If you read Handle the Heat regularly, you likely know I adore the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
Recently someone asked me why I loved the combination so much and I was taken aback slightly. My first thought was “well why wouldn’t I love this magic duo?” Then I realized that I’ve loved the flavors together since before I could remember. Since childhood two of my favorite foods have been chocolate and peanut butter, so it only makes sense that I absolutely adore them combined!
I’m actually surprised I’m not utterly sick of either of these flavors, let alone enjoying them together. I literally eat peanut butter every day. Same for chocolate. I’m still obsessed with the two, which is good for you because it leads me to share recipes like these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
These cookies are ridiculously big, thick, and chewy yet soft, and have just amazing peanut butter flavor. They are 1000% perfect with a glass of cold milk.
Best part? You don’t even need a stand mixer to make this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, they’re so easy.
If you’re a cookie-a-holic like me, you’ll love making cookies that’ll rival your favorite bakery (just like these!) with my second cookbook, The Ultimate Cookie Handbook: Your Guide to Baking Perfect Cookies Every Time – now available on Amazon!
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Make CHEWY Cookies & Not Dry Peanut Butter Cookies!
- The high ratio of brown sugar and the extra egg yolk in this recipe help contribute a rich, chewy, and thick texture with lots of flavor.
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly (by weighing or with the spoon and level method) to avoid creating cakey, dense, or tough cookies that don’t spread.
- Measuring your dry ingredients accurately is one of the best ways to improve your baking.
- If You Don’t Measure Your Flour Correctly, YOU COULD END UP WITH CRUMBLY DOUGH! Just check out the image below, showing the difference between correctly and incorrectly measured chocolate chip cookies.
The Best Peanut Butter for Baking
- This recipe has been successfully tested with conventional peanut butter (Skippy) AND natural peanut butter, with reservations.
- Check out the peanut butter experiment here.
- Only use natural peanut butter if it’s VERY well stirred to be completely smooth and cohesive with no oily or dry bits.
- When it’s very smooth, natural peanut butter will yield a much more bold peanut butter flavor!
Which Chocolate Chips for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies?
I prefer the taste of semi-sweet chocolate chips in these cookies, but you could also use the same amount of milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks.
Size and Shape
- These are large chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, just the way I like ’em!
- I use my large 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop to form these cookie dough balls (which is a 3-tablespoon sized scoop).
- You can use the medium cookie scoop to make 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls of dough, if you prefer. Just shave off about 2 minutes from the baking time.
- Peanut butter in cookie recipes prevents normal spreading. After you shape the dough into balls, flatten the balls well with the palm of your hand. This will encourage them to spread more while they bake. Don’t forget this!
Baking Perfect Cookies
- I ALWAYS use an unlined aluminum half-sheet pan for baking cookies.
- Additionally, I always use parchment paper for baking cookies. I find silicone baking mats produce less of a crunchy exterior crust and are just one extra thing to clean.
- Never use dark-colored pans to bake cookies, as they tend to overly brown or even burn the bottoms of the cookies.
Chilling the Dough and Making Ahead
For best results, chill the dough overnight in a large bowl in the fridge. Why on earth would I recommend you delay your cookie satisfaction?
- Well, chilling chocolate chip cookie dough is very similar to marinating meat – things just get so much better.
- The texture becomes chewier and thicker and the flavor intensifies.
- If you don’t have time, no worries. You can bake the dough off after it’s made.
- To freeze: I like to scoop my dough balls out using a Cookie Scoop, freeze them until solid, then remove them to a ziptop bag to store in the freezer. You can defrost the dough overnight in the fridge, or for an hour or so at room temperature before baking (less if your kitchen is warm). You can bake from frozen, but note that with this recipe the cookies won’t spread as much.
- Get all of my tips for freezing cookie dough here.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
See ALL of my chocolate chip cookie recipes & cookie baking tips here!
