My favorite cereal as a kid was the hazelnut chocolate biscotti granola from Target (that has tragically been discontinued, but Molly found a very good dupe recipe for it). But in terms of mainstream cereals, that were only purchased on special occasions, then Reese’s Puffs were the best. Then Peanut Butter Captain Crunch. But regardless, I now can’t imagine eating a whole bowl of sugar cereal for breakfast. I think the energy it provides may only last two seconds for my adult self?
So naturally, when I had a lot of Reese’s Puffs left over from these Reese’s Puffs Ice Cream, I wasn’t going to just eat them for breakfast. I had to put them into some cookies! Because I am not one to let ingredients go to waste, especially when they’re dessert.
And no better way to use them up than mixing them into peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. It gives them a bit of crunch, a bit of that corn-cereal taste. Make them small and two-bite sized. Simple and effective.
Even as I outgrow Reese’s Puffs as their own meal, at least peanut butter and chocolate will never get old.
I doctored up the Reese’s Puffs to be like Milk Bar’s cornflake crunch, and it was of course very tasty. Christina Tosi’s strategy of raiding the snack aisles and finding all the nostalgic flavors clearly pays off! Milk Bar should do more with Reese’s Puffs. But until then, I can obviously just do it myself.
There’s not much to say on these cookies. Sometimes my well of inspiration runs dry. Sometimes you just need to let the peanut butter cookies with Reese’s Puffs in them speak for themselves.
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Base recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Ingredients
For the caramelized Reese’s Puffs:
- 3.5 oz Reese’s Puffs
- .5 oz nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the cookie dough:
- 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- If you don’t feel like doing the extra step, you can just use plain Reese’s Puffs! But if you do, prepare the caramelized Reese’s Puffs: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss until the cereal is well-coated in butter. Spread out on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven until they caramelize, for approximately 35 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the dough.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, then beat on high until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the chocolate chips and Reese’s Puffs. Dough will be thick and soft.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour and up to 3 days. If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow the dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard and the cookies may not spread that much.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Scoop cookie dough into large balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (about 60g, it’s a lot!), and place 8 balls onto the cookie sheets. Gently press down on each ball to *slightly* flatten.
- Bake each batch for 14–15 minutes, or until the edges appear set and lightly browned on the sides. The centers will still look very soft.
- Cool cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.