Peanut Butter Cookies
These Peanut Butter Cookies are soft and chewy with rich peanut butter flavor. This recipe is easy to make with no dough chilling required.
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
If you’ve been searching for a classic peanut butter cookies recipe, look no further. These homemade peanut butter cookies, with their signature criss cross pattern, are one of our favorite treats to bake.
This easy cookie recipe calls for simple ingredients and the dough takes just a few minutes to mix together. You can roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before baking for extra sweetness and sparkle, or bake them as is. Either way, these peanut butter cookies are truly irresistible.
Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this peanut butter cookie recipe:
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
- Baking Soda: To make the cookies rise (puff up) in the oven.
- Salt: Enhances all of the other flavors.
- Butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter; if you only have salted on hand reduce the added salt by 1/4 teaspoon. Let the butter come to room temperature before using.
- Brown Sugar: Using more brown sugar than white sugar produces a chewier cookie with subtle caramel flavor notes. The milder flavor of light brown sugar (vs. dark brown) works best here.
- Granulated Sugar: Adding a little granulated sugar helps the cookies to spread just enough as they bake.
- Peanut Butter: I like to use a regular no-stir creamy peanut butter, such as Skippy or Jif, when making peanut butter cookies. You can use natural peanut butter, if you prefer. The cookies will be a little drier, but still soft and chewy.
- Egg: You’ll need one large egg. Let it come to room temperature before using.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a hint of sweet vanilla flavor.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Here’s an overview of the recipe steps. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
You can mix up the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or you can use a large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat them together with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.
- Add the peanut butter and mix in until combined.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart.
- Use a fork to gently make a crisscross pattern on each cookie. This also helps to slightly flatten the cookies.
- Bake at 350° F for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are just set.
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature butter and eggs so that they incorporate easily into the dough.
- Use the spoon and level method to measure the flour to get an accurate measurement. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping the flour directly with the measuring cup can cause too much flour to get packed in.
- You can bake the cookies right away or chill the dough for 30-60 minutes before rolling the cookie dough into balls. The cookies bake up perfectly either way. I have found that chilling the dough for much longer than 60 minutes causes it to dry out and makes it difficult to roll into balls.
- For extra sweetness and sparkle, you can roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before placing them on the baking sheet.
- Crunchy peanut butter may be used instead of creamy if you prefer the extra texture.
- Be careful to not overbake the cookies, so that they turn out soft, moist and chewy.
Storage Tips
Peanut butter cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. These cookies also freeze wonderfully. Once cool, freeze in an airtight container (such as a zip-top bag with the air squeezed out) for up to 3 months. To thaw, place on the counter at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
Here are a few more of our favorite cookie recipes that you might enjoy:
These peanut butter cookies are perfect for whenever a peanut butter craving hits. Enjoy one (or two!) with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until creamy.
- Add the peanut butter and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated. Then mix in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- The cookies can be shaped and baked right away, or you can chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes before baking them (cover the bowl with plastic wrap).
- To bake cookies, line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and gently roll into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Use a fork to gently flatten each cookie by pressing it onto the top of the cookies in one direction and then the other, making a crisscross pattern on the top of each cookie.
- Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, until just set (be careful not to overbake). Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Optional: For an extra touch of sweetness, roll the cookie balls in granulated sugar before baking. Place 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl and coat each cookie dough ball in the sugar before placing on the baking sheet.
- Natural peanut butter may be used but the cookies will turn out a little bit drier.
- When measuring the flour, spoon it gently into the measuring cup and then level it off. Scooping directly with the measuring cup will pack in too much flour.
- Peanut butter cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place on the counter at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
