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!
Ingredients for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Butter – I usually use salted butter, but unsalted works too. Be sure the butter is softened to room temperature before mixing. Avoid using margarine.
Peanut Butter – Regular creamy peanut butter, like Jif or a store brand, works best. Natural peanut butter can make the cookies turn out differently because of the oil separation.
Sugars – You’ll need ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar. Soft, fresh brown sugar gives the best texture.
Vanilla Pudding Mix – One small box of instant vanilla pudding mix adds flavor and helps create soft, perfectly textured cookies.
Eggs – Two eggs help bind the dough together.
Vanilla Extract – Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Flour – All-purpose flour works best, though cake flour can also be used.
Baking Soda – Baking soda helps the cookies rise properly, so make sure yours is fresh and not expired.
Salt – A little salt enhances all the other flavors in the cookies.
Mini Chocolate Chips – Mini chocolate chips work especially well because they distribute evenly throughout the dough, but regular chocolate chips can also be used.
Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups – Mini peanut butter cups, chopped into quarters, are perfect for these cookies. You’ll need about 1 cup, though a few extra never hurts!
Tips & Tricks for making the BEST Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies
- Freeze the chopped Reese’s before adding them to the dough. This helps keep the peanut butter cups from completely melting into the cookies while baking, so you get distinct chocolate-peanut butter chunks in every bite.
- Don’t skip the extra mixing time after adding the peanut butter and sugars. Beating them together for a few minutes creates a lighter texture and helps the pudding mix blend evenly into the dough.
- Mix the dough just until the flour disappears. Overmixing after adding the dry ingredients can make the cookies dense instead of soft and chewy.
- Slightly underbake the cookies for the best texture. The centers may look a little soft when you pull them out, but they’ll continue setting on the baking sheet as they cool, giving you perfectly chewy cookies.
How long are these peanut butter pudding cookies good for?
These Reese’s Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies will stay soft and fresh for about 4–5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
They also freeze really well! Once the cookies have completely cooled, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2–3 months. You can thaw them at room temperature, or warm one in the microwave for a few seconds for that fresh-baked texture.
You can also freeze the cookie dough before baking. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, just adding an extra 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
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:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies are an easy dessert made with cake mix, peanut butter, butter, and eggs for soft, chewy cookies full of peanut butter cup flavor.
- These Easy Peanut Butter Cookies are quick to make and perfect when you need a simple homemade treat in a hurry.
- Buckeye Cookies combine a soft chocolate cookie with a creamy peanut butter center for a decadent chocolate-peanut butter dessert.
- Our Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Cookies have an incredibly soft and chewy texture thanks to the cream cheese mixed into the dough.
- Fudge Peanut Butter Cookie Cups are soft peanut butter cookies baked in a mini muffin pan and filled with rich, creamy chocolate fudge for an irresistible sweet and salty combination.
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!
Carla says
This is a family favorite!
Jessica says
So glad to hear Carla!
Maridele N says
These cookies are absolutely swoon worthy! Today I made them for the second time. Both times I’ve used sugar free white chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. This time I used mini chips, chopped Reese’s and peanut butter chips. One tip I would include would be to leave them on the pan for a couple of minutes before trying to remove them. They are so soft, they fall apart right out of the oven. This recipe is 5 star and a keeper!
Nellie says
Oooh, love the idea of using white chocolate pudding!
Olivia says
Can I combine the dry ingredients to turn this into a pantry mix?
Jessica says
My one big hesitation is the sugars- if you’re layering it in a jar, it’d be impossible to cream it with the butter and PB. I worry about how the cookie turns out if you skip this step. But I say try it first- if it works well to dump and mix, do it!