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!

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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)

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4.95 from 5402 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

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Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

How to make peanut butter cookie mix better? ›

Peanut Butter Cookie Mix Hacks

Flavor Twist: After creating the dough according to the peanut butter cookie mix instructions, portion the dough into balls then roll in a tasty topping like poppy seeds, sesame seeds or sprinkles, or go for a 4:1 ratio of sugar and dry spice, like ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

What causes peanut butter cookies to fall apart? ›

This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour. It's crucial to properly measure the flour in this recipe, as even 1 extra tablespoon of flour can completely change the structure of the cookies. You also might have over baked them!

How do you intensify peanut butter flavor? ›

You can further augment the gustatory potential of the peanut butter by using both vanilla extract and almond extract in your dough—just a splash of the latter is enough to boost your cookies' nuttiness (while remaining subtle enough that no one will cotton onto the presence of drupe essence in your legume dessert).

Should you flatten peanut butter cookies before baking? ›

Certain cookies — Sugar Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies — need to be flattened a bit before they bake, lest they end up emerging from the oven looking like ping-pong balls rather than typical flat, round cookies.

Can I add peanut butter to store bought cookie mix? ›

For a delicious peanut butter flavor, add peanut butter or peanut butter cups to your basic cookie mix.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

"When your dough is refrigerated, the butter hardens. So when you bake them, they spread less and hold their shape better," adds Epperson. "Which means a better likelihood of a soft, chewy cookie in the center." Chilling the dough creates fluffier cookies with better consistency.

Why do you use a fork on peanut butter cookies? ›

These early recipes do not explain why the advice is given to use a fork, though. The reason is that peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and unpressed, each cookie will not cook evenly. Using a fork to press the dough is a convenience of tool; bakers can also use a cookie shovel (spatula).

How do you make peanut butter cookie dough less crumbly? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

What happens if I accidentally use baking powder instead of baking soda? ›

Baking powder: Baking powder can be used to replace baking soda, though not at a 1-to-1 ratio. Because the former is not as strong as the latter, it's important to use three times the amount of baking powder as baking soda. Be aware, a slightly bitter, off-putting taste might result from using that much baking powder.

Why add milk to cookie dough? ›

Although it may seem obvious, the most important role extra milk plays is adding a little more liquid. As cookie dough is very low in hydration, that two tablespoons of milk have more of an impact here than in something with higher hydration, such as cake batter.

How do you make peanut butter cookies soft again? ›

Simply lay the bread at the bottom of the container and pile your cookies on top of it, seal the lid, and wait a few hours. The cookies will soak up all the moisture from the bread and by the next morning, they will taste as good as the day they came out of the oven gooey.

What ingredient is added to peanut butter? ›

Old-school peanut butter was made from one simple ingredient: ground roasted peanuts. But nowadays, if you pick up a jar from a supermarket shelf, odds are that it contains much more. Today many commercial brands have added sugars, salt, hydrogenated oils and other preservatives.

What are the ingredients in great value peanut butter cookies? ›

ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDISCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRAIL, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, PEANUT BUTTER (PEANUTS, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL [RAPESEED, COTTONSEED AND SOYBEAN OILS]), CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN AND/OR PALM OIL WITH TBHQ ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, GRAHAM FLOUR ...

What is the key ingredient in cookies? ›

Flour is the main ingredient that provides structure in a cookie – without it, there would be no cookie! The gluten in flour forms a web of sorts – the framework that catches the air bubbles/gasses given off during rising. This helps provide the structure.

What are the ingredients in Franz peanut butter cookies? ›

Nutritional Information

Contains Wheat and Their Derivatives,Eggs and their derivates,Other Gluten Containing Grain And Gluten Containing Grain Products.,Milk and its derivates,Peanuts and their derivates,Corn and its derivates. May contain Peanuts and their derivates.

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