Dulce De Leche Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
What I Love About My Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Dulce de leche and peanut butter is a classic pairing in Latin American desserts, and I’ve loved combining the two ever since I first tried it. These started as a way to use up an open can of dulce de leche, and they turned into one of my most requested party treats.
- I fold chopped Reese’s minis right into the dough by hand, so every bite has bits of chocolate and peanut butter, not just what’s pressed on top.
- I use a butter-based dough that’s sturdy enough to hold its cup shape, so when I spoon dulce de leche into the center, it stays put instead of leaking out during baking.
- I keep these bite-sized on purpose, so they’re easy to pass around at a party without anyone having to commit to a full-size cookie.
- My food safety certification taught me why a hot caramel filling needs full cooling time before you handle it, so I always let these sit in the pan until they’re completely cool. Rushing that step means a filling that’s still soft in the middle and cookie cups that break apart when you try to pop them out.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups: I chop them by hand, or pulse them a few times in a food processor. I like leaving some larger pieces so you get pockets of melted chocolate throughout the cookie.
- Canned dulce de leche: I use the ready-made cans I find near the sweetened condensed milk in the baking aisle, so I don’t have to boil a can of condensed milk myself.
- Room temperature butter and eggs: I always pull these out ahead of time. They blend into a smooth, fluffy dough instead of a lumpy one.
- Brown sugar: I use it instead of all granulated sugar because it keeps the cookie cups soft, even a day or two later.
How to Make Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Start by whisking the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl, then set it aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla extract and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Don’t overmix here, or the cookies will bake up tough instead of soft. Still on low speed, fold in the chopped Reese’s minis until they’re evenly distributed through the dough.
- Scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball a little less than an inch across. Flatten the ball slightly, then press it into a greased mini muffin cup, working the dough partway up the sides to form a small cup shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Drop a heaping teaspoon of dulce de leche into the center of each cookie cup. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set. Let the cookies cool completely in the pan before removing them. The dulce de leche center is soft while warm, and the cookie cups will fall apart if you try to pop them out too soon.
How to Store and Freeze Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- At room temperature: Store the cooled cookie cups in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The dulce de leche center stays soft, so I layer parchment paper between them instead of stacking the cookies directly on top of each other, or the tops can stick together.
- In the freezer: I don’t recommend it. Dulce de leche can turn grainy once it thaws, and the texture of the chopped Reese’s inside changes too, so these are best made for the day you plan to serve them.
Dulce De Leche Peanut Butter Cup Cookies Recipe FAQs
I chop the Reese’s cups into the dough and let the dulce de leche take the lead on flavor. It gives you a caramel-forward cookie with pockets of peanut butter and chocolate in every bite.
Yes, just chop them into small pieces so they distribute evenly through the dough and don’t weigh down the cookie cups. Note, there will be a little more peanut butter and less chocolate that way.
Yes. If you make your own by simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk, let it cool completely before spooning it into the cookie cups.
Yes, the mini muffin pan is what gives these cookies their cup shape and keeps the dulce de leche contained while baking. A regular-size muffin pan will change both the bake time and the ratio of cookie to filling.
This usually means the cups were overfilled. A heaping teaspoon is enough. Any more, and the filling bubbles over as it heats.
More Recipes From Me
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft and Gooey Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies
- Nutella Cookies
- Dulce de Leche Apple Caramel Oatmeal Cookies
- Caramel Apple Pie with Cookie Crust
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Dulce De Leche Peanut Butter Cup Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 8 oz chopped mini Reese’s cups
- 13.4 oz can of Dulce de leche (may have some left)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees and grease a mini cupcake pan. (You would need two mini cupcake pans or you can wait until the first batch is completely cooled.)
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
- Still on low, drop in chopped Reese’s mini cups, mix until just combined.
- Take out about 1 tbsp of dough and roll it into a ball less than an inch in size. Flatten it and place it in the cupcake pan cup, forming a cookie cup. Repeat to fill the pan.
- Drop a heaping teaspoon of dulce de leche in each cookie cup.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, take out of the oven and let them cool completely before taking them out of the pan or they will break.
Notes
- Pan size: This recipe needs a mini muffin pan, not a regular one. If you only have one pan, bake in two batches and let it cool between rounds.
- Cooling time: Let the cookies cool completely in the pan before removing them. They’re too soft to release cleanly while warm.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, with parchment paper between layers so the dulce de leche centers don’t stick together.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on June 1, 2014.
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Dulce de leche AND peanut butter cups?! Oh my! Between your yummy recipe and your round up, I think I gained 10 pounds just looking at the photos! I pinned so many that may need to start a new pinterest board just for peanut butter cup/snickers recipes!
oh lordy lordy! How much do I want a Snickers right now!!! Every recipe looks insane! How much fun, I’m off to pin pin pin!
I would have to say Snicker’s because I’ve always preferred that gooey, sweet, and salty thing!
Your cookies look so delicious and this round up is fantastic! I love both Snickers and Reese’s but I think I have to pick Reese’s as my overall favorite. Thanks so much for including me!
Don’t make me choose. Don’t make me choose!!! Haha, that’s a tough one for sure! One thing is for certain… this recipe looks beyond amazing!
I love your food fights! Thanks for including my Snickers Bar Cinnamon Rolls!
This is just as awesome as I knew it was going to be Lyuba! LOVE! Pinned 🙂
Oh yummy! These all look amazing, but I am going to have to vote Reese’s. 😉 One of all my all-time faves!
Thank you for including me in this! Pinned & sharing.
Woah, those are some awesome cookie cups! I love both reese’s and snicker so they’re both winners IMO! 🙂
I vote for both! OMG, it’s too hard to decide, they are all so delicious looking! 🙂