These Reese’s stuffed chocolate chip cookies are everything you want in an over-the-top bakery-style cookie: thick, buttery, soft in the center, golden around the edges, and packed with dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter.

Browned salted butter gives the dough a deep, nutty flavor, while cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft and tender. Each cookie is stuffed with a Reese’s cup and a piece of dark chocolate, then finished with a crisp dark chocolate shell on the bottom, extra chocolate drizzle, and more Reese’s on top.

They’re rich, dramatic, and perfect for parties, gifting, bake sales, or whenever a regular chocolate chip cookie simply isn’t enough.

Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough

¾ cup (170g) salted butter, browned and cooled until warm, not hot
¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, preferably room temperature
1 tablespoon (15g) heavy cream
1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
¼ teaspoon (1.5g) fine salt
¾ to 1 cup dark chocolate chips, or to taste

For Stuffing

10–12 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, depending on cookie size
10–12 small dark chocolate squares

For the Chocolate Shell and Topping

6–8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped or melting wafers
Extra Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, roughly chopped, for topping
Extra melted dark chocolate, for drizzling

How to Make Reese’s Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Step 1 – Brown the Butter

Place the salted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat.

Let it melt completely, then continue cooking while stirring or swirling frequently. The butter will foam, then the milk solids will begin turning golden brown.

Once the butter smells nutty and you see amber-brown specks on the bottom of the pan, immediately remove it from the heat.

Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl, including the browned milk solids.

Let it cool for about 10–15 minutes, until warm but no longer hot.

Do not add the egg while the butter is very hot or it may partially cook.

Step 2 – Mix the Wet Ingredients

Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the warm browned butter.

Whisk vigorously for about 1 minute, until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.

Add the egg, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.

Whisk until completely smooth and well combined.

Step 3 – Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture together just until no large streaks of flour remain.

Do not overmix. Overworking the dough can make the cookies tougher instead of soft and tender.

Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

The dough should be soft but sturdy enough to shape.

Step 4 – Stuff the Cookies

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop out a generous portion of cookie dough, roughly 3 tablespoons per cookie for large bakery-style cookies.

Flatten the dough into a thick disk.

Place one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and one small square of dark chocolate in the center.

Fold the dough completely around the filling and pinch the seams closed so no chocolate or peanut butter is exposed.

Shape each portion into a tall mound or slightly cone-shaped ball rather than a perfectly round ball.

This taller shape helps reduce spreading and encourages thicker centers.

Step 5 – Chill if Needed

If the dough feels very soft or greasy from the browned butter, refrigerate the shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes before baking.

This is especially helpful if your kitchen is warm.

Do not flatten the cookies before baking.

Step 6 – Bake

Preheat the oven to:

375°F (190°C)

Arrange the cookie dough mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 3 inches between each cookie.

Bake for approximately 9–12 minutes, depending on size.

The edges should look lightly golden and set, while the centers should still look soft and slightly underbaked.

Do not wait until the entire cookie looks firm. The centers will continue cooking from residual heat as the cookies rest on the baking sheet.

Step 7 – Shape the Warm Cookies

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large round cookie cutter, glass, or bowl slightly larger than the cookies.

Place it around each cookie and gently swirl it in a circular motion.

This nudges the warm edges inward and creates a thicker, more evenly rounded bakery-style shape.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Step 8 – Add the Reese’s Topping

Let the cookies cool until they are still slightly warm but no longer piping hot.

Press chopped Reese’s pieces or additional Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pieces gently onto the tops.

Waiting a few minutes keeps the Reese’s recognizable instead of melting completely into the cookie.

Step 9 – Make the Dark Chocolate Bottom

Melt the dark chocolate gently in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval until smooth.

Spoon small circles of melted chocolate onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, making each circle slightly smaller than the base of a cookie.

Place one cooled cookie directly onto each chocolate circle and press down very gently so the chocolate spreads across the bottom.

Transfer the tray to the freezer for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the chocolate shell is completely firm.

Step 10 – Finish with Chocolate

Once the chocolate bottoms are set, drizzle the tops of the cookies with additional melted dark chocolate.

Finish with more chopped Reese’s if desired.

Allow the drizzle to set before serving.

