These Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies have been part of our family for more than 20 years, but around our house they’ve always had another name: Smiley Riley Cookies. They’re big, soft chocolate bakery-style cookies loaded with Reese’s Pieces and peanut butter chips, and when my kids were little, they were one of their absolute favorites.
They also happen to be the cookie behind the name of our cookie business.
How Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies Became a Family Favorite
Before I started selling finished cookies, I was selling dry cookie ingredients to businesses. At home, I was constantly baking and experimenting with different cookie combinations for my family.
These Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies quickly became a favorite.
It’s not hard to understand why. You get a rich chocolate cookie along with plenty of peanut butter from the Reese’s Pieces and peanut butter chips.
Even my pickiest little guy loved them.
Actually, he may have loved my cookies a little too much. 😂
I’ve shared the story before about discovering that he had taken a bite out of every cookie I had cooling.
Not one cookie.
Every. Single. Cookie.
Apparently, he needed to personally inspect the whole batch!
It’s one of those memories that’s much funnier now than it probably was at the time.
The Story Behind Our Smiley Riley Cookies
When I went from selling dry cookie ingredients to selling my finished cookies, my husband and I needed a name for the business.
My husband suggested Smiley Riley.
Riley is our daughter, and when she was little, she was all smiles. Smiley Riley just fit her.
The name stuck, and we’ve now sold our cookies under the Smiley Riley name for more than 20 years.
Once we had the business name, we needed a cookie to go with it.
At the time, these Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies were our kids’ favorite, so the choice seemed pretty obvious.
And that’s how a big chocolate cookie filled with peanut butter goodness became the original Smiley Riley Cookie.
Why Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies Are So Good
Chocolate and peanut butter are pretty hard to beat.
The cocoa gives these cookies a rich chocolate base, while the Reese’s Pieces add peanut butter flavor and a little candy crunch. I also add peanut butter chips for even more peanut butter throughout the cookie.
Reese’s Pieces have that familiar peanut butter center surrounded by a crunchy candy shell, which makes them especially fun to bake with. You can read more about them on the official Reese’s Pieces page from Hersheyland.
I like plenty of mix-ins in my cookies. I don’t want to take three bites before finally finding a Reese’s Piece!
These Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies Are BIG
If you’ve seen some of my other cookie recipes, you already know I like big cookies.
When I make these Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies, I use a generous scoop of dough. This recipe makes about three dozen of my very large cookies.
You can certainly make regular-size cookies instead. You’ll get closer to six dozen, and you’ll want to start checking them sooner because smaller cookies bake more quickly.
Whatever size you choose, don’t rely completely on the clock. Watch the cookies.
The edges should look set while the centers are still soft.
That’s how I get the slightly crisp outside and soft, chewy center that I love.
Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup margarine, melted
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Reese’s Pieces
- Peanut butter chips, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you’re baking at an elevation above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead.
- In a medium bowl, combine 6 cups of flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, melted margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix just until a soft cookie dough forms.
- If the dough seems too soft or sticky, gradually add more flour. You may not need the entire seventh cup.
- Fold in the Reese’s Pieces and peanut butter chips.
- Scoop the dough onto an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between large cookies.
- Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, adjusting the time as needed for the size of your cookies.
- Remove the cookies when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Yield: Approximately 2 dozen very large, 5-ounce cookies or 4 dozen regular-size cookies.
My Best Tip for Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
After baking cookies for so many years, one of my favorite tips is simple:
Bake one cookie first.
This recipe calls for 6 to 7 cups of flour because ingredients, humidity, altitude, and even the way flour is measured can affect cookie dough.
Start with six cups and bake one Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookie.
If it spreads too much, add a little more flour. If it barely spreads, you probably don’t need any more.
That one test cookie can save an entire batch.
At lower elevations, I recommend starting at 350°F. I bake at just over 4,000 feet, where I’ve found that 325°F often works better for my large cookies.
Don’t Overbake Your Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
This is especially important if you’re making the extra-large version.
Don’t wait until the entire cookie looks completely baked before taking it out of the oven.
The edges should look set, but the center should still be soft. Leave the cookies on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes, and they’ll continue baking without drying out.
That’s how you get that soft, chewy center.
Another Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookie to Try
If chocolate and peanut butter is one of your favorite combinations, you might also like my Peanut Butter Nutella Kiss Cookies. They’re another rich chocolate and peanut butter cookie, but with a gooey Nutella center and a completely different story of their own.
Explore The Cookie Collection
Smiley Riley is one of the cookies that helped shape our family’s cookie story, but there are plenty more to discover. You can browse all of my bakery-style cookie recipes for giant cookies, stuffed cookies, family favorites, creative flavor combinations, and the stories behind them.
More Than Just a Cookie Recipe
It’s funny how a recipe can start out as something you’re simply making for your kids and eventually become part of your family’s story.
When I first started making these Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies, I wasn’t thinking about where we’d be more than 20 years later.
I was just making cookies for my little ones.
They loved them. My pickiest little guy couldn’t resist sneaking bites. Our daughter Riley was our happy, smiley little girl.
Then my husband suggested Smiley Riley when we needed a name for our cookie business.
And somehow all those little pieces came together.
We’ve made a lot of cookies since then, but these will always remind me of where it all started.
To everyone else, they can be Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies.
But around here, I think they’ll always be Smiley Riley Cookies.
Every cookie with a name has a story. And this one belongs to Riley.
