These Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookies are perfect for any PB lover – packed with peanut butter chips, Reese’s Pieces and covered in a creamy peanut butter frosting with peanut butter cups, they truly are the ULTIMATE!
So I experienced a first a couple days ago.
And in retrospect, I’m kind of surprised this *was* a first, but whatever.
I was part of a Good Neighbors group on Facebook for my city. I’m sure your city or town has one, too. It’s basically a collective group where people come together to complain about teenagers running traffic stops or advertising lemonade stands or upcoming church events. You know, the usual.
Well, I’d been seeing a LOT of people advertising about upcoming events – some that were heads-up, but some that were functions in which they would strongly encourage you to donate or help support the cause or whatever. So I thought, I have an upcoming book signing, so I’ll post it here!
I told the neighbors about my book signing, told them there would be treats, and to stop by and say hi! Never mentioning A) buy my book, B) PLEASE buy my book, C) BUY MY BOOK OR MY FACE WILL HAUNT YOUR DREAMS, or D) any of the above. Just a friendly ‘would love to meet you, so stop by, grab some treats, and say hi!’
Cool, right?
WRONG.
Because then just like that, I was straight-up BANNED from the group. BANNED. You’d think I put a voodoo hex on all of the members of my city or screamed obscenities or said something controversial. Nope. I advertised my book signing. (And FYI, my book is not a voodoo hex/obscenity-filled/controversial book either, in case you were wondering).
So yeah, that’s the story of how I was banned from somewhere. And I didn’t even do anything to deserve it! The vigilante in me is screaming injustice, but truth be told, some of the people in my community are stinkers (and that’s the non-obscenity I’m choosing) and I didn’t really enjoy communicating with them or find anything beneficial about the group. So it’s probably a good thing.
But man, had I known I was going to be banned, I would have left with a bang and said something wild and confusing like, “THE GOATS TOLD ME TO DO IT” or “DON’T TRUST THE MAN IN THE YELLOW SHIRT” or “I SPOKE WITH YOUR DOG AND HE IS GOING TO EAT YOU IN TWENTY FORTNIGHTS” or “THE LOCAL STARBUCKS RAN OUT OF COFFEE FOREVER” or something.
Anyway, their loss – because I used to give away my treats to the members of the group! Now they’ll never know what treats I’m cooking up, and now I have eleventy million of these Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookies.
These cookies came to me in a dream (well, from insomnia, anyway) and I knew I had to make them immediately. They’re a peanut butter pudding cookie base that’s stuffed to the gills with peanut butter chips and Reese’s Pieces. Then I slathered on a creamy and decadent peanut butter frosting and topped that nonsense with chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Don’t blame me; blame the goats.
Make them so we’ll be part of our own special group!
- FOR COOKIES:
- ½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 (3.4 oz) pkg INSTANT vanilla pudding mix (just the dry mix)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Reese's Mini Pieces
- ¾ cup peanut butter chips
- FOR FROSTING:
- ¾ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups chopped Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar & sugar with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 1 minute. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat to combine. Lastly, add in the baking soda, dry pudding mix and flour and beat until a soft dough has formed. Fold in the Reese's Mini Pieces and peanut butter chips.
- Drop the dough into heaping Tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, about 1-2" apart. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Once the cookies come out, gently press down on them slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass. Cool on the racks completely.
- To make the frosting: in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, until frosting is spreadable and smooth.
- Spread a heaping Tablespoonful or so (more or less to suit your tastes) of the frosting onto the cooled cookies. Top with a heaping Tablespoonful of chopped Reese's PB Cups.
Soft & chewy cookies with plenty of Reese’s candy topped with a silky peanut butter frosting and gooey peanut butter cups… could it GET any better?! (The answer is no).
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Well that is so stupid and annoying that they banned you! These cookies are obnoxious, and thats a good thing. The amount of peanut butter with the chips, pieces, the cups and a pb frosting ? Yum, they are so pretty as well!
Girl, I knew you’d love these cookies! xoxo!
Well, that’s just their loss! I’d love to be your neighbor—and I’d be hounding you for at least a dozen of these pb gems. They look fantastic!
Thanks Liz! Wish we were neighbors, too!
They’re cray. These cookies are also cray, but in a good way.
Ha! Thanks Jessie! xoxo!
Oh my God!! These are absolutely divine! I love love peanut butter and Reese is my favourite! I have to make this 🙂 thanks for sharing xx
Thanks so much Linda! Enjoy!
I’m still so outraged on your behalf over that stuuuupid group. Bunch ‘o’ dumbies.
they could have enjoyed treats like the most perfect pb cookies to ever have graced the land, right here, and now they’re missing out.
dumbies.
Right!? Although several days later, I was let back in. Maybe they realized they’d just closed the door for future treats!