Chocolate Reese’s Pieces cookies are soft double chocolate cookies loaded with crunchy peanut butter Reese’s Pieces and melty chocolate chips. And here’s a tip: a teaspoon of cornstarch in the cocoa dough is what keeps them soft for days. They are easy to make and bake, and one batch makes 18 Reese’s Pieces chocolate cookies, plenty to share with friends this fall.
Reese’s Cups and a good chocolate bar are two of my favorite candies, so when I went to a friend’s house and found she’d made chocolate cookies with Reese’s, I was in trouble. It was a match made in heaven. I went home with the recipe, and now we make these every fall. If you’ve only ever had Reese’s Pieces cookies made with a peanut butter dough, this chocolate version is a fun change of pace.
Main Ingredients Needed For Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Unsalted butter: Butter gives these cookies their soft, rich base. Let it sit out on the counter until it’s softened all the way through, because cold butter won’t beat up light and fluffy with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar: Plain white sugar sweetens the dough and beats together with the butter to give the cookies a lighter texture.
- Egg: One large egg holds the dough together so it scoops easily and bakes up nicely.
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour gives these cookies their structure. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off instead of scooping straight from the bag, so you don’t end up with too much flour and a dry cookie.
- Cocoa powder: This is what makes these chocolate cookies instead of peanut butter ones. I use Hershey’s cocoa powder. It’s easy to find at just about any grocery store and gives the dough that deep chocolate flavor.
- Cornstarch: Please don’t skip this one! Cornstarch cuts down on the gluten in the dough, which keeps these cookies soft and tender, and it helps them bake up thick instead of spreading flat.
- Reese’s Pieces: These are the whole reason we’re here. Those little orange, yellow, and brown candies look so festive for fall, and they add a fun crunch to every bite.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are what make these double chocolate, with melty pockets of chocolate in every bite. Think of them as Reese’s Pieces chocolate chip cookies, just with a cocoa dough instead of a plain one. I always reach for a good quality chocolate chip.
How To Make Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
If you love a cookie that stays soft in the middle and comes loaded with candy, this is the easiest way I know to get there.
Tips and Swaps for Reese’s Pieces Chocolate Cookies
If you love chocolate and peanut butter together as much as I do, swap the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips. That’s one of my favorite ways to make these, and if you’re still craving that combo, my Cocoa Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are another good one. If you’re baking in batches, let the pan cool between rounds, or do what I do and bake two pans at once on the middle racks. If the tops of your dough balls look a little bare once you’ve scooped them, press a few extra Reese’s Pieces on top before they go in the oven so that pretty candy color shows. And if you want perfectly round cookies, grab a drinking glass with a wide rim or a large round cookie cutter and use it to round out the edges as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they’re still soft.
Make Ahead Tips for Reese’s Pieces Cookies
These are one of the easiest things to get done before company comes. You can bake them a few days ahead, since they stay soft for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container, especially if you tuck a slice of white sandwich bread in with them and keep the lid sealed tight. If you’d rather serve them warm, scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, and move them to a freezer bag labeled with the date. When your guests are on the way, bake them straight from frozen at 350°F. I’ve baked them this way, and they only need about 3 extra minutes, so they come out of the oven right as everyone walks in.
Kitchen Essentials I Use In This Recipe
These are my favorite baking tools, the ones I reach for whenever I’m making a batch of cookies like these.
Baking Essentials
Questions About Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Because there’s so much candy and chocolate folded into this dough, a few pieces always want to fall out, and that’s completely normal. Just scoop the loose ones up along with the dough when you portion your cookies, or press them right onto the tops of the dough balls before they go in the oven.
Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ cup Reese’s Pieces
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Prepare the Oven and Baking Sheet
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the Cookie Dough
- Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.1 egg
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and cornstarch. Mix just until a dough forms.1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Fold in the Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.¾ cup Reese’s Pieces, ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Scoop and Bake
- Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough, placing the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet so they don’t touch as they bake.
- Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until the edges look dry and matte and feel firm to the touch, while the centers still look a little glossy and soft. Don’t wait for the centers to look fully baked, or the cookies will turn out dry and hard.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes before removing them. This helps them firm up and set as they cool.
- Repeat scooping and baking until all the dough has been baked.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 to 5 days for best quality. Adding a slice of white sandwich bread to the container helps keep them soft and moist. Just make sure the lid stays sealed tight.
- Freezing: Scoop the dough with a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop and freeze the dough balls in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, 1 to 2 hours. Move them to an airtight freezer bag or container labeled with the date, and freeze for up to 6 months. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, no thawing needed, adding about 3 minutes to the bake time.
- Substitution: Swap the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.
- Tips: If the tops of the dough balls look a little bare, press a few extra Reese’s Pieces on top before baking. For perfectly round cookies, use a drinking glass with a wide rim or a large round cookie cutter to round out the edges as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Let the pan cool between batches, or bake two pans at once on the middle racks.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Showing Hospitality With Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
A Fall Cookie Swap Night is a fun way to fill the house on a chilly evening, with every friend bringing a batch of her favorite cookies plus a stack of recipe cards so everybody goes home with a little of everything. These chocolate Reese’s Pieces cookies would be my batch, since all those orange and yellow candies look so festive piled up on a platter next to everyone else’s treats. Set out some bakery boxes or tins, a pen for labeling, and a pot of coffee or my Easy Hot Chocolate, and let everyone wander the counter filling their boxes. I love that a cookie swap gives people a reason to linger and talk, and the recipe cards keep those cookies getting shared long after the night ends, the same way this recipe made its way to me from a friend’s kitchen. Handing a friend a plate of cookies and a handwritten recipe is such a sweet way to live out Hebrews 13:16, where we’re told not to neglect to do good and to share what we have. So pull up a chair, y’all, and bring your best batch.
