This Peanut Butter Cookie Cake is thick, soft, chewy, and perfectly sliceable! Topped with an easy chocolate peanut butter frosting, this cookie cake is the perfect dessert for peanut butter lovers!
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Why I Love This Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Cake
- It's soft! No crumbly cookie here! This Reese's cookie cake is soft and chewy, just like the best peanut butter cookies. (The secret is adding cornstarch to the cookie cake recipe!)
- It slices well! You'll get nice, clean slices that allow you to eat this giant cookie-like peanut butter pizza. Or you can serve each cookie pizza slice with a scoop of ice cream!
- It has the BEST frosting! It's based on my popular chewy s’mores cookie cake frosting and you're going to want to eat it with a spoon! It tastes like a peanut butter cup in frosting form and it develops a nice crust.
- It's an easy cookie cake! No muss, no fuss, it's SO much easier than making a traditional chocolate peanut butter cake.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Reese's Cookie Pizza
- Don't over-bake! The peanut butter cookie cake will be a little soft in the center when you pull it out of the oven, but it will set as it cools. Be sure to let it cool completely before slicing; warm cookies are much more prone to crumbling.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs: this is especially important with the butter, or else you will have a hard time mixing the dough! If you forget, you can microwave the butter for 10 seconds or let the eggs sit in a warm bowl of water for 10 minutes.
- Make it a Reese's birthday cake cookie: To allow more frosting for decorating, double the frosting recipe and use my number stencils to make this a festive peanut butter birthday cake cookie for a birthday celebration!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Unsalted butter: be sure to use real butter here; not margarine! I prefer unsalted but salted will work fine, too (just omit the salt). Use softened butter or microwave for 10 seconds to slightly soften.
- Creamy peanut butter: we tested this recipe using creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter will be too oily and will not bake the same.
- Brown sugar & granulated sugar: after much testing, we found that using a combination of brown and granulated sugar gave us the perfect softness, yet sliceable durability.
- 1 Whole Egg + Extra Egg yolk: the extra egg yolk makes this peanut butter cookie cake extra chewy!
- Cornstarch: I highly recommend adding this, as it gives the cake a chewy, yet durable texture. While you can omit this, we found that the cookie cake with the cornstarch stayed softer for longer and had a slight edge in texture over the one that didn't have it.
- Vanilla Extract, Baking soda, and Salt (skip the salt if using salted butter).
- All-Purpose Flour: We have not yet tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but be sure to let me know if you give it a try!
- Semisweet chocolate chips & peanut butter chips: I like semi-sweet chocolate chips but feel free to use the type of chocolate you like best! While you can use any kind of chips, we do recommend keeping the ratios the same (as the gooey chips help hold the dough together!).
- Cocoa powder for the frosting: I used & like the flavor of Hershey's Unsweetened!
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake:
Step 1: Mix the Dough
Preheat your oven and make the dough according to the instructions in the recipe card. You can use a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer, or mix the dough by hand!
Tip: Feel free to use all chocolate chips instead of a combination of chocolate and peanut butter, or swap in Reese's pieces or mini peanut butter cups. Just keep the overall ratio the same, as the chips help the dough stick together.
Step 2: Press the Dough in Pan & Bake
Spray your cookie cake pan with cooking spray, then place a layer of parchment paper on the bottom.
Drop spoonfuls of dough into the pan, then use clean hands to press it into an even layer. If the dough feels sticky, you can place a layer of parchment paper on top before pressing the dough.
Place the pan in the oven and bake your peanut butter cookie pizza for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Let the giant peanut butter cookie cool completely before decorating.
Tip: If you don't have a cookie cake pan, you can use the DIY pan hack or just bake it in a 9x13 pan for 14-16 minutes (your cookie will be a bit thinner)!
Step 3: Make the Frosting
Whip up the chocolate peanut butter buttercream frosting while you're waiting for the peanut butter chocolate cookie cake to cool. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag; I used a star tip, but you can use whatever you like!
Tip: The frosting should be the right consistency for piping—not too thick and not too thin. If needed, add more milk (to thin it out) or powdered sugar (to thicken it).
Step 4: Decorate
Use the chocolate peanut butter frosting to pipe a border along the edge of the peanut butter cookie pizza; if you'd like, you can also pipe a short message in the middle. Decorate with Reese's pieces or miniature peanut butter cups.
Tip: Gently press the candy into the frosting immediately after piping it. It will set quickly!
