A homemade cookie cake filled with peanut butter cups and topped with chocolate frosting. This Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Cake is the ultimate dessert!

A slice of homemade cookie cake on a white plate with a fork.

Meet your new favorite dessert. Well, my new favorite dessert at least. Is there anything better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? Especially when it’s all stuffed inside one decadent cookie cake? I don’t think so.

This cookie cake was kind of a last minute idea. As in, it’s just a few hours until the Superbowl party and I really need to make some kind of dessert. I had the idea for a mint chocolate cookie cake, but I know that not everyone likes mint and chocolate.

When I saw some peanut butter cups laying around, I quickly changed my mind and this Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Cake was born!

When I served this cookie cake at our Superbowl party everyone went nuts over it. I mean, a soft peanut butter cookie cake stuffed with peanut butter and chocolate and then topped with more chocolate? What’s not to love… right?!

A giant cookie cake topped with chocolate frosting.

Recipe Ingredients 

For this easy cookie cake recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

  • All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it, otherwise you might use too much by mistake. 
  • Baking soda: Helps the cookie cake rise in the oven. 
  • Salt: Enhances the chocolate-peanut butter flavor. 
  • Unsalted butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands.
  • Peanut butter: Use a creamy peanut butter from a brand like Jif or Skippy. 
  • Sugar: I used a mixture of granulated sugar and brown sugar for both moisture and flavor. 
  • Egg: Needs to be room temperature before being mixed into the dough.
  • Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. 
  • Peanut butter cups: I bought a bag of the miniature peanut butter cups, they’re a bit easier to mix into the cookie dough and you don’t have to worry about chopping them up.
  • Chocolate frosting: I’ve given my favorite frosting recipe in the recipe card below. 

How to Make a Homemade Cookie Cake 

The cookie cake only takes about 10 minutes to mix up and once it’s done you’ll fold in some peanut butter cups. Simply mix together the cookie dough like you would a regular cookie recipe.

You’ll then scoop the cookie dough into a 9-inch springform pan and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes. I prefer my cookie cakes soft, which is the best, so I prefer to bake mine closer to the 20-minute mark.

While the cookie cake is cooling, you can mix up the frosting and have it ready to go when the cake is cooled.  

A slice of homemade cookie cake on a white plate with a fork. The rest of the cookie cake rests in the background.

Can I Prep This Cake in Advance? 

This cookie cake is best the day it’s made, but you can probably get away with baking it up to 48 hours in advance. However, I’d wait to frost it until the day you plan on serving it. 

Can I Freeze This Cake? 

Yes, you can freeze the homemade cookie cake whole or you can slice and freeze it. To thaw, place on the counter. 

Baking Tips 

  • Since we’re baking this homemade cookie cake in a pan, there’s no need to worry about spreading so chilling the cookie dough is not necessary.  
  • I prefer to use a springform pan when making giant cookie cakes because it makes it so much easier to remove them from the pan. If you don’t have a springform pan, then a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate would also work.
  • The frosting recipe will make a decent amount; I only used about half to do the outer edges of the cookie cake. You can certainly do more designs around the outside or even use some of the frosting to write on the cookie cake too.

More Easy Cookie Recipes to Try! 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Cake

4.67 from 3 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
An easy peanut butter cookie cake filled with peanut butter cups and topped with chocolate frosting. This Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Cake is the ultimate dessert!
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Ingredients

Servings: 8 slices

Peanut Butter Cookie Cake:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (190 grams) creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup (150 grams) brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg , room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup miniature peanut butter cups

Chocolate Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
  • 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup (22 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • salt , to taste

Instructions
 

To make the cookie cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9-inch springform pan well with non-stick cooking spray (you may also use a 9-inch pie plate or 9-inch cake pan) and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer), beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla, making sure to mix well after each ingredient.
  • Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Add the peanut butter cups and gently mix them into the dough.
  • Scoop the cookie dough into the prepared pan and spread it around evenly. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
  • Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

To make the frosting:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer), beat the butter until smooth.
  • Add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and mix until fully combined.
  • Frost the cooled cookie cake as desired.

Notes

Storage instructions: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
Freezing Instructions: Cookie cake will freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw to room temperature before serving.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle
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