Peanut Butter Cookies

5 from 6 votes
12 Comments

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Peanut Butter Cookies are sweet, chewy, and make the most satisfying after school snack. This is the easiest, softest, best recipe you’ll ever try. Don’t forget a tall glass of milk!

Large stack of Peanut Butter Cookies next to a glass of milk.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients
  2. Tips and Variations for the Best Peanut Butter Cookies
  3. Frequently Asked Questions
  4. Storing Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
  5. More Favorite Cookie Recipes
  6. Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

There’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a soft, chewy cookie. The more moisture in the cookie, the softer and chewier they are. To make these easy peanut butter cookies extra chewy, keep the moisture content high. Using room temperature butter and soft brown sugar will help keep these super soft.

These peanut butter cookies are going to be gone before you know it! Take the dry ingredients to help lift and add texture to the cookies. Combine with the peanut butter and wet ingredients to have a soft dough ball. These cookie dough balls will become the best peanut butter cookies you have ever had!

  • Flour – Helps bind the cookies together and hold their shape.
  • Baking soda – Creates a soft and fluffy cookie by releasing carbon dioxide which helps leaven the dough.
  • Baking powder – This helps the cookies rise and puff up.
  • Salt – Enhances the flavor, but also gives it the chewy texture.
  • Butter – Gives cookies the structure and softness. Salted or unsalted butter works with this recipe.
  • Peanut butter – This is the main ingredient! You may think you need extra or want more creaminess with peanut butter, but adding more can actually throw off the recipe.
  • Sugars – White and brown sugar are mixed together to add sweetness and give the cookie a crispy outer layer.
  • Egg – Adds in color, binds the ingredients together, and holds the shape of the cookie dough.
  • Milk – This moistens the cookie dough batter.
  • Vanilla extract – Adds in a sweet hint of flavor!
Chocolate chips, flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, butter and peanut butter to make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.


Tips and Variations for the Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Bake these classic peanut butter cookies to golden brown and enjoy the soft peanut butter flavor in every bite! Make these cookies as simple or use more ingredients for flavor and texture. Follow these tips and variations for great ideas when making creamy peanut butter cookies.

  • Add in – Chocolate or peanut butter chips, coconut, or peanuts for crunchy and delicious variation.
  • Peanut butter – Use either crunchy peanut butter or creamy. We like to use Jif, but Skippy is also another great brand.
  • Scooping dough – You will want your cookies to be even amounts of cookie dough on your baking sheets. Use a cookie scoop to make sure they are measured correctly to help with baking.
  • Baking – Another trick to the softest, chewiest cookies? Don’t over bake! Make sure to take these out of the oven while they still look under baked. Don’t worry, they will set up as they cool and will stay supremely soft and delicious!
  • Cool down – Let your cookies cool on a wire rack before serving or storing them.
Cooling rack of Peanut Butter Cookies.

“My 11 year old daughter made these and they were the best pb cookies I’ve ever had!”

-Brook

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

Yes! Pre-make the dough according to the recipe. Store the cookie dough in a separate bowl in the fridge overnight for three to five days. When ready to bake, use a cookie scooper to place the cookies on a silicone baking mat.

How many cookies does it make?

It depends on how big the cookies are when rolling them into balls. You should be able to make two dozen large cookies or three dozen small ones.

Why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies?

To help cook the peanut butter cookies evenly, the tops were pressed with a criss cross pattern. This would press the cookie dough down evenly to help with baking. When doing this, the outside edges tend to be a bit crispy. Sugar fork pressing into ball of Peanut Butter Cookie dough.

What causes cookies to be too dry and crumbly?

Over-mixing or using too much of one ingredient. Peanut butter cookies are a balancing act of using a 1 to 1 ratio on a lot of the ingredients. If the cookie dough seems dry you can add in more milk or butter to help with your dough.

What gives cookies moisture?

Butter! This is always a common ingredient in cookies. First let your butter soften, then using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter until it is soft and fluffy. This will help give moisture to the cookies from the beginning.

Can you make peanut butter cookies gluten free?

Yes! Substitute your all purpose flour for gluten-free blend of flour. This will be an easy change and you will have healthy GF peanut butter cookies!

Plate of Peanut Butter Cookies and a glass of milk.

Storing Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies

Keep your cookies from getting dry by storing them in an airtight container. The cookies will stay soft and delicious in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, but will last in the freezer for a couple of months! To avoid the cookies from sticking, place parchment paper in-between each layer of cookies.

‘Tis always the season for cookies! Bake a batch or two of our yummy recipes below, and let us know which ones are your favorites!

Four Peanut Butter Cookies stacked next to peanuts.

Peanut Butter Cookies

5 from 6 votes
Peanut Butter Cookies are sweet and chewy and make the most satisfying after school snack. This is the easiest, softest, best recipe you'll ever try. Don't forget a tall glass of milk!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies

Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
    Mixing bowl of dry ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy.
    Mixing bowl of creamed Peanut Butter for Cookies.
  • Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips (optional).
    Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie dough without the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl.
  • Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion.
    Sugar fork pressing into ball of Peanut Butter Cookie dough.
  • Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern. I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top, but do not overly flatten cookies.
    Cookie sheet with unbaked Peanut Butter Cookies.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
    Cooling rack of Peanut Butter Cookies.

Notes

Storing Peanut Butter Cookies 

Keep your cookies from getting dry by storing them in an airtight container. The cookies will stay soft and delicious in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, but will last in the freezer for a couple of months! To avoid the cookies from sticking, place parchment paper in-between each layer of cookies.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 110mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 131IUCalcium: 17mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

    1. We’ve only tested the recipe with the written amount of peanut butter, so I don’t know how that would turn out!

  1. 5 stars
    These are just great old-fashioned peanut butter cookies. I added chocolate chips. I used real butter. Easy too!

  2. 5 stars
    There is a recipe for egless peanut butter cookies but I’ve lost it. They keep longer.
    You use much more sugar than peanut butter. I use much more PB. than any recipe I have ever found & less sugar. They never stay on the plate. Even I love them.

    1. Depending on the size of the cookie, it makes between 2 dozen larger cookies or 3 dozen smaller cookies. Thank you for asking!

  3. 5 stars
    How fun! What kind of camera did you get??

    I can attest that these cookies are delicious – I have the same recipe posted on my blog (although your picture is WAY better) and I have no self-control when it comes to eating these.