Storage and Freezing
This Reese's peanut butter cake cookie can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; after this, it will begin to dry out. You can also freeze it for 1 to 2 months, letting it thaw at room temperature before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions:
By substituting the dairy butter for a vegan butter stick (like Earth Balance) and using a vegan egg replacer, you can make this peanut butter cookie pizza recipe vegan!
Yes! Bake in a 9x13 pan for 14-16 minutes, let cool, freeze for about 30 minutes, then use a 3-3.5" cookie cutter to cut 6 mini cookie cakes. I recommend halving the frosting recipe if you go this route, as you won't need as much for mini cookie cakes.
You can easily take this Reese's peanut butter dessert and turn it into a candy pizza! Instead of piping the peanut butter cookie frosting along the edges, spread the frosting over the whole cookie, leaving a 1-inch margin along the edges. Top it with chopped peanut butter cups, Reese's pieces, Take 5, and other peanut buttery candies!
Looking for other creative cookie cakes?
Peanut Butter Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter do not use natural peanut butter, as it will result in a cookie that is too soft
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk (you will be using 1 whole egg + 1 extra egg yolk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + extra for garnish
- ½ cup peanut butter chips + extra for garnish
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter slightly softened of microwaved for 10 seconds
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey brand
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
Topping
- miniature Reeeses cups for decorating
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. While preheating, be sure to read tips & tricks in post above for recipe sucess.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), light brown sugar (¾ cup), and granulated sugar (¼ cup) on medium speed for 30-60 seconds, or until combined. Mix in peanut butter (¾ cup).
- Stir in the whole egg (1 large), egg yolk (1 large), and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), followed by the baking soda (½ teaspoon) and salt (¼ teaspoon).
- Mix in all-purpose flour (1 ½ cups) and cornstarch (1 tablespoon), followed by the semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ cup) and peanut butter chips (½ cup). Mix the dough until well-combined.
- Generously grease a cookie cake pan. If you plan to invert the cake onto a tray (rather than serving in the pan), I highly recommend lining the bottom with parchment paper in order for the cookie cake to invert out of the pan easily.
- Spread dough into an even layer in pan. If desired, press a few extra chocolate chips on the top for added presentation.Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown. Do not overbake; it might look a little under-baked, but the residual heat from the pan will continue to bake the cookie even after you take it out of the oven. Cool completely.*If baking in a 9x13 pan, bake for 14-16 minutes.
- Use a piping bag and large star tip to create a simple buttercream border. Immediately after piping, top with the extra chocolate and peanut butter chips, or miniature peanut butter cups.
To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting:
- Beat the softened unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and salt (¼ teaspoon) on medium-high speed for 1 minute until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed then slowly add the unsweetened cocoa powder (½ cup) and powdered sugar (2 cups). You may need to stop and scrape down the sides. One tablespoon at a time, add milk (2 tablespoons), followed by the peanut butter (3 tablespoons).Beat on high for 2-3 minutes until creamy and the frosting is at a good consistency to pipe. If it looks too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it looks too stiff, add a tiny bit of milk until you get to the desired consistency. This will make just enough frosting to pipe a border along the edges. If you plan to write or decorate the center of the cake, double the recipe. Makes 1 ½ cups frosting.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
Nutrition
If you make these (keyword), be sure to leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram @designeatrepeat. I LOVE seeing what you made!
Carrie Burns says
This recipe was absolutely AMAZING!! I’ve searched for the perfect peanut butter cookie cake recipe and can now say that I’ve found it thanks to you! ❤️ Thank you SO MUCH!!
Melissa says
YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed the peanut butter cookie cake, Carrie! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Laura says
I like peanut butter very much and this cake has taken my obsession to the next level. It’s not overwhelming sweet and the peanut taste is present. The frosting it’s beyond perfect. This is the best peanut butter cake recipe I have ever taste.
Melissa says
Yay, I am so glad you loved the recipe, Laura! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Laura says
Made this for my peanut butter loving husband’s birthday and he was amazed at how good it was! Best cookie cake I’ve ever had! And so easy to make too!
Melissa says
That makes me so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Laura! I really appreciate it!
Lindsay says
I would love to make a biscoff cookie butter cookie cake. Do you think I could sub cookie butter for the peanut butter in this recipe and use all white choc chips?
I LOVE your chocolate chip cookie cake, so good!
Melissa says
I think you could! I haven’t baked with cookie butter so I can’t guarantee how the texture will be but I definitely think it’s worth a shot. If you try it, report back!!