These are our all-time favorite Peanut Butter Cookies -- they're thick, soft & chewy, and have a rich peanut butter flavor with plenty of sweetness. Jazz these cookies up even more if you'd like, by dipping half in melted chocolate (optional).
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword best peanut butter cookies, peanut butter cookies
PREP: Line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner (or parchment paper) and set aside.
COOKIE DOUGH: 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 in the brown sugar and white sugar. Mix with a large whisk until smooth, about 1 minute.
COOKIE DOUGH, CONT.: Add in the peanut butter, almond extract (if using), and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add in one egg. Mix just until ingredients are incorporated and then add in the second egg. Again, mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. Add in the baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated. Add in the flour and mix again, until just incorporated. Don't over-mix.
CHILL: Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, up to 1 hour -- See Note 4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Scoop the cookie dough and roll into large balls that are each 3 packed tablespoons (60 grams) in size (See Note 5) and if desired (optional) roll cookie dough balls in some extra granulated sugar. Place dough balls on a lined cookie sheet -- 6 cookies at a time-- leaving ample room (2-inches) between cookies.
BAKE: 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 cookie sheet when removed from the oven.) Be careful to not over-bake these cookies!
COOL: 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 baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Cool completely before dipping in chocolate (optional step).
OPTIONAL DIPPING IN CHOCOLATE: Coarsely chop the chocolate bar into evenly sized pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. See Note 6. Microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Dip one half of each cookie into the melted chocolate, scrape the bottom of the cookie on the bowl of the melted chocolate and transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature.
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Notes
Note 1: Peanut butter: We love and highly recommend Skippy® Creamy Peanut Butter in these cookies (not sponsored). We don't recommend a natural peanut butter that needs stirring.Note 2: Almond extract: Completely optional, but it adds an additional nutty flavor to the cookies if you'd like that. If you have some, add it in, but don't go purchase just for these cookies!Note 3: Flour: Measuring flour can vary from person to person and is usually the culprit for cookies not working out. If you have a food scale, use that instead of measuring cups. 385 grams is perfect for this recipe!Note 4: Chilling: The dough is best chilled for 30 minutes to an hour and after that, it begins to dry out and become crumbly so it is hard to roll into balls. If you need to chill longer, just roll out the cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment paper-covered plate. Cover tightly and chill for up to 24 hours.Note 5: Cookie dough ball size: Cookies work best at this size. While you may want smaller cookies, know that the texture is not the same. The "sweet spot" for this recipe is exactly 3 tablespoons (60 grams) of dough. Big, I know, but totally perfect!Note 6: Chocolate: Use good, high-quality chocolate melting wafers/baking bars for best results. Melt in the microwave very slowly, stirring A LOT in between microwave bursts. If you'd like more tips on melting chocolate in the microwave, check out our peppermint bark post. If the chocolate is too thick and not dipping well, thin with 1 up to 2 teaspoons coconut or vegetable oil.