Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are thick, soft, and packed with rich peanut butter flavor. For extra flair, dip half in melted chocolate (optional).
author’s note
These Peanut Butter Cookies Got Me Through Freshman Year!
When my older brother was 3, he had a severe peanut allergy, so peanuts and peanut butter were banned from our home. When I moved 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, and I cannot wait for you to try them!
What To Expect From This Recipe
These cookies are big, each one uses 3 tablespoons of dough. They are thick with soft, chewy centers, like a sugar cookie with peanut butter flavor.
The gooey texture comes from the ingredient ratios and method. Melted butter keeps them chewy and makes prep easy with no mixer. Grab a bowl and whisk and you are set for Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies heaven.
Featured Comment
“These cookies are amazing! I tried 5 other peanut butter recipes before finding this one and they are hands down the best. I baked two batches. Perfect for giving away as gifts during Christmas, which I did so I didn’t eat all of them myself. Thank you so much for sharing.”
– Cathy
Why Do Peanut Butter Cookies Have Criss Cross Marks?
Peanut butter dough is dense, so fork marks help flatten it and bake it evenly.
But those classic three ingredient cookies with criss cross tops usually turn out dry and bland for me. No fork marks needed here, just soft, chewy, flavor packed Peanut Butter Cookies.
How To Make Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Melt butter: mix with both sugars until smooth, then stir in peanut butter and extracts.
- Add eggs: mix in one at a time until just combined.
- Add dry ingredients: sprinkle in baking soda, salt, and flour; mix until just combined.
- Chill dough: refrigerate 30 minutes, then roll into 3 tablespoon dough balls.
- Bake: slightly underbake for chewy centers, and cool fully (dip in chocolate if wanted).
Tips For Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Use room temp eggs so they mix in easier and keep the cookies lighter. Warm cold eggs in warm water for 10 minutes or leave out for 30 minutes.
- Bake on a silicone baking mat for even baking and softer bottoms. Parchment works but isn’t quite as good.
- Use a food scale for accurate flour and evenly sized dough balls.
- Roll big dough balls (3 tablespoons or 60 grams). Smaller balls won’t give the same chewy feel.
Storage
- Store chewy peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temp for 3 to 4 days. Baked cookies freeze fine, but freezing the dough works even better.
- Freeze cookie dough balls on a sheet until firm, then move to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from the freezer, adding a few extra mins.
Use Leftover Peanut Butter In:
Desserts
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Desserts
Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Desserts
Peanut Butter Banana Bars
Peanut Butter Cookies
Video
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 semi-sweet baking bar or milk 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 2 packed tablespoons (40 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.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Variations
- 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 chewy 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!
- To make them without brown sugar, replace the brown sugar with white sugar. (The cookies will be crunchier and less chewy this way.)
I made these with chunky peanut butter, and they are fantastic! No more dry, crumbly peanut butter cookies 🙂
Yessss!! I can’t stand dry, crumbly cookies! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
This is a great recipe – made exactly as written (our oven needed 11 minutes though). Sprinkled kosher salt on the melted chocolate on half the batch and the family agreed that made a huge yummy difference – will definitely do that again in the future!
MMMMM that sounds amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks! 🙂
Hi this may be a silly question but what is 2-2/3 cups of flour? Is it 2 cups and 2 thirds? Or am I completely off.
Hey Hannah!! So it is 2 full cups of flour and 2, 1/3 cups of flour. Totally not a silly question! Thanks! 🙂
I read this after I made the cookies. Your recipe calls for 2 2/3 cups of flour not 2 1/3 cups of flour. Concerned I may have used too much flour.
It is 2 and 2/3rds cup of flour. I was explaining 2/3rds cup is two, 1/3 cups 🙂
Made these to share with a group of friends and of all the cookies that were at our get-together, these were the most raved about (and requested to take extras home with them, haha) – I used a small cookie scoop, so it made a lot. I found myself needing more chocolate than was suggested, but that was probably b/c of making so many smaller-sized cookies!!
Over the past couple years, I have brought several things that I’ve made from your blog to my get-togethers and they are almost always raved about. After eating one of these peanut butter cookies, someone said, “everything you bring is always so wonderful- you should start your own bakeshop!” Then I told him that my recipes are all from a great blog that I follow. Thanks for taking the time to really perfect your recipes to make them the BEST! So fun to have so many incredible recipes to make for my family and friends!
Sarah, you made my day! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a kind comment 🙂 It really meant/means so much to me <3 I'm thrilled to hear every time you enjoy a recipe!! XO Chelsea
Did you shorten the baking time because the cookies were smaller?
Dianne
This is the perfect recipe! I followed the recipe exactly (baked for 9 1/2 minutes) and the cookies turned out soft, chewy and moist. Hours later, and they’re still the same! I also love the science behind your instructions. If anyone’s looking for a chewy peanut butter cookie recipe – this is it! Thank you so much!
I’m soo happy to hear you enjoyed!! Thanks Shirley! 🙂
I have read the reviews and truly believe you deserve the 5 star rating. My issue was that I was lying in bed the other day unable to sleep because my brain said I will have to bake some cookies and my favorites are peanut butter, chocolate chips, and being a man I know that bacon goes with everything. Obviously I had to try it so I used your recipe but added 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups of fresh bacon crumbled. Baked in convection oven 9 minutes slightly larger than golf ball size and makes about 36 cookies. I may die an early death but I will die happy.
Haha!! Thanks so much for your comment Mike 🙂 The bacon sounds delicious!!
I have the dough presently in the fridge chilling, as I plan to surprise my sis when she gets home to try! I did not have almond extract either, and I used crunchy peanut butter, but nibbling the dough, they taste great! Will keep the recommendation of rolling the dough taller than wider when baking, and will try for 12-15 minutes to see how they come out first then will adjust. Thank you for sharing your recipe! 🙂
I followed directions except for almond extract, didn’t have any. The vanilla flavor was a little too strong for me, I’ll reduce next time. I took the first batch of cookies out at 10 minutes and for me they were a little too dense and tasted undercooked. The second batch I baked for 15 minutes, and they puffed up nicely, spread a little more, and stayed soft and chewy. With these adjustments, I may make this recipe again. Thanks.
I’m glad you were able to figure out the cook time! You have to try the almond extract next time, you’ll love it! 🙂 Thanks Christina!
Just made these and they are THE best! So soft and chewy! I did add an extra 1/2 cup of peanut butter. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Yay! Thrilled to hear that 🙂
I like Peanut Butter, but have never liked on PB cookies cuz I never had one that didn’t taste store bought. This recipe is a game changer! Everyone in my house….and my neighbors love these cookies! Thank you!
Ahhh this makes me sooo happy!! So glad you guys enjoyed! Thanks Jodi! 🙂
These turned out fantastic. I made a few changes for my husband who doesn’t like things super sweet:
– 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup for the brown and white sugars.
– 3/4 cup peanut butter (cheapo Safeway crunchy style).
– A little over 1 cup of flour and the rest rolled oats.
– Didn’t have almond flavoring.
Followed the ‘whisk and don’t over mix’ instructions carefully.
Made these last minute for guests and they devoured them, it is a much nicer flavor and texture than regular peanut butter cookies I’m used to, definitely a recipe to keep!
Awesome!! Way to work this recipie to be perfect to you! I’m so glad to hear you guys enjoyed! 🙂