old or expired.
Salt – A little bit of salt helps to bring out the other flavors in the cookies.
Mini chocolate chips – You can use regular chocolate chips, but I like to use mini chips in these cookies.
Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups – You can use regular-sized peanut butter cups as well, but I like to use the mini ones and quarter them. You will need about a cup of chopped peanut butter cups, but I’ve found that most people don’t complain if you add a few extra.
How to make Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Add the peanut butter and sugars and beat for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the pudding mix and beat for another minute.
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add this mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
Carefully fold in the chocolate chips and chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups. And anything else you want to add in!
Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet, placing the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies for about 10 minutes – do not overbake!
FAQS
When making Peanut Butter Cookie recipes, there are a few common questions that people may have. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers:
HOW DO YOU KEEP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES SOFT?
After the cookies have cooled, simply place them in an airtight container to keep them fresh for as long as possible. If they start to get hard, you can place a piece of bread in the container to keep the cookies fresh and soft for longer.
CAN I USE NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER INSTEAD OF REGULAR PEANUT BUTTER?
While the recipe calls for regular creamy peanut butter, some people may prefer to use natural peanut butter instead. However, it’s important to note that the cookies may not turn out as well with natural peanut butter. This is because natural peanut butter tends to be runnier and oilier than regular peanut butter, which can affect the texture and consistency of the cookies.
CAN I MAKE THE COOKIES IN ADVANCE?
Yes, you can make the cookies up to 2-3 days in advance and store them in an airtight container until ready to serve. They can also be frozen and thawed as needed. You can freeze the baked cookies, but I actually prefer to freeze the dough pre-scooped into balls so that I can make them fresh every time!
Just freeze the cookie dough balls individually (laid out on a cookie sheet) before placing all of them together in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. Pull them out when ready to bake. You may need to bake them for a minute or two longer than normal when baking from frozen.
MORE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- Best Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies
- Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Fudge Peanut Butter Cookie Cups
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
- Best Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Cookies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Five Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies are soft and chewy peanut butter cookies made with vanilla pudding mix and pieces of Reese’s peanut butter cups too!
Taryn says
My son has been on a baking kick lately and these are one of my absolute favorite cookies!
Kaylie says
Love it! Thank you, Taryn!
Viane Eichelberger says
In the FAQs section you say, “thanks to the cream cheese in the dough- they stay softer for longer!”, but I don’t see cream cheese in the recipe. First pan is in the oven and I’m a little nervous.
Nellie says
I just fixed the post! There is no cream cheese in this recipe!
Ashley says
We are obsessed with these cookies. I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, but something different than just a regular recipe so I made these and they are so good.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Ashley!
Abj says
Anyone have troubles with too much baking soda (ultra fluffy and salty)?
Jenn says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Nellie says
I always use salted, but I know a lot of bakers maintain you should use unsalted. I honestly can’t really tell the difference!
Lindsey says
Is there a print button somehwere??
Jessica says
At the very top & very bottom of every post, plus on the recipe card. 😉
Mary Kasparian says
Hi Jessica, there are only buttons to pin or rate. No print button. I thought that was odd because I normally see a print button on other recipes, but not this one. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe though! I am to eager to try it… once I get some Reese’s that is..
Nellie says
I just checked the recipe and it seems to be working correctly. There is a Print Recipe button at the top of the page and one on the actual recipe card too.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great recipe to make with kids!
Jessica says
Thanks Suzanne!
Carol says
Can I make dough in advance and refrigerate?
Jessica says
Absolutely!
Maria says
Excellent!
DSoles says
Yummy! Improvised with hersheys milk chocolate chips. Doubled the recipe, and had only one box of pudding – still turned out great. Made another doable batch and forgot to double the butter, still very edible.
Susan Kinsman says
It says to use a cookie scoop… they come in many sizes! Which did you use?
Nellie says
I like to experiment with different sizes, but almost always use a #40 (2 Tbsp) scoop. Enjoy!