Chef's Tips for the Best Reese’s Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cool the browned butter slightly. Warm butter helps dissolve the sugars, but very hot butter can make the dough excessively loose and may cook the egg.
Keep the dough tall. A tall mound gives the cookie more vertical structure and helps produce a thick bakery-style center.
Don’t overmix the flour. Fold only until combined to keep the cookies tender.
Seal the filling completely. Any exposed Reese’s or chocolate can leak during baking.
Underbake slightly. Pull the cookies once the edges are set but the centers still look soft.
Use parchment paper. It makes both baking and creating the chocolate shell easier.
Let the cookies cool before adding Reese’s. If they are too hot, the peanut butter cups will lose their shape.
Use dark chocolate for balance. The slight bitterness helps offset the sweetness of the Reese’s and cookie dough.

The Secret to Thick, Gooey Cookies

The key is combining a tall dough shape with slightly underbaked centers.

Cookie dough naturally spreads outward as the butter melts in the oven. Shaping the dough vertically gives it more height before that spreading begins, allowing the center to remain thicker.

Pulling the cookies from the oven while the centers are still soft is equally important. The cookies continue cooking for several minutes on the hot baking sheet, so baking them until the center looks fully done usually leads to a firmer, drier cookie once cooled.

The cornstarch also contributes to the soft texture by reducing some of the toughness that can develop from gluten.

The Secret to Better Browned Butter Flavor

Don't stop cooking the butter as soon as it turns yellow.

The flavor comes from the milk solids actually browning.

You want small amber-brown flecks and a distinctly toasted, nutty aroma. Once those milk solids reach the right color, transfer the butter immediately so the residual heat doesn't burn them.

Those browned milk solids are especially important, so make sure they go into the dough too.

Delicious Variations

Milk Chocolate Reese’s

Replace the dark chocolate chips and dark chocolate square with milk chocolate for a sweeter, classic candy-bar flavor.

Extra Peanut Butter

Add a teaspoon of creamy peanut butter alongside the Reese’s cup inside each cookie.

Be careful not to overfill, or the cookies may leak.

Peanut Butter Chip

Replace half of the dark chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.

Salted Chocolate

Sprinkle the finished chocolate drizzle with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt.

The salt balances the sweetness and intensifies both the chocolate and browned butter flavors.

Mini Reese’s

Use several Reese’s Minis inside each cookie instead of one larger cup.

Triple Chocolate

Add a mixture of semisweet, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate chips to the dough.

What to Serve With Reese’s Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are extremely rich, so simple pairings work best.

Serve them with:

Cold whole milk
Hot coffee
Espresso
Vanilla ice cream
Chocolate ice cream
Fresh strawberries
Fresh raspberries
A lightly sweetened latte

For dessert, warm one cookie slightly and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an especially decadent presentation.

Make-Ahead Tips

The cookie dough can be prepared and stuffed up to 24–48 hours ahead.

Keep the shaped dough balls covered tightly in the refrigerator.

Bake them directly from the refrigerator, adding approximately 1–2 extra minutes if necessary.

You can also freeze the unbaked stuffed cookie dough balls.

Freeze them individually on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.

Bake directly from frozen at 375°F (190°C), adding a few extra minutes as needed.

Wait to make the chocolate bottoms and Reese’s topping until after the cookies are baked and cooled.

Storage

Room Temperature

Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for approximately 3 days.

Keep them away from heat so the chocolate coating does not soften.

Refrigerator

For longer storage, refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5–7 days.

Let them come closer to room temperature before eating for the best texture.

Freezer

The baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.

For best appearance, freeze them before adding the final chocolate drizzle and Reese’s topping.

Thaw at room temperature before decorating or serving.

How to Reheat

For the softest center, microwave one cookie for approximately 8–12 seconds.

Because the cookies have a chocolate shell on the bottom, heat them very briefly so the chocolate doesn't completely melt.

If possible, reheat cookies before adding the bottom chocolate shell when making them ahead.

Notes

Yield: Approximately 10–12 large stuffed cookies, depending on portion size.
Cookie size: About 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie works well for bakery-style cookies.
Butter: Because salted butter is used, keep the additional salt modest as written.
Dark chocolate chips: Approximately ¾–1 cup gives a generously chocolatey cookie, but this can be adjusted to taste.
Reese’s: Standard cups create a dramatic stuffed center; smaller cups can also be used.
Doneness: Look for golden edges and soft centers rather than a fully firm cookie.
Cookie shaping: Swirling warm cookies inside a round cutter gives them especially neat edges.
Chocolate shell: Make sure the cookies are mostly cool before placing them onto the melted chocolate.
Presentation: Leave visible chunks of Reese’s and dark chocolate drizzle on top so the peanut butter-chocolate filling is obvious before the first bite.

Reese’s Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies – Thick, Gooey & Loaded with Peanut Butter