Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (2024)

· Modified: by John Kanell

You'll love these ULTRA-easy peanut butter cookies. They're full of peanut butter flavor and have the perfect balance of salty and sweet with a wonderfully soft, melt in your mouth texture. This cookie is a classic for a reason!

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Adding peanut butter to cookies creates an amazing soft consistency with a very delicate, velvety crumb. These classic peanut butter cookies are complete crowd pleasers.

You can make them days in advance for instant gratification anytime and they’re so easy to make! The most difficult part is having the patience to let them set up after they’re out of the oven. For another cookie recipe that utilizes peanut butter, try my Easy No Bake Cookies!

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (1)

Peanut Butter: I like using a creamy peanut butter for this recipe but you can definitely use chunky peanut butter instead. If you’re using a natural peanut butter make sure to give it a VERY good mix before adding.

Brown Sugar: You can use either light or dark brown sugar in this peanut butter cookie recipe. Dark brown will impart a slightly more caramel-like flavor.

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (2)

1. Preheat over to 350F. Sift flour and baking powder together into a large bowl then whisk to combine.

2. Cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (3)

3. Mix in the room temperature egg and vanilla extract then scrape the bowl down and mix once more.

4. Add flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (4)

5. Roll the cookie dough into one inch balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Flatten the cookie dough balls with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Bake cookies for about 8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet, they need to set up before being transferred.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (5)

Pro Tips for This Recipe

  • You will bake the cookies until almost done when the edge is just starting to change color. They will set up and continue baking with the residual internal heat after they’re pulled out of the oven.
  • Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. If you have any questions about flour measuring check out the YouTube video I made about it.
  • The cookies will be VERY soft just out of the oven so let them rest for a while on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack; when cooled they will be firm enough to handle and quite delicious.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to a week for delicious anytime treats.

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (6)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do They have fork marks?

Peanut butter cookies are denser than most and will not spread out in the oven very much and would not bake evenly if the fork marks were not there to flatten them out and really press them down.

How to Get the Perfect Fork Mark Pattern

To get the perfect fork mark/ crisscross pattern try using skewers instead of a fork. I used my trusty wooden skewers, snapped a few in half, lined four up and pressed down. It took more time but I got the picture-perfect cookies of my dreams. A fork works well too of course, try to use one with long tines. For a clean release pull the fork away instead of lifting up, or it you’re using the skewers try twisting them.

What’s the best peanut butter to use for these cookies?

  • For best results I use a smooth, salted peanut butter.
  • There’s no need to use a sweetened peanut butter but if that’s what you have on hand it will work just fine, you make want to decrease the sugar by 2 tablespoons though.
  • If you’re using a natural peanut butter without stabilizers make sure to mix really well after opening the jar. The oil heavy top of that jar will make very runny cookies.
  • Any brand that you enjoy the taste of plain will be a great for this peanut butter cookie recipe!

Should You Chill the Dough Before Baking?

Nope, there’re no need to chill the cookie dough but if you want to make the dough ahead and chill it the cookies will bake up just as nicely.

If you love this recipe try these out!

  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Sugar Cookie Recipe
  • Edible Cookie Dough
  • Cake Mix Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (12)

If you’ve tried this easy peanut butter cookies recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (13)

Print

4.95 from 5404 votes

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

These ULTRA-easy, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies with just the right balance of salty and sweet are a sure to please treat.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 18 cookies

Calories 193kcal

Author John Kanell

Video

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 180g
  • 1/2 cup butter unsalted, room temp 113g
  • 1 cup peanut butter 250g
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar 100g, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup sugar 100g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
  • 1 egg large, room temp
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder 3g

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Preheat over to 350F

  • Sift flour and baking powder together then whisk to combine.

  • Cream butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. You can add an optional 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt.

  • Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated.

  • Mix in egg and vanilla extract then add flour mixture and beat until incorporated.

  • Roll dough into one inch balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

  • Flatten cookies with a fork in a criss-cross pattern.

  • Bake cookies for about 10 minutes.

  • Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet, they need to set up before being transferred.

Notes

You will bake the cookies until almost done. They will set up and continue baking with the residual internal heat after they're pulled out of the oven.

They will be VERY soft just out of the oven so let them rest for a while; when cooled they will be firm enough to handle and quite delicious.

If your peanut butter is not on the salty side add 1/4-1/2 tsp salt to the batter.

Nutrition

Serving: 105g | Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 170IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.8mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preppykitchen and tag #preppykitchen!

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

Image of What are the ingredients for peanut butter cookies?
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers.
Wikipedia

Why are my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies falling apart? ›

There are a few reasons why your cookies are falling apart. The wrong ratio of ingredients, such as too little sugar or peanut butter will make them fall apart. The wrong type of peanut butter may cause them to fall apart. Or using old eggs may create crumbly cookies.

What are the 4 main ingredient in baking cookies? ›

While there may be countless variations, each cookie at the core has four ingredients – butter, sugar, flour & eggs. The proportions of ingredients and the methods of mixing are what define our cookies. Dough spreads – Inside the hot oven, the butter starts to melt and the dough gradually starts to spread out.

Why are my peanut butter cookies so hard? ›

If your peanut butter cookies are hard, you likely cooked them for too long. They should not be baked for more than 8 or 9 minutes.

Why are my homemade peanut butter cookies falling apart? ›

One reason could be that you overcooked them. Another reason could be that you didn't add enough moisture to the dough. Finally, your peanut butter cookies might be dry and crumbly if you used a natural peanut butter that doesn't have any added oil.

