Only 6 ingredients in these easy Reese’s Pieces Cookies made with cake mix! They are soft and pillowy and perfect for peanut butter lovers.
Reese’s Cookies
I don’t always love cake mix cookies. I’m more of a “from scratch” girl, but I make a few exceptions, like gooey butter cookies and these peanut butter reese’s pieces cookies.
They’re super soft, thick and chewy cookies, that are so easy to make.
If you like classic peanut butter cookies, you’ll love this shortcut that is full of peanut butter goodness.
If you want similar flavors made from scratch, try my Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Blondies.
Why you’ll love this Reese’s Cookie recipe
Peanut butter lover’s dream – There is peanut butter in the dough, reese’s pieces candies throughout…and maybe some additional candies on top of the cookies for good measure.
Easy cookie recipe – Starting with cake mix (& only 5 other simple ingredients) makes it a great beginner recipe for new bakers or younger helpers.
No chill – You don’t even need to chill the dough before baking, so this is a great recipe to make when you have just a little bit of time.
New favorite cookie – Much like my peanut butter cup cookies (that only have 5 ingredients), you’ll get a ton of peanut butter flavor in these delicious cookies. Perfect with a tall glass of milk.
Equipment you’ll need
- Mixing Bowl – One large bowl is all you’ll need.
- Hand Mixer – I opt for a hand mixer more often than my stand mixer, but either works. You could even just stir these if you don’t want to get out an electric mixer.
- Cookie Scoop – I have a variety of sizes of cookie scoops.They make the easiest, most uniform cookie dough balls. In this batch, I used a size 50, which holds just over 1 tablespoon of dough.
- Baking Sheets – I like to use a lipped baking sheet so no dough balls roll off and hit the floor. For the best results, line the pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Cookie Scoop Pro Tip 🍪
The size of the cookie scoop will be printed on the inside metal piece (the piece that pushes the dough out). I used a size 50 for these cookies, which is pretty standard. It holds just over 1 tablespoon of dough.
Check out this cookie scoop chart for more info.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Yellow Cake Mix – One 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix. Specifically, I used Duncan Hines Butter Golden here.
- Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter, but crunchy would be good, for added texture.
- Butter – Unsalted or salted butter, softened to room temperature. I like to use salted to balance the sweet.
- Water
- Eggs – Two large eggs.
- Reese’s Pieces – Mini reese’s pieces or full sized can be used.
How to make delicious Reese’s Pieces Cookies
- STEP ONE: First, in a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, peanut butter, softened butter, water, and eggs. Use a hand mixer to blend until fully incorporated.
- STEP TWO: Next, stir in the Reese’s Pieces until they’re evenly distributed.
- STEP THREE: Then, use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet (you can press additional candies to the top of each cookie, if you want) and bake for 10 minutes at 350° F or until just golden.
- STEP FOUR: Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing and enjoying!
When to serve them
These cookies make a fun weekend or after school treat but the brown, orange, and yellow colors of Reese’s Pieces, make me think fall events.
They’d be great served at a Halloween party, Thanksgiving, tailgating, or any other fall occasion.
Tips & Suggestions
- Want chocolate reese’s pieces cookies? Swap out the yellow cake mix for chocolate. Otherwise, follow the recipe as written.
- Try some additional mix-ins – semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips…whatever you’re in the mood for.
- For added texture, try using chunky peanut butter instead of creamy.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers should be stored in a ziplock bag or airtight container at room temperature. They’ll keep for up to a week.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! I like to freeze the dough before baking them.
Scoop the balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid. Once frozen, drop the dough balls into a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.
Bake them straight from frozen adding a couple minutes to the bake time.
FAQs
Do Reese’s Pieces have chocolate?
Nope, unlike Reese’s peanut butter cups, there is no chocolate in Reese’s Pieces. They are candy coated peanut butter candies.
How many does it make?
Using a 1.5″ cookie scoop, it made 27 cookies.
Need more cookie recipes? Try these:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (these have a secret ingredient!)
Soft Baked Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.
Easy Reese’s Pieces Cookies (with cake mix!)
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Reese's Pieces candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, peanut butter, butter, water, and eggs. Use a hand mixer on medium to beat until well blended.
- Fold in the Reese's Pieces until evenly distributed.
- Use a cookie scoop (size 50) to drop approximately 1 tablespoon of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, 12 per pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until centers are set and edges are golden.
- Remove from oven, let set on the pan for a couple minutes, then remove and finish cooling.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Originally published December 31, 2009
Just made these for my family, they loved them. They are all ready asking when I will make them again.
That makes me happy!