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These best peanut butter cookies are perfectly soft and chewy and come together quickly with only a few ingredients!
These cookies are easy and simply delicious, but for an even easier version try 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies, or shake it up a bit with Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
We Love These Cookies!
These best peanut butter cookies are a well-loved classic. They are easy to make and are every peanut butter lover’s dream.
(Although close runner-ups are the Peanut Butter Cup Cookie and the Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie).
Why we love them:
- Easy. Just a handful of ingredients are needed to make these cookies.
- Delicious. They are tasty fresh and warm from the oven, but tasty the next day dipped in milk.
- Go ahead and double the recipe. These are great after-school snacks, a quick treat for guests, or late-night goodies.
- A must! They also just happen to be my hubby’s favorite cookie.
There are many variations and additions to the classic cookie, but no matter how you “spread it”, the peanut butter flavor is scrumptious!
Ingredients
- creamy peanut butter or crunchy – use regular peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Avoid natural peanut butter as it tends to make the cookies dry and crumbly.
- unsalted butter – Use this post on How to Soften Butter Quickly
- light brown sugar – or dark brown sugar for a chewier texture
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- BATTER. In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Whisk together, then pour into the butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- ROLL. Place the remaining ½ cup of sugar in a bowl. Use a cookie scoop to roll dough into 1–1½-inch balls and roll in sugar, making sure to coat all sides.
- BAKE. Place on a greased cookie sheet and make a criss-cross pattern on top of each ball using the tines of a fork. Bake for 8–9 minutes.
- COOL. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Tips
- Crisscross pattern. Due to the peanut butter, the cookies may not spread as much as other cookies.
- Hence the crisscross pattern that is a peanut butter cookie signature. The marks are just a decorative way to press the dough down to your desired shape and thickness.
- Mix-ins. Turn these into peanut butter chocolate chip cookies! Or try:
- mix in chopped Reese’s Cups or top with a Hershey Kiss.
- Reese’s Pieces
- peanut butter or butterscotch chips
- white chocolate chips or a white chocolate drizzle
Storing Info
- STORE peanut butter cookies in dough form or as baked cookies. Place a piece of white bread in the container to keep the cookies softer longer.
- Store cookie dough. Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. Or form cookie dough balls, flash freeze them for about 2 hours, transfer them to a freezer Ziploc and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container for 7-10 days, or freeze in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
For More Cookies:
Jack Jack Cookie Num Num
32 mins
Chewy Sugar Cookies
20 mins
Butterscotch Cookies
18 mins
Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
15 mins
Best Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
These best peanut butter cookies are perfectly soft and chewy and come together quickly with only a few ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups creamy peanut butter or crunchy
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1½ cups granulated sugar divided
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until creamy.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together, then pour into the butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- Place the remaining ½ cup of sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into 1–1½-inch balls and roll in sugar, making sure to coat all sides.
- Place on a greased cookie sheet and make a crisscross on top of each ball using a fork. Bake for 8–9 minutes.
- Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove them to a rack to cool.
Video
Notes
Make ahead of time. Peanut butter cookies can be stored in dough form or after baking. To store cookie dough, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can also form cookie dough balls, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours, then transfer them to a resealable plastic freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 7 days.
Peanut butter. Regular creamy peanut butter is definitely the best type of peanut butter to use. Natural peanut butter will not give you the same results.
Nutrition
Serving: 36g, Calories: 239kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 99mg, Potassium: 113mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 205IU, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Dear Kristyn, I will be making these for the first time today. I cant wait to see how they turn out! I have one question: I was surprised to see TWO TABLEspoons of vanilla for this recipe. Seems to be a huge amount of VANILLA. Are you sure it’s not 2 teaspoons, instead?? I’m sorry to write this question in the place where the comments/ratings are, but I couldn’t find another place to contact you. I will leave a rating after I make them.
If I freeze the dough balls, how do I bake them? Thaw the balls first? Or bake from frozen?
Delicious cookie recipe. I made half plain and then mixed chopped Reese’s in the other half.
These are our go-to’s. I especially love these dipped halfway in chocolate!
These are heavenly and so yummy! We love peanut butter here and these were such a big hit here! I’ll definitely make these again very soon!
They best peanut butter cookies are whichever ones I am eating right now! I love them all, thick, thin, chewy, or crunchy. These were beyond delicious and had a great texture. One of my favs!
Amen to that! I love peanut butter cookies too. 😉 So glad you enjoyed these ones!
I am not a peanut butter fan, but peanut butter cookies are my favorite!! They are so soft & the best with a tall glass of milk!
We love cookies. These peanut butter cookies are a favorite. Simple and delicious!