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2 1/2
cups
(318 grams) all-purpose flour,
measured correctly*
-
1
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1
teaspoon
baking powder
-
1
teaspoon
fine sea salt
-
1
stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
-
3/4
cup
(202 grams) creamy peanut butter**
-
1/2
cup
(100 grams) granulated sugar
-
1
cup
(200 grams) packed dark brown sugar
-
2
large eggs plus 1 egg yolk,
at room temperature
-
2
teaspoons
vanilla
-
2
cups
(340 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips
-
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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In a large heat-safe bowl, microwave the butter until melted. Vigorously stir the peanut butter into the hot butter until well combined. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
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Dough may be a little loose and slightly crumbly. If it's unbearably crumbly, that's likely due to discrepancies among brands of peanut butter. Add 2 tablespoons milk if that's the case.
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OPTIONAL: If time permits, cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.
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Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a spring-loaded cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly into disc shapes with your palms. Dot each disc with a few extra chocolate chips for picture-perfect cookies.
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Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
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Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*Be sure to measure your flour correctly or you may end up with super crumbly dough.
**If using natural peanut butter, it must be VERY well stirred until completely smooth. Natural peanut butter will create a stronger peanut butter flavor.
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and recently updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
These are delicious! I have co-workers asking if they can pay me to make these for them again.
These are the best cookies!
I noticed you mentioned to use unlined aluminum half-sheet pan, what are your thoughts on biscuit/cookie baking sheets? They are supposed to allow for more event heating due to the lack of rim.
Hi Jonathan! Check out Tessa’s article on the best baking pans for cookies here! 🙂
I have made these cookies for a few years now they are my all time favorite! The only thing I add is a teaspoon of molasses.They come out perfect everytime.This is the best recipe!
I made this recipe 3 days in a row
I didn’t chill the dough and they were nice and high cokokie.
Make these cookies . You’ll be making these over and over.
I’ve never met a PB chocolate chip cookie I loved as much as this one. So delicious, perfectly chewy with crunchy edges, and chilling is OPTIONAL. What?! I couldn’t believe it. But I didn’t chill the dough at all and they came out thick and beautiful. And the ease of assembly with this dough was fantastic. I used a natural PB (very well mixed, as instructed) and had no issues.
These are the best cookies!!! The first time I’ve actually been proud of the cookies I’ve made:) Had the best little 4 year old grandson helping me, he agrees they’re THE BEST!!!!
Delicious! I made mine extra big (I ended up with 19 cookies) and they are perfectly baked with a couple extra minutes.
Extraordinary cookie! Thank you so much for this delightfully delicious peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie! It’s my go-to, fail-safe recipe! Do you have a similar chocolate chip cookie recipe, (sans the peanut butter, for a solely chocolate chip experience), with the same thick and chewy results!? Thank you, again!
Corinne
These were DELICIOUS! I made them exactly to the recipe. I let my dough cool in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, used my 1.5 TBSP cookie scoop and cooked them for 9 minutes. They were perfectly cooked, soft and so yummy.
Best cookies ever! Now I measured everything on the scale. Followed the instructions to a T. Good news for those who are budget conscious, I used all of Aldi brand ingredients and they turned out fine.
On the salt issue, table salt and sea salt are different, also salted butter and different peanut butters have different levels of salt.
I used 1/2tsp of table salt in the recipe.
Followed the recipe to a T, omitted 18g of sugar (simply because I ran out!) and wow, this recipe truly delivers. Let the dough rest for a bit, but no need to add milk or anything. Texture was on point! A huge success – thank you!
If you were to bake this in bar form, what size pan do you think you would need to use?
Hi Trisha! We haven’t tried making these cookies into bar form, but this recipe should work in an 8-inch square pan or a 9-inch square pan. Having not tested this, I cannot say exactly how long to bake for – but when they’re done, you’re looking for slightly puffed edges, a golden brown top, and the center should appear set. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try!
Can i use sugar substitute like erythritol?
Hi Nurian! No, it won’t work the same way as real sugar, unfortunately. I recommend checking out Tessa’s article all about what sugar does in baking here – it does SO much more than just sweetening!
I see.. Thank you so much for your response❤️
Can I add roasted peanut in place of chocolate chips?
Hi Kiwi! We haven’t tried that ourselves, but that should work just fine! Just be sure to keep your roasted peanuts to the same volume as the chocolate chips listed in the recipe. Let us know what you think of these cookies once you’ve given them a try 🙂
I went ahead and replaced chocolate chips with roasted peanuