These chewy peanut butter cookies are a delicious sweet treat with a soft texture that melts in your mouth. This cookie recipe takes only 30 minutes to make and requires no special equipment.
Jump to:
Why you should try these peanut butter cookies
- No need to chill the dough. Once you've mixed the ingredients, you can immediately form the dough balls and bake them (Just like with these Matcha cookies or Raspberry cookies). This is especially convenient when you're short on time or have a sudden cookie craving. With these peanut butter cookies, you can have freshly baked treats in a matter of minutes without the extra waiting time.
- You will need only a bowl and a whisk. One of the beauties of this recipe is its simplicity. You don't need any fancy or specialized equipment to make these cookies. Just grab a bowl and a whisk, and you're good to go.
- A soft and chewy texture. Just like with my Honey cookies or my Strawberry cookies, these cookies are all about that perfect texture that will keep you coming back for more. The right balance of the ingredients creates a cookie with a soft and chewy texture.
What peanut butter to use
For the best results, choose creamy peanut butter when making these cookies. Check the ingredient list to ensure that the peanut butter is unsweetened and doesn't contain any added oils. Natural peanut butter made with just peanuts and maybe a touch of salt is ideal for this soft peanut butter cookie recipe.
Other ingredients you will need
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour to make this chewy peanut butter cookie recipe.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter – You’ll need room-temperature unsalted butter so it will be easy to whisk it together with peanut butter.
- White granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Cooking tips
- Measure the ingredients using a kitchen scale. This ensures accuracy and consistency in the dough, resulting in cookies that bake evenly and have the right texture.
- Don’t overbake your chewy peanut butter cookies. The edges should be lightly golden, and the cookies should be puffy and crinkly on top when you remove them from the oven. Remember that they will continue to cook slightly as they cool on the baking sheet, so it's better to slightly underbake them rather than risk ending up with cookies that are too dry or crunchy.
- Let the cookies cool down. After baking, the cookies will be way too soft and fragile to even touch them. Give them 5-10 minutes to firm up a bit on a baking sheet before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool down completely.
Step by step directions
Making the peanut butter cookie dough
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
- Add the white and brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients mixture and mix until just combined.
Shaping and baking the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form 16 dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies in two batches for 11-12 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and drop the baking sheet a couple of times on a flat surface to deflate the cookies. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Possible variations
- Coconut Flakes – Sprinkle some shredded coconut on top or add ¼ cup right into the dough if you enjoy the combination of coconut and peanut butter flavors.
- Chocolate chips – Fold ⅓ cup of chocolate chips into the dough to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
- Sea Salt – Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies before baking.
- Nuts – For added crunch and texture, consider incorporating chopped nuts into the dough. Options such as chopped peanuts, walnuts, or almonds work great in this recipe but feel free to experiment with different nuts to find your favorite combination.
FAQ
Store completely cooled cookies loosely covered with plastic wrap on a plate at room temperature for up to one week.
Wrap completely cooled cookies in plastic wrap and then in a piece of foil and freeze for 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then bring to room temperature before serving. You can also reheat the cookies in a microwave or better in the oven just until slightly warm.
Yes, you can freeze it for 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then let the dough soften at room temperature before shaping and baking the cookies.
Wrap tightly the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 days. Let the dough soften at room temperature before shaping and baking it.
More recipes you may like
White chocolate macadamia nut cookies
Recipe card
Chewy peanut butter cookies
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Stand mixer or hand mixer and a large mixing bowl the dough can be easily made with a bowl and a whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 110 g unsalted butter
- 75 g white granulated sugar
- 75 g light brown sugar
- 110 g creamy peanut butter natural and unsweetened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and a bowl or just a bowl and a whisk), cream together the butter and peanut butter until fluffy.
- Add the white and brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients mixture and mix until just combined.
- Form 16 dough balls (approximately 35g each), and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies in two batches for 11-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden, the cookies are puffy, and they have finished spreading.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and drop the baking sheet a couple of times on a flat surface to deflate the cookies. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Alex
Omg, these are so good!
Anna
Thanks!