You'll love these Reese's pumpkin bites. Made with Nilla wafers, mini Reese's peanut butter cups, and orange melting chocolate. They are as cute as they are delicious!
These are an adaptation of our viral Twix bites and our Tagalong bites. You might also like our York peppermint bites!
Turning our favorite treats into holiday versions is one of my favorite things to do. I took our 3-ingredient Twix bites (and our peanut butter version) and made a fun Halloween treat. Tiny Reese's peanut butter balls of goodness covered in orange candy melts and topped with half of an M&M candy.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Crunchy and creamy. There's an added crunch from the Nilla wafers that are topped with creamy mini Reese’s peanut butter cups (you can buy these unwrapped in bags).
- Minimal ingredients. It only takes 4 ingredients to make these semi-homemade treats. One batch makes 36 cookie bites.
- Easy to make. These treats come together in minutes. The most time-consuming part is dipping them in orange melting chocolate, but that's easy!
- Perfect bite-sized treat. I use mini Nilla wafers, which are quite a bit smaller than original Nilla wafers, as well as mini unwrapped Reese's peanut butter cups, which are quite a bit smaller than even the snack-size cups. These pumpkins are the perfect bite-sized treat.
- Fun to customize. These pumpkin bites are incredibly good, and they make the perfect bite-sized treat. If you want to add eyes, you can. The little faces make me laugh, but I don't like eating candy eyes, so I made some with faces and some without.
Jump to:
Tips and Tricks
- Only bake for 90 seconds. Now hear me out, I know that 90 seconds sounds very specific, but trust me on this. I experimented with baking temps. 2-3 minutes is too long, and the caramel will begin to ooze out of the cookie. 1 minute isn't long enough to soften the Rolo. 90 seconds is just right to soften the chocolate slightly, but the caramel is still a little firm. We're NOT squishing or completely flattening the Rolo, just adding a cookie on top and slightly pressing down.
- Use mini nilla wafers. You can purchase Nilla wafers in two sizes, mini and original. I prefer mini cookies or this recipe because you get more chocolate and caramel in each bite. The mini cookies are the perfect size and balance of flavor.
- How to melt candy melts for dipping. Melt the orange candy melts in a double boiler or in the microwave. I used 8 ounces of wafers and a teaspoon or two of coconut oil, then microwaved it for 60 seconds and stirred it until everything was melted and smooth.
- Use a chocolate dipping tool. The swirly design on the top of my Twix bites comes from using the chocolate dipping tool that I use. It's easy to use and makes dipping items in chocolate a breeze. If you use a fork, the tops of yours will be smooth.
Ingredients
- 72 MINI Nilla Wafer cookies: you can use regular-sized cookies, but I think the mini ones are a better cookie-candy ratio. The smaller size also makes them easier to dip, and they are the perfect size to pop into your mouth.
- 1 (7-ounce) bag of mini unwrapped Reese’s peanut butter cups: the teeny tiny ones
- 1 (12-ounce) bag of orange melting chocolates
- 18 green M&M candies
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Reese's Pumpkin Bites
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Place 36 MINI vanilla wafer cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Heat in the oven for 90 seconds*.
Step 2: Remove from the oven and place another cookie on top of each peanut butter cup, pressing down slightly.
Chill the tray of cookies in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes, or until the chocolate has set.
*Note: I know that 90 seconds sounds very specific, but trust me. I experimented with baking temps. Two to three minutes is too long, and one minute is too short. 90 seconds is just right to soften the chocolate slightly, but the peanut butter is still a little firm. We’re NOT squishing or completely flattening the Reese’s, just adding a cookie on top and gently pressing down.
Step 3: Melt the orange melting wafers according to the package.
Dip cookie sandwiches into chocolate using a chocolate dipping tool or fork. Tap the dipping tool or fork against the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off before transferring the cookie back to the baking sheet.
Step 4: Add an M&M stem (the M&Ms are cut in half). Refrigerate cookies until the chocolate has hardened. Store the cookie bites in an airtight container for up to two weeks!
Reese's Pumpkin Bites FAQs
The pretty swirly design on the top of my cookie bites comes from using the dipping tool. If you use a fork, the tops of yours will be smooth. I prefer using a chocolate dipping tool as it allows more of the excess chocolate to drip off, allowing it to coat evenly.
It is essential to NOT overheat the candy.
Microwave at 50% power or on defrost setting for 1 minute.
Stir. Return to the microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the candy is melted.
If you find that your melted wafers aren't as smooth and dippable as you'd like, you can add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the melted chocolate.
Store the cookie bites in an airtight container for up to two weeks!
More Halloween Treats To Make
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Reese's Pumpkin Bites
Ingredients
- 72 MINI Nilla Wafer cookies (can use regular sized as well)
- 1 7-ounce bag of MINI peanut butter cups unwrapped
- 12 oz. package of orange candy melts
- 18 green M&M candies cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
- Place 36 mini Nilla wafer cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place a mini peanut butter cup in the center of each one.
- Heat in oven for 90 seconds. Note: DO NOT heat longer than 90 seconds.
- Remove from the oven and place another cookie on top of each peanut butter cup. We're NOT squishing or flattening the peanut butter cup, just adding a cookie on top and slightly pressing down.
- Immediately chill the tray of cookies in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes, or until chocolate has set.
- Melt the orange candy melts according to the directions on the package.
- Dip cookie sandwiches into the orange melting chocolate. Tap the tool or fork against the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off before transferring the cookie back to the baking sheet.
- Add an M&M stem.
- Refrigerate cookie bites until the chocolate has hardened.
Brandy says
These little pumpkin cookie bites are so unique! You won't find any others out there. The perfect flavor combination with the mini peanut butter cups. I hope you like them!