Peanut Butter Easter Cookie Cups are a festive, easy-to-make treat: buttery peanut butter cookie cups filled with Nutella and finished with chocolate-pretzel “nests” topped with candy Easter eggs.
They look impressive but are surprisingly simple to assemble, making them a great dessert for Easter or any spring gathering. If you prefer a more classic version, skip the pretzel nests and candy eggs for plain peanut butter cookie cups filled with Nutella—just as delicious and slightly simpler to serve.
Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups
These cookie cups are versatile—perfect for Easter but just as welcome any time of year. The peanut butter cookie shell pairs beautifully with a creamy Nutella center, and the crunchy chocolate-pretzel nests with candy eggs add a playful finishing touch.
How To Make Peanut Butter Cups Filled With Nutella
The best part about these cookie cups is how easy they are to prepare. There’s no rolling, cutting, or extensive chilling—just make the peanut butter cookie dough, scoop it into a muffin tin, bake, then fill with Nutella.
The finished cups look bakery-quality, but require minimal effort.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, peanut butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk and beat until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the all-purpose flour and baking soda. If the dough seems dry, add the additional tablespoon of milk and blend until combined.
Use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough into the cups of a greased muffin pan. Press each mound lightly with a tart tamper or a small measuring cup to form an indentation for the filling.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15–18 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown. The cups will rise while baking; if the indentation becomes shallow, press them immediately while they are still warm and soft to re-form the well for the filling.
Allow the cups to cool in the pan for 5–8 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If any cups stick to the pan, gently rotate them to loosen. The cookie cups will firm up as they cool. Once cooled, spoon Nutella into each cup.
How To Make The Chocolate-Pretzel Nests
To make the decorative nests, melt 7 ounces of chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) with 1 tablespoon of oil until smooth. Gradually fold in the broken pretzel sticks so each piece gets coated—add pretzels in batches to ensure even coverage.
Use a fork to lift small clusters of coated pretzels, tapping off any excess chocolate. Arrange these clusters on top of the Nutella-filled cups to form little nests. Allow the chocolate to set and harden, then place a candy Easter egg in the center of each nest.
These cookie cups keep well in an airtight container for several days, making them a great make-ahead dessert for holiday gatherings.
Happy Easter!
Easter Cookie Cups
- Author: Vera Z.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Peanut Butter Easter Cookie Cups are filled with Nutella and topped with chocolate-pretzel nests and Easter egg candies for a fun and festive treat.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookie Cups:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2–3/4 cup Nutella
Chocolate-Pretzel Nests:
- 7 oz. chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- about 4 oz. pretzel sticks, broken into 1/2–1 inch pieces
- Easter egg candies for decoration
Instructions
To Make The Peanut Butter Cookie Cups:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a regular muffin tin. This recipe yields 12–14 cookie cups.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the egg and 1 tablespoon milk and beat until creamy. With the mixer on low, add flour and baking soda. If dough is too dry, add the remaining tablespoon of milk and combine.
- Using a large cookie scoop, portion dough into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup no more than 3/4 full.
- Press each dough mound with a tart tamper or small measuring cup to create an indentation for the filling.
- Bake 15–18 minutes, until edges are golden. If indents have risen too much, press them again while the cups are warm to form a well.
- Cool in the pan 5–8 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cups will firm up as they cool.
- Once cooled, fill each cup with Nutella.
To Make The Chocolate-Pretzel Nests:
- Melt the chopped chocolate with the oil until smooth. Stir in the broken pretzel sticks gradually so each piece is coated.
- Using a fork, lift small clusters of coated pretzels, tap off excess chocolate, and arrange them on top of the Nutella-filled cups to form nests. Let the chocolate set, then place a candy egg in the center of each nest.