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.)
Found your chewy peanut butter cookies recipe by doing a google search and tried them out this evening. They came out AMAZING! I’m sure it’s my oven but I actually baked them for 14 mins and they were still just undercooked some where they finished cooking some sitting on the cookie sheet for 5 mins like you suggested. I have definitely bookmarked your page and can’t wait to find a new recipe. Thanks for my go-to chewy peanut butter cookies recipe
I am so happy to hear you loved these peanut butter cookies! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this comment! 🙂
Can I add peanut butter chips and if so will I have to alter cooking time?
Yes, and it shouldn’t alter the bake time at all 🙂
Can the dough be made a day ahead and refrigerated?
The almond extract was really something new to my taste buds, cookie-wise. Made the cookies more special.. Next time I bake, will share it to my friends who I’m pretty sure will also feel the same. :P.. How long is the shelf life of this again? Just so I know how long I could prolong hubby on munching them all. 😛
So happy you enjoyed these! Thank you Mel 🙂
A friend gave me her recipe, which I totally botched! I’m glad I did because then I looked for another recipe and found yours. Made today and they are the bomb! Thank you for sharing the recipe. It is my go to peanut butter cookie recipe forever!
YAYYY!! I am seriously sooo happy to hear this!! Thanks for your kind comment! 🙂
Well, Heaven’s to Betsy! They actually came out of the oven looking like your pictures! YeeHah! They taste lovely (and I haven’t even dipped them in chocolate yet). My kids are going to light up! Great recipe! Keep up the good work!
I am sooo happy you loved these!! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
This is the best peanut butter cooker I have ever had. Didn’t used almond extract cause I didn’t have any and halved the recipe because it is just two of us in the house. Cooked for 12 minutes and worked out perfectly. Will be my go to recipe for sure. Thank you for sharing
Yay!! I love hearing that!! Thanks so much for your comment Amanda 🙂
This recipe is perfect and I wouldn’t change a single thing! Only difference was I used my local farm fresh eggs.. simply magnificent and was instantly put in my recipe cards. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! So happy to hear these were a hit 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment Shackeena! 🙂
I will never make another peanut butter cookie recipe again! This is my permanent peanut butter cookie recipe! Thanks again for sharing, super impressed!
Can you freeze these cookies after baked?
You can, but I think they’re best frozen BEFORE being baked 🙂 Enjoy!
Perfect! Made just as instructed and they came out wonderfully. I did bake them on the center rack of a standard oven and they required two extra minutes to be cooked correctly but they are fantastic and I did add the almond extract and chocolate chips.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks Eileen!! 🙂