Name: Peanut Butter Snickers® Cookies
Prep time: 200 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 212 min
Yield: 58 cookies
Ingredients: For the Cookies; 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup creamy peanut butter; 1 cup light brown sugar; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 1½ teaspoons Mary’s Cognac Barrel-Aged Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract; 3½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 bag Snickers miniatures, unwrapped; 8 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, roughly chopped; Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Sweets

Peanut Butter Snickers® Cookies

Author: Mary DiSomma

Why choose between candy and cookies if you don’t have to? This Snickers cookie recipe would never ask that of you. It’s one of my favorite recipes around Halloween when (or should I say if) I have leftover mini Snickers bars. In any case, these cookies appear in my cookbook, A Gift of Cookies—my whole family has been enjoying them for years, and I hope you will too.

Also don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to Halloween just because candy is more accessible. People love these cookies all year round, and they’re one of the most popular items in my Christmas cookie gift boxes. I used to make over 7,000 Christmas cookies every year—I’ve toned it down a bit in recent years—and these were non-negotiable. It’s a peanut butter cookie base with a gooey bite-sized Snickers inside. What’s not to like?

Whether you need ideas for a holiday cookie tray, a bake sale, a family gathering, or an easy way to use up some leftover candy, this is a fun addition to your cookie recipe collection.

Ingredient Tips

If you’re looking specifically for cookie recipes with Snickers candy bars, you’ve come to the right place. I wrote this recipe for Snickers minis and Snickers will always be my first choice, but you can experiment with other miniature candy bars, especially if you have a favorite. Just make sure it will pair well with peanut butter, of course.

This recipe is a good starting point for candy cookies in general. The key is choosing a candy that fits comfortably inside the dough pocket so you can seal the cookie around it. Mini or bite-sized candy bars work best for this.

This recipe calls for semisweet or dark chocolate, and either one works nicely with the sweet candy center. I personally prefer the darker chocolate because it adds a little contrast to the rest of the sugary ingredients.

Yes, you can think of these as stuffed cookies because the Snickers is enclosed inside the peanut butter cookie dough, not broken up and mixed into the batter. That surprise in the center is what makes these cookies so much fun. On the outside they look like plain old peanut butter cookies. Then you take a bite!

Preparation & Preservation Tips

After cooling, store the cookies in an airtight container. They’re best enjoyed within the first few days—and I don’t think you’ll have any problem finishing them. I never do, at least! If you’re adding them to a gift box or cookie platter, my recommendation is to make them within a couple days of gifting.

It depends on the recipe. If you want to work ahead on this particular recipe, I recommend freezing the shaped, unbaked cookies before baking. Shape the chilled dough around the Snickers, then freeze the formed cookies, spread out on a baking sheet, until firm. Then transfer them to an airtight container and freeze them until you’re ready to start baking. Since you’ll be baking straight from frozen, they may need a couple extra minutes in the oven. Keep an eye on them—don’t just rely on the original baking time. You can also freeze baked cookies once they have cooled completely. Either way, make sure they're well wrapped and protected from freezer air.

Extra Tips

Don’t overlook leftover candy, especially if you still have kiddos in the house! It’s wonderful for baking. Mini chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, caramels, and other bite-size candies can inspire all kinds of goodies. You can make peanut butter and Snickers cookies just like these, or experiment with different candy centers depending on what you have laying around. The most important thing is to make sure the candy is fully enclosed in the dough before your cookies go into the oven.

That's just how peanut butter cookies work! Instead of watching for a color change, pay attention to the baking time and the structure of the cookie.

These cookies are pretty delicate fresh out of the oven. Letting them rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes gives them a little time to set before you move them anywhere else.