Peanut Butter Cookie Cups with Chocolate Frosting
Calling all peanut butter lovers! I developed this peanut butter cookie cup recipe for my hubby for the holiday season because he loves peanut butter and chocolate and these are full of both! If you like Reese’s peanut butter cups, you will love these! This simple recipe is a combination of a classic chewy peanut butter cookie topped with a dark chocolate layer of rich buttercream frosting and a Halloween candy corn. With just one bite of this decadent cookie cup you will be asking for another. Perfect for an easy Halloween or fall time treat! Full recipe card below.
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What is a peanut butter cookie cup?
Peanut butter cookie cups are simply peanut butter cookies made in a mini muffin pan and topped with icing to look more like a cupcake but taste like a cookie. And if I am being honest, these taste a lot like a Reese’s peanut butter cookie cup!
Ingredients
For the most part, peanut butter cookies are composed of a few basic ingredients. These ingredients can vary in quantities producing very different cookies but the building blocks are essentially the same. Let’s go over the basics that will produce the best results.
Peanut Butter Cookie DoughÂ
Flour – Even though there are several different types of flour, I stick to all purpose flour for making cookies.
Sugar – Sugar is one of the key components to all cookie recipes and establishes the ph of the cookie dough. Almost every cookie recipe I have seen calls for at least some white sugar or granulated sugar.
Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will both work here. I used light brown sugar.
Butter – You will need real unsalted butter for this recipe. Butter is the primary fat content in the cookie but also contributes to the overall structure of the cookie. Most cookie recipes and baking in general call for creaming the the butter and sugar in one of the first steps. This is important! If you melt the butter, the fat will not combine and coat the protein in the same manner and you will end up with flat thin cookies. Bring the butter up to room temperature before making the cookie dough.
Peanut Butter –Â Obviously peanut butter cookies need peanut butter! You can use any brand you like, Jiff, Peter Pan, Skippy or whatever you have on hand. I use good old fashioned Skippy. Just make sure you use creamy peanut butter not crunchy.
Vanilla –Â When baking, you should always use pure vanilla extract. It adds an extra sweetness that combines with the other ingredients to create a complex flavor in baked cookies.
Eggs –Â This is your binder for all the wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Not only will it hold everything together, but it will also add moisture to your cookies due to the high water content in the egg whites.
Baking Soda – Do you really need this? YES! Baking soda is usually a very small ingredient but a very important ingredient! The baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar and produces carbon dioxide which creates softer and thicker cookies.
Salt – A little bit of salt helps balance out all the sweetness from the sugars in cookie dough.
Cornstarch – If you love soft and chewy cookies, cornstarch is the secret! It creates a slightly thicker cookie with a soft and chewy consistency.
Dark Chocolate FrostingÂ
Butter –Â Butter is one of the primary ingredients in an American buttercream icing recipe. You cannot skip this or substitute it. You need softened but not melted butter. This is important! If you melt the butter, the fat will not combine in the same manner and the frosting will separate. Use only real unsalted butter for this recipe, no margarine. Trust me, the first time I made icing I learned this the hard way.
Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. This ingredient is what gives the butter some structure and sweetness and is another key component in buttercream frosting.
Heavy Whipping Cream – Heavy cream is the key ingredient to making a creamy chocolate frosting. It has a rich taste and in my opinion is the best option for icing.
Cocoa Powder – The secret ingredient that makes this frosting so decadent and what gives the frosting its chocolate flavor is unsweetened cocoa powder in the special dark chocolate flavor. This is found in the baking aisle in the grocery store. You can use regular cocoa powder if that is all you have but it will have more of a milk chocolate taste rather than dark chocolate.
Toppings – I added candy corns to my chocolate peanut butter cookie cups for the fall season but you can also use sprinkles, chocolate kisses, or even a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup. Get creative!
Mixing Options
For best results, you will want to use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer to mix both the cookie dough and to whip the frosting.
How to Bake the Cookie Cups
For this step you will need a mini muffin tin to bake the cookie cups in. Simply mix up the cookie dough and use a perfect cookie scoop (about a tablespoon of cookie dough) to make a dough ball. Generously grease the pan with cooking spray and press the cookie mix into the pan so it touches the sides.
Once the cookies are baked and still hot, use a small shot glass or something similar to press in the center of each cookie to make a divot for the icing and create the edges of the cookie cups. Cool them completely before removing from the pan and frosting.
How to Pipe Chocolate Frosting
When frosting a cake or cupcake most professional bakers use a piping bag or a pastry bag and star tip to make desserts look pretty. While I do own both of those, I prefer to use a resealable zip-top bag and a large star tip. Place a large star tip into one corner of the bag and poke it through a little bit to mark where you need to cut. Then scoop the chocolate buttercream frosting into the bag, get all the air out, and zip it closed. Then use a pair of scissors to cut off the corner at the marks you made.
Now you have a DIY piping bag you can throw away when you are done. Just don’t forget to pull out the tip before you toss it.
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Peanut Butter Cookie Cups with Chocolate Frosting
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookie cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Calling all peanut butter and chocolate fans! These easy peanut butter cookie cups are a combination of peanut butter flavor and rich dark chocolate frosting coming together to make the best dessert. With just one bite of these Reese’s cookies you will be asking for another. Perfect for an easy Halloween, fall, or holiday treat!
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Dark Chocolate Frosting
- 1 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 cup Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 pkg Candy Corn Candies
Instructions
Cookie Dough Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream butter and both sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed. Note, the butter must be at room temperature and soft but not melted for this to work. Do not use margarine.
- Add in the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.
- Combine flour mixture with wet ingredients one cup at a time, mixing until combined. Do not over mix.
- Scoop cookie dough into greased muffin tin and press into the cup.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cooking times may vary.
- Once the cookies are baked and still hot, use a small shot glass or something similar to press in the center of each cookie to make a divot for the icing and create the edges of the cookie cups.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. You can use a small knife to score around the edges if need be.
Dark Chocolate Frosting Instructions
- Cream butter in a medium sized mixing bowl using a stand mixer or electric mixer with a beater or paddle attachment. Cream until smooth. Note, the butter must be at room temperature and soft but not melted for this to work. Do not use margarine.
- Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt a little at a time mixing on low speed until smooth and fluffy.
- Add in half the cocoa powder at a time and mix on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
- Use a spatula, piping bag, or Ziplock to apply frosting to cookie cups. See my notes above on my plastic bag method.
- Garnish with candy corns.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cool Time: 15
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Storage
Leftover cookie cups can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
When to Make Peanut Butter Cookie Cups
This is my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and can be used as regular cookies, peanut butter blossoms, or as cookie cups. You can frost them with any type of icing or leave them plain. This is a great recipe for birthdays, holidays, game day, or anytime you have a craving for a sweet treat!
Looking for more homemade recipes? Check out my Crumbl sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies without butter, Christmas muddy buddies, or my brownie fruit pizza.
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