Peanut Butter Cookies are thick, soft, chewy, and packed with rich peanut butter flavor. For extra flair, dip half in melted chocolate (optional).
Check out more peanut butter treats like this no-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Buttercrunch Candy, or Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins.
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The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
When my older brother was 3, he had a severe peanut allergy, so peanuts and peanut butter were banned from our home. Moving into a peanut-allergy-free college dorm, I stocked my pantry with peanut butter and baked cookies non-stop. Late-night study sessions were fueled by trail mix and spoonfuls of peanut butter cookie dough.
While I might not remember much from my freshman year, I do remember trying every peanut butter cookie recipe online. These cookies are my own creation, a mash-up of my favorites. Just in time for the holidays, these easy Peanut Butter Cookies are sure to please—I can’t wait for you to try them!
What To Expect From This Recipe
These cookies are big—each one uses 3 tablespoons of dough! They’re thick with soft, chewy centers, like a sugar cookie but with peanut butter flavor.
The gooey texture comes from the ingredient ratios and method. Using melted butter keeps them chewy and makes prep easy—no mixer needed. Just a bowl and whisk, and you’re set for Peanut Butter Cookie heaven.
Why Do They Use Criss-Cross Patterns On Peanut Butter Cookies?
Peanut butter cookie dough is denser than most, so fork marks help flatten and bake them evenly.
But those classic three-ingredient cookies with criss-cross tops usually taste dry, too crisp, and bland to me. No fork marks needed here—just soft, chewy, flavor-packed Peanut Butter Cookies.
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- To make Peanut Butter Cookies soft and chewy, add more moisture: use two eggs, a full cup of brown sugar, and less flour.
- Melted butter makes them even chewier. Cold butter adds air, which makes cookies fluffier. Melting it keeps the texture dense and chewy.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes. This firms the butter so cookies spread less and turn out thicker.
Peanut Butter Cookie Variations
- If you’re wondering how to make peanut butter no-bake cookies, try these Avalanche Cookies or these Healthy No-bake Cookies.
- Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with this recipe.
- Make peanut butter cookies healthier by using honey and oats and reducing the sugar (which is what I do in these Healthy Breakfast Cookies!)
- Try this recipe for peanut butter cookies vegan-style! (Replace the honey with agave, use a vegan rice crisp cereal, and vegan chocolate for the drizzle.)
- To make them without brown sugar, replace the brown sugar with white sugar. (The cookies will be crunchier and less chewy this way.)
Tips For Peanut Butter Cookies
- Use room-temp eggs so they mix in better and help make the cookies lighter. To warm up cold eggs fast, soak them in warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes or let them sit out for 30 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, and fully mix in each before adding the next. This helps them blend evenly with the butter.
- Bake on a silicone baking mat for even baking and soft bottoms. Parchment paper works too but isn’t quite as good.
- Use a food scale to make sure you’re using the right amount of flour and the same size dough balls.
- Roll big dough balls—3 tablespoons (60g) each. Smaller cookies won’t have the same chewy feel. This is the best size for this recipe.
Storage
Storage And Freezing
The yield from this Peanut Butter Cookie recipe stores well at room temperature (in an airtight container) for 3-4 days. Baked cookies freeze okay, but it’s even better to freeze the dough!
To do so: Place cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until hard. Then, move them to an airtight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, put them directly in the oven from the freezer—no need to thaw. Just bake a little longer until the edges are firm but the middle stays soft.
Use Leftover Peanut Butter In:
- Peanut Butter Granola with chocolate chips
- Peanut Butter Blossoms with a Hershey’s kiss center
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Mix with mini Reese’s cups
- Peanut Butter Brownie Bites made in a miniature muffin tin
- Peanut Butter Cup Brownies with double the peanut butter!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- Large sheet pan (15″ x 21″)
- Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted; 1 cup
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, lightly packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling (optional)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter see note 1
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract optional!
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour see note 2
- 4 ounces chocolate baking bar milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a large sheet pan with a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper) and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter until it’s melted. Set aside to cool back to room temperature (hot butter will melt sugars and cause greasy cookies). Once at room temperature, use a spatula to scrape every bit of butter into a large bowl and add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix with a large whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add peanut butter, almond extract (if using), and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add 1 egg. Mix just until ingredients are incorporated, then add the second egg. Again, mix until ingredients are just incorporated. Add baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add flour and mix again until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, up to 1 hour—see note 3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Scoop the cookie dough and roll into large balls that are each 3 packed tablespoons (60 grams) in size (see note 4) and if desired, roll dough balls in some extra granulated sugar. Place dough balls on a lined sheet pan—6 cookies at a time—leaving ample room (2-inches) between cookies.
- Bake for 8–14 minutes. Ever so slightly under-baking the cookies will keep them soft and chewy. (They also bake a bit more on the sheet pan when removed from the oven.) Be careful to not overbake!
- Remove the cookies (if any edges are going wayward, working quickly, press the edges inwards with a metal spatula) and allow them to cool on the sheet pan 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Cool completely before dipping in chocolate (optional step).
- Optionally dip in chocolate: Coarsely chop the chocolate bar into evenly sized pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl (see note 5). Microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring between each burst for 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, scrape the bottom of the cookie on the bowl, then transfer the cookie to a sheet of parchment paper. Allow chocolate to set at room temperature.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
do you bake these at 325° on convection or regular bake?
Regular!
Hi,
I love your peanut butter cookie recipe! I use a scale all the time to weigh ingredients but I’ve noticed how it varies between bakers. I use the measurement of 120gr = 1c flour. So 2&2/3 c of flour would be 320 gr. I normally just try it myself but that’s a difference of 65 gr, and I’m thinking I should just use cup measuring for this. Any thoughts? Thanks!
I’ve personally weighed all the ingredients for this recipe so I’d use a food scale!
I know that peanut butter often contains icing sugar. Does that affect the recipe at all? Does the brand you recommend contain sugar? I buy the natural peanut but will get the other kind for the recipe as you suggest. Just wondered about the sugar issue. Thanks!
If you use a natural peanut butter I’d just make sure it’s really well mixed and not too wet/oily or it will affect the cookies!
I have made these once before and they were delicious – I am not even a peanut butter cookie fan. Whenever possible I try to include some whole grain flour to improve nutrition. Do you have any suggestions for what alternative flour would complement this cookie, and the ratio of substitution? Some possibilities I’m considering are whole wheat pastry flour, oat, buckwheat or sorghum flours. Thank you.
These are THE BEST peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made. Outstanding recipe!!!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Anne! 🙂
I made half the recipe for the sake of my waistline. They came out perfectly! Thank you!!
Hahaha I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Latoya! 🙂
Will it work the same if I add peanut butter chips?
I’m wondering if I could roll the cookie batter in balls and use a fork to implant like # ?