This easy Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups recipe can be prepared in only 5 minutes using pull-apart cookie dough plus a few other fun ingredients.
Welcome the cold weather with a festive bite-sized treat filled with mini Reese’s cup candy, marshmallow bits, Christmas sprinkles, and the cutest candy cane handle.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Filled Cookie Cups
Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups are the perfect sweet treat to prepare for the holidays and make the most adorable dessert you’ll ever hold.
This simple Christmas cookie recipe is made with an easy shortcut step, so there are few ingredients required and it takes no time to come together.
Hot cocoa cookie cups are a fun and festive way to make a mug of my favorite beverage, but instead of sipping something warm, the sugar cookie cup base is baked in the oven and then filled with chocolate in solid form.
Decorate your edible hot chocolate cups with candy, marshmallow bits, and colorful sprinkles, and don’t forget to add the handle and insert the peppermint stir stick!
Why We Love This Hot Chocolate Cookie Cup Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses refrigerated cookie dough plus 6 simple ingredients.
- Hot cocoa cups are the most adorable, delicious dessert you’ll ever hold.
- Christmas cookie cups are festive and fun to assemble with kids.
- Perfect bite-sized sweet treat, edible gift, or party favor.
- Great for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, potlucks, and holiday gatherings.
More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
Ingredients
- Sugar cookie dough: I used pre-made cookie dough to save time, but you can use your favorite homemade cookie dough recipe if you prefer.
- Miniature Reese’s cups
- White chocolate chips
- Mini candy canes
- White icing
- Marshmallow bits
- Holiday sprinkles
Substitutions and Additions
- Other Fun Fillings: Feel free to fill your cookie cups with chocolate ganache, fudge (made with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk), chocolate pudding, Nutella, or a Hershey’s kiss.
- Use A Different Dough: Any flavor of cookie dough will work for this recipe. Simply swap the sugar cookie dough for your favorite and make chocolate, peanut butter, or chocolate chip cookie cup instead.
- Serving Suggestions: For a double dose of hot chocolate, serve your cookie cups with a mug full of my Crockpot Hot Chocolate, Boozy Hot Chocolate, or Unicorn Hot Chocolate.
Recommended Tools
- Mini muffin pan
- Cooking spray
- Wax paper
- Serrated knife
- Piping bag
See Full Recipe Card Below
Jump to RecipeHow to Make Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
- Bake The Cookies: Break apart the dough and place one piece in each muffin pan cup. Create a reservoir in the middle of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes.
Pro Tip: I like to take a small square of wax paper and press the middle of the dough with my fingers to create the indent in each cookie. - Assemble: Press a mini Reese’s cup in the center of each cookie and insert a peppermint stick at an angle near the edge of the cookie cup. Cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Decorate: Use melted white chocolate chips to glue the candy cane “handles” to the side of each cookie cup. Dry for at least 10 minutes and then pipe a dollop of “whipped cream” on your “hot chocolate,” sprinkle with holiday sprinkles, and add marshmallow bits on top.
- Serve: Serve on your favorite holiday platter and enjoy!
Tip From Our Recipe Developer
- Make sure not to overbake your cookie dough because it will result in a dry cookie cup.
- Pressing your fingers in the middle of the cookies helps to make a more symmetrical cup, but you can skip this step. You can also use a small cup or the end of a wooden spoon to make the indentation.
- Use a serrated knife to cut off the candy cane hooks used for the handle of your hot chocolate “mug.”
- Ensure your candy cane mug handles are dry before handling them, as they can break easily!
- Note that this recipe does not call for mini marshmallows, but rather mini marshmallow BITS – they can usually be found by the hot chocolate in the grocery store.
Storage
- To Store: You can store your cookie cups in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. I don’t recommend storing them in the refrigerator because that tends to dry out the cookie portion.
Other Easy Christmas Treats
- DIY Peppermint Candy Spoons
- Christmas Fudge
- Melted Snowman Chocolate Bark
- Gingerbread Wreath
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles
- Grinch Hot Chocolate Bombs
Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
Serves — 24
Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups make the cutest mug of cocoa in minutes! This fun and festive recipe is so easy because it bakes premade cookie dough and fills it with candy.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Assembly and Cooling Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 Store-bought sugar cookie dough (24 pull-apart cookies)
- 24 Miniature Reese’s cups
- 11 ounce package white chocolate chips
- 24 Mini candy canes
- 1 tub store-bought icing white
- Marshmallow bits
- Holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- Let’s make our cookie cups! Unwrap your store-bought sugar cookie dough and break it apart. Place a piece of uncooked dough in each mini muffin pan cup. Take a small square of wax paper and press the middle of the dough with your fingers to create a reservoir in the middle of each cookie—Bake for 13 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- While the cookies are baking, let’s prepare our decorations! First, make sure all your miniature Reese’s cups have been unwrapped. Then gather your mini candy canes and, with a serrated knife, carefully cut off the hooks used for the handle of your hot chocolate “mug.” Set aside the remaining part of the candy cane to use later as a peppermint “stir stick.” Place your store-bought white icing in a piping bag and set it aside. Make sure your marshmallow bits and holiday sprinkles are ready.
- Once the cookies are done, remove them from the oven and press one mini Reese’s cup in the center of each cookie. Repeat until all cookies have a miniature peanut butter cup. Then take your prepared “peppermint sticks and insert them at an angle near the edge of the cookie cup. Set the cookies aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Now that the cookie cups are cooled, let’s decorate! Melt 1 tablespoon of white chocolate chips to use as the glue for your hot chocolate cookie cup assembly! Use your “glue” to place our previously prepared “handles” on the side of the cookie cup. Repeat for all cookie cups and set them aside to dry for at least 10 minutes.
- Once the handles are dry, take your prepared piping bag of icing and pipe a tiny dollop of “whipped cream” on your “hot chocolate.” Finally, sprinkle your desired amount of holiday sprinkles and marshmallow bits on top.
- Serve on your favorite holiday platter, and enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
You can store your cookie cups in a airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. I don’t recommend storing them in the refrigerator because that tends to dry out the cookie portion.
Tips:
- Make sure not to overbake your cookie dough because it will result in a dry cookie cup.
- Pressing your fingers in the middle of the cookies helps to make a more symmetrical cup, but you can skip this step. You can also use a small cup or the end of a wooden spoon to make the indentation.
- Use a serrated knife to cut off the candy cane hooks used for the handle of your hot chocolate “mug.”
- Ensure your candy cane mug handles are dry before handling them, as they can break easily!
- Note that this recipe does not call for mini marshmallows, but rather mini marshmallow BITS – they can usually be found by the hot chocolate in the grocery store.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.3mg
I’m making these for a cookie exchange. I made a “trial batch”, which were delicious. I made homemade sugar cookie dough, just because I love the recipe. Do you have any suggestions as to how to get the mug handles to stay secure? I’m going to try again, this time, I’ll try inserting the handles while the cookies are still soft. They are really cute but would look much better with handles. Thanks for sharing!
I used mini unwrapped Reeses and they are too small – please specify in your recipe – I think these are so cute – I just wish I would have known! I do love your recipes though