What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

Peanut butter cookies don't spread as they cook, so you have to flatten them before hand. This ensures that the middle will cook through before the outside burns. As for the pattern created, it actually creates slightly more surface area, so you'll get more browning at the extra edges that you create.

Why do my peanut butter cookies not taste like peanut butter? ›

The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today's cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy.

What makes a cookie more crumbly? ›

There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough. The cookie should be baked only until the edges are slightly golden and the top looks a little wrinkled.

What happens if you only use brown sugar in cookies? ›

Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more. With less moisture escaping via steam, they also stay moist and chewy.

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

What happens if you forget to add brown sugar to cookies? ›

What happens when you bake without brown sugar? To be succinct, the resulting baked good could be slightly drier or more crisp. Without the excess moisture from the molasses in the brown sugar, the final cookie won't be as chewy and the final bread might be drier.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Chill your cookie dough! The dough is extremely soft due to the creamy peanut butter, eggs, and butter and if it's not cold going into the oven, the cookies will spread all over your baking sheet. I chilled this cookie dough for 24 hours and my cookies were soft, thick perfection.

What kind of peanut butter is best for baking cookies? ›

Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter.

How do I know when peanut butter cookies are done? ›

Unlike many other cookies, peanut butter biscuits only fully harden once they've been removed from the oven. Here's how to tell when peanut butter cookies are done: The tops of the cookies are a uniform light brown. They're soft to the touch but not moist or mushy.

What are the basic ingredients used in all cookie types? ›

THE THREE MAIN INGREDIENTS present in nearly every type of cookie are wheat flour, sugar, and fat, but you'll see other ingredients such as leaveners, eggs, liquids, such as milk, perhaps some chocolate, coconut, spices or nuts.

What is the best peanut butter for baking cookies? ›

Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter.

What are the peanut butter cookies from the Girl Scouts? ›

That's why some of our cookies look the same but have two different names. Whether the package says Peanut Butter Patties® or Tagalongs®, or Samoas® or Caramel deLites®, the cookies are similarly delicious.

What do the different ingredients in cookies do? ›

The Science Behind Common Baking Ingredients
  • Flour Provides the Recipe Foundation.
  • Fat Holds it All Together.
  • Sugar Is Sweet and Helps Tenderize.
  • Eggs Add Texture.
  • Liquids Add Leavening and Tenderness.
  • Salt Adds Flavor and Weight.
  • Leavening Agents Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
Nov 8, 2019

References

Top Articles
The BEST Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
Longhorn Brussel Sprouts Recipe (15min Copycat)
Rosy Boa Snake — Turtle Bay
Katie Nickolaou Leaving
My E Chart Elliot
Frank Lloyd Wright, born 150 years ago, still fascinates
Nwi Police Blotter
When is streaming illegal? What you need to know about pirated content
EY – все про компанію - Happy Monday
United Dual Complete Providers
[2024] How to watch Sound of Freedom on Hulu
Love Compatibility Test / Calculator by Horoscope | MyAstrology
The Connecticut Daily Lottery Hub
Darksteel Plate Deepwoken
Kvta Ventura News
Download Center | Habasit
25Cc To Tbsp
Salem Oregon Costco Gas Prices
623-250-6295
SN100C, An Australia Trademark of Nihon Superior Co., Ltd.. Application Number: 2480607 :: Trademark Elite Trademarks
Breckiehill Shower Cucumber
Margaret Shelton Jeopardy Age
Coindraw App
'Insidious: The Red Door': Release Date, Cast, Trailer, and What to Expect
Radical Red Ability Pill
O'reilly's In Monroe Georgia
Tottenham Blog Aggregator
Experity Installer
2487872771
Vip Lounge Odu
Missing 2023 Showtimes Near Mjr Southgate
Rocksteady Steakhouse Menu
Chris Provost Daughter Addie
Chs.mywork
Sams La Habra Gas Price
Hellgirl000
Uvalde Topic
Ross Dress For Less Hiring Near Me
RECAP: Resilient Football rallies to claim rollercoaster 24-21 victory over Clarion - Shippensburg University Athletics
Energy Management and Control System Expert (f/m/d) for Battery Storage Systems | StudySmarter - Talents
Cocaine Bear Showtimes Near Cinemark Hollywood Movies 20
Arcane Bloodline Pathfinder
Ethan Cutkosky co*ck
LoL Lore: Die Story von Caitlyn, dem Sheriff von Piltover
Todd Gutner Salary
Wilson Tire And Auto Service Gambrills Photos
Makes A Successful Catch Maybe Crossword Clue
Hampton In And Suites Near Me
A jovem que batizou lei após ser sequestrada por 'amigo virtual'
Lightfoot 247
Used Curio Cabinets For Sale Near Me
Obituary Roger Schaefer Update 2020
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Zonia Mosciski DO

Last Updated:

Views: 6362

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Zonia Mosciski DO

Birthday: 1996-05-16

Address: Suite 228 919 Deana Ford, Lake Meridithberg, NE 60017-4257

Phone: +2613987384138

Job: Chief Retail Officer

Hobby: Tai chi, Dowsing, Poi, Letterboxing, Watching movies, Video gaming, Singing

Introduction: My name is Zonia Mosciski DO, I am a enchanting, joyous, lovely, successful, hilarious, tender, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.