Mini Reese’s Pieces Cookies

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Bite sized for more fun, these mini Reese’s Pieces cookies are a delightful snack for lunchboxes, after school, or movie nights!

I am a snacker. Growing up, we always had something to munch on. These days it’s much the same, though I try to stick to things like BBQ roasted chickpeas or roasted veggie dip served with carrot sticks.

I said try. I mean, who can resist bite-size cookies, especially when something dramatic is about to happen on a favorite show? Like I can get through an emotional death scene without cookies.

Chocolate chip cookies are of course a classic, but I also love using other mix-ins, and because Reese’s Pieces are a favorite candy at my house, we make these Reese’s Pieces cookies a lot.

I’ve sized them down to make them even more snackable. I love that their small size makes it seem like you have tons of cookies on hand! Mini food is always amusing to me, and obviously, it means you can eat more of them. That’s how it works.

Plus, the cookie dough comes together easily and the cookies themselves bake up in only a few minutes. so you can have a fresh batch of cookies ready to go in as little as 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Reese’s pieces cookies

Full ingredient list with quantities is listed in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter in cookies. Make sure it is softened to room temperature.

Sugars – This recipe uses both brown sugar and granulated sugar for the best chewy texture. You can always go with one or the other if you prefer to not use both.

Egg – A standard large egg works just fine.

Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract if you can!

Flour – This recipe uses all-purpose flour. I don’t recommend swapping another flour since the cookies are so small.

Cornstarch – A little cornstarch helps give the cookies a softer center and prevents them from spreading too much.

Baking soda – For a bit of lift.

Salt – A little salt in cookies is a must!

Reese’s Pieces candy – Look for the bigger bags of Reese’s Pieces in the candy aisle of the grocery store. You can always grab a couple of smaller bags if you can’t find a big one (or use leftover Halloween candy!).

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg with the vanilla, mixing until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until fully incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl!

Stir in about 3/4 of the Reese’s Pieces until evenly incorporated.

Use a teaspoon to scoop out dough and roll each portion into a small ball. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Take the rest of the Reese’s Pieces and press 1 or 2 candies into the tops of each cookie dough ball.

Place in the oven and bake for 7-9 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

You can bake both sheets of cookies at once, or prep the second pan while the first is baking.

I prefer to do the latter so I can make any adjustments to the baking time on the second sheet of cookies. Plus, I find they bake more evenly this way!

Note that the baking time will depend on your oven, so watch the cookies carefully. Resist the urge to bake them for longer — you want them to stay soft after baking, and remember that they’ll also settle and firm up slightly while resting on the pan.

Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage & freezing

These Reese’s Pieces cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature. I recommend storing them in an airtight container or a cookie jar.

If you don’t want to bake up all the cookies at once, cookie dough freezes well!

To freeze the dough, portion out the cookie dough balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. There’s no need to worry about spacing them out since we’re not baking them at this point, so you can load up a whole baking sheet.

Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Chill for about 2 hours, until frozen solid. 

Remove the cookie dough from the baking sheet and place in a freezer bag or other airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months for the best quality.

Bake frozen cookie dough balls directly from the freezer. They will take a minute or two more to bake from frozen, so keep an eye on the oven as they bake.

Tips & tricks

Make sure to not overbake these cookies. Because they are small, they can bake up faster than a full-size cookie.

They should be lightly brown, and will stay soft after cooling. Baking for longer will make the cookies crisp.

I love making these with mini Reese’s pieces. They are harder to find, but are often available in the baking section of larger supermarkets, or you can find them online.

Swap the Reese’s pieces for mini M&Ms or mini chocolate chips to make mini chocolate chip cookies instead of peanut butter. Or mix both together for a chocolate peanut butter combo! (And if you love those flavors, be sure to make a batch of puppy chow to serve up alongside!)

If your cookies get too hard in the cookie jar, you can place a slice of bread in with them. The cookies will absorb some of the excess moisture from the bread, softening them again.

Other cookie recipes you’ll love

We don’t have an empty cookie jar for long at our house! If you’re the same way, try some of these recipes.

For more peanut butter, go with classic peanut butter cookies, or go all out with monster cookies.

Try raspberry thumbprint cookies or slightly spicy Mexican hot chocolate cookies.

Fan of Ted Lasso? Try my buttery, easy shortbread cookies.