These Reese's Pieces cookies are thick, chewy, golden around the edges, and loaded with crunchy peanut butter candy in every single bite. The secret? Brown butter. It gives the dough this toasty, almost toffee-like flavor that makes them taste like they came straight out of a fancy bakery — not your home oven!
I tested this recipe a few times before I landed on the version I'm sharing today. Using salted butter and browning it was the game-changer — the salty, nutty base balances out the sweetness of the candy perfectly, so you get that sweet-and-salty peanut butter moment without the cookies tasting sugary. And chilling the dough for 2 hours? Non-negotiable. That's what keeps them big and thick instead of spreading into thin puddles.
My nephew is completely obsessed with Reese's Pieces — seriously, he'd eat them by the handful if we let him! So of course I had to turn his favorite candy into a cookie, and now these are what he asks for every time he comes over.
You only need 8 simple ingredients, about 25 minutes of hands-on time, a 2-hour chill, and 12 minutes in the oven. That's it! With all the orange, yellow and brown candy, they're also perfect for Halloween and fall baking. If you love cookies, you'll also want to try my Brown Butter Oreo Cookies, Softest Red Velvet Cookies & my Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies!
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Instructions
- Step 1: Mix together the wet ingredients!
- Step 2: Add the dry ingredients & Reeses pieces!
- Step 3: Bake the cookies at 350 for 12 minutes!
- Step 4: Cook in oven for x minutes at 400 degrees
The Best Brown Butter Reese's Pieces Cookies (Bakery-Style)
Equipment
Method
- Brown the Butter: Add the salted butter to a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. It will melt, foam, and crackle — keep swirling the pan. After about 5–7 minutes, the foam settles, the bubbling quiets down, and you'll see golden-brown bits at the bottom with a nutty smell. Take it off the heat right away and pour it into a large mixing bowl, scraping in all those brown bits (that's the flavor!). (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
- Let It Cool: Let the brown butter cool for about 10–15 minutes. You want it warm, not hot — if it's too hot, it'll start cooking the eggs.
- Add the Sugars: Add the brown sugar and white sugar to the cooled butter and whisk until combined.
- Add the Eggs and Vanilla: Add the 2 eggs and the vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth, thick and glossy — about 1 minute. (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
- Whisk in the Dry Ingredients: Add the flour and baking soda and mix until no dry streaks are left. It'll get thick fast, so switch to a spatula if your whisk is struggling. Don't overmix — stop as soon as it comes together into a soft cookie dough.
- Fold in the Reese's Pieces: Add the Reese's Pieces and fold them in until they're evenly spread through the dough. (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
- Chill the Dough: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. This firms up the butter so the cookies bake up thick instead of spreading flat. (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
- Preheat and Portion: Preheat the oven to [MAJA: confirm oven temperature — most recipes like this bake at 350°F / 175°C] and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Split the chilled dough into 12 equal balls and place them a few inches apart — they're big cookies, so give them space! Press a few extra Reese's Pieces on top if you like.
- Bake: Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly soft. They'll keep setting as they cool. (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
- Cool: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy! Grab a big glass of cold milk and dig in!
Notes
Storage
- Room temperature: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 4–5 days. Tip: add a slice of bread to the container to keep them soft!
- Fridge (dough): The wrapped dough keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days — let it sit out for 10 minutes before rolling if it's very firm.
- Reheat: Warm a cookie in the microwave for 10–15 seconds for that fresh-from-the-oven gooey center, or pop a few in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 3–4 minutes.
- Freezer (baked cookies): Freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Freezer (dough balls): Roll the dough into balls, freeze on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Substitutions
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter + ½ teaspoon salt — add the salt with the flour so the cookies don't taste flat.
- Butter (dairy-free): A dairy-free butter block (not a tub spread) — note that plant-based butters don't brown the same way, so just melt it instead.
- All-purpose flour (gluten-free): A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour with xanthan gum — chill the dough the full 2 hours since GF dough spreads more.
- Brown sugar: Dark brown sugar for a deeper, more caramel-y cookie.
- White sugar: Use all brown sugar (1 ½ cups total) for an even chewier, softer cookie.
- Reese's Pieces: M&M's, chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or a mix of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
- Eggs: 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) — the cookies will be a little more delicate.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla bean paste works 1:1 and adds pretty little specks.
- Peanut allergy: Reese's Pieces contain peanuts, so swap them for a peanut-free candy-coated chocolate and check labels carefully.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need to chill the dough for Reese's Pieces cookies? Chilling the dough keeps the cookies thick and stops them from spreading too much in the oven. Because this recipe uses melted brown butter, the dough is soft at first — 2 hours in the fridge firms it up and also deepens the flavor.
Can I make these cookies without browning the butter? Yes, you can simply melt the butter instead, and the cookies will still be delicious. You'll lose that nutty, toffee-like flavor though, so I really recommend taking the extra 5 minutes to brown it!
Why did my Reese's Pieces cookies come out flat? Flat cookies usually mean the dough wasn't chilled long enough or the butter was still too hot when you mixed it. Let the brown butter cool for 10–15 minutes, chill the dough the full 2 hours, and make sure your oven is fully preheated.
Can I freeze Reese's Pieces cookie dough? Yes, this dough freezes really well for up to 3 months. Roll it into balls, freeze them on a tray, then store in a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen with an extra 1–2 minutes.
Will the candy shells crack or melt in the oven? Some Reese's Pieces may crack a little while baking, but they won't melt into the dough like chocolate chips. Pressing a few extra on top right before baking keeps them looking colorful and pretty!
How many cookies does this recipe make? This recipe makes 12 large bakery-style cookies. For smaller cookies, roll the dough into 24 balls and bake for about 8–9 minutes instead.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Related
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this dessert:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Only 8 ingredients — and you probably have most of them in your pantry already!
- Bakery-style size — this batch makes 12 big, thick, chewy cookies, not tiny bite-sized ones.
- Brown butter flavor — nutty, toasty and rich, it takes these way beyond a basic candy cookie.
- No mixer needed — everything is whisked together by hand in one bowl. Less cleanup!
- Make-ahead friendly — the dough chills in the fridge, so you can prep it in the morning and bake fresh cookies later.
When to Serve
These are perfect for Halloween parties, fall bake sales, movie nights, holiday cookie boxes, or just a cozy evening with a big glass of cold milk. They also make a really sweet homemade gift!
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