Description
These Peanut Butter Cup Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups are a festive and fun holiday treat that combines sugar cookie dough, miniature Reese’s cups, and peppermint candy canes to create adorable edible hot chocolate mugs. With a sweet white chocolate and icing topping, marshmallow bits, and holiday sprinkles, these cookie cups are perfect for holiday parties or gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Cups
- 24 pieces store-bought sugar cookie dough (24 pull-apart cookies)
- 24 miniature Reese’s cups, unwrapped
Decoration
- 11 ounce package white chocolate chips
- 24 mini candy canes (hooks removed for mug handles)
- 1 tub store-bought white icing (for piping)
- Marshmallow bits
- Holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray for easy cookie removal.
- Shape cookie cups: Break apart the sugar cookie dough into 24 pieces and place one piece into each muffin cup. Using a small square of wax paper or your fingers, press down in the center of each dough piece to create a shallow cup or reservoir for the filling.
- Bake cookies: Bake the cookie dough cups for 13 minutes or until they are lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven once done.
- Prepare decorations: While baking, unwrap all miniature Reese’s cups. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the hooks off the mini candy canes to create handles for the cookie cups. Set aside the cut hooks separately to use as peppermint stir sticks. Fill a piping bag with the store-bought white icing. Get the marshmallow bits and holiday sprinkles ready.
- Insert peanut butter cups: When cookies are cooled slightly but still warm, press one miniature Reese’s cup into the center of each cookie cup to form the hot chocolate base.
- Add peppermint sticks: Insert the prepared peppermint stir stick candy cane pieces at an angle near the edge of each cookie cup to resemble a stirring stick. Let the cookie cups cool completely for at least 20 minutes.
- Attach handles: Melt 1 tablespoon of white chocolate chips to use as edible glue. Use this melted chocolate to attach the candy cane handles onto the sides of each cooled cookie cup. Allow the white chocolate glue to dry for at least 10 minutes before continuing.
- Decorate with icing and toppings: Pipe a small dollop of white icing on top of each Reese’s cup to mimic whipped cream. Sprinkle mini marshmallow bits and holiday sprinkles generously over the icing for a festive finish.
- Serve: Arrange the cookie cups on a holiday platter and enjoy immediately or store as per the notes.
Notes
- Store cookie cups in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week; refrigeration may dry out the cookies.
- Do not overbake the cookie dough to avoid dry cookie cups.
- Pressing the middle of each cookie cup with fingers or a small utensil helps create a more symmetrical shape but is optional.
- Use a serrated knife for the candy cane cut to avoid breaking the handles.
- Allow candy cane handles to fully dry before handling as they are fragile.
- Mini marshmallow bits are preferred over mini marshmallows; typically found by hot chocolate mixes at the store.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie cup
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
