Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies (2024)

November 30, 2020 | Updated March 22, 2021 | Heather

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Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies are chewy and sweet peanut butter cookies stuffed with glorious chocolate peanut butter cups. These cookies are perfect for all the chocolate and peanut butter fans in your life.

These Peanut Butter Temptations are the most requested cookie during the holiday season. It is my hubby's favorite, my Uncle Ken's favorite, my hubby's family's favorite and my favorite little man's favorite (that would be Maverick, my son). I have a confession about these cookies too... I stole the recipe from my mom, who I believed borrowed it from the back of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup holiday bag. Whoever thought of this recipe was a genius. I'm jealous, it wasn't me! However, I did make a few small changes to the recipe to make them more festive for the holiday season. Now that I've come clean about that, let's move on shall we? We shall!

This post was originally posted on 12/03/2015 and updated on 11/30/2020.

Peanut Butter Temptation Cookie Ingredients

• Salted Butter
• Peanut Butter
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Eggs
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• Mini Peanut Butter Cups
• Red Sugar Crystals-optional
• Green Sugar Crystals-optional

Tools to Make Easy Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies

• Stand Mixer or Hand Beater
• Mini Muffin Pans
• Small Cookie Scoop
• Children to unwrap all the candy! 😉

How to Make Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies

Step 1: Unwrap all the Candy

Have all your children, grand children or neighbor children sit and unwrap all the peanut butter cups. If you don't have access to children or little elves, you will have to do it. Make sure all your peanut butter cups are unwrapped before you start baking the cookies. If you don't, the cookies will be an epic fail (I know this, it has sadly happened to me)!

Step 2: Make the Dough

In a stand mixer or with a hand beater, cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Next add the baking soda, salt and half of the flour. Mix just until combined. Then add the remaining flour and mix until it is all incorporated.

Step 3: Roll the Dough

The easiest way to get evenly sized balls for all the cookies is to use a cookie scoop. Scoop the dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Place some sugar, red sugar and green sugar on a plate or in a flat shallow bowl. Roll cookie dough ball in sugar and place in greased mini muffin pan. The original recipe says to place in an ungreased mini muffin pan, but I always grease them. It makes removal so much easier, and the cookies are never greasy.

Step 4: Bake and Stuff Cookies

Bake one pan at a time in a 375° oven for 8-10 minutes. Once the cookies come out of the oven, immediately press a peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie.

How to Store Cookies

Let the cookies cool at least 3 minutes and allow the chocolate to set a bit. Then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack or counter. I like to use a offset spatula or butter knife to gently remove the cookies if they are being stubborn. Once cooled completely, store in an air tight container between layers of wax paper.

How to Freeze Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

When the cookies are completely cooled, layer them between wax or parchment paper in a freezer safe air tight container. These cookies freeze well and will last 3-6 months in the freezer. To Thaw Cookies: let cookies thaw at room temperature for a few hours.

Along with these cookies I also like to make Gingerbread Men and Spritz Butter Cookies early because they freeze well and will be fresh when it's time to chow down on them at our umpteen million Christmas gatherings we go to.

On another note, once you taste these bad boys, hide them! Hide them very well and tell one person who will remember where you hid them. If you don't, they will be gone before you even have your holiday celebrations! No joke! So, get in the kitchen, make these Peanut Butter Temptations, taste their deliciousness, and hide them!

Variation of Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies

I use this exact recipe to create the kiss or star cookies too. Believe it or not, I have a child who is not a fan of peanut butter cup candies and a child who loves the chocolate stars. Since I love my children dearly I will make a batch of cookies without the peanut butter cups, just for them.

1. Unwrap the kiss's if using, or open the bag of chocolate stars.
2. Follow instructions above to step 3, but place the sugared dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake the cookies in a 375° oven for 8-10 minutes.
4. After cookies come out of the oven, immediately press a kiss or star in the middle of the cookie.
5. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan, and then remove to wire rack or counter to cool completely.
6. Store and freeze as directed above.

More Holiday Cookie Inspiration!

• Frosted Pumpkin Drops
• Italian Almond Cookies
• Sugar Cookie Cuts Outs
• Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Spritz Butter Cookies
• Sugar Cookie Bars
• White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

A great holiday cookie that the whole family is going to love are these Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies. Give them a try and let me know how you and the family loved them in the comments below! Pictures encouraged on Instagram with the hashtag #heathershomemadekitchen You can also follow me on Social Media to see what other crazy things my family and I are doing! If you like what you see, please share with your friends and family!

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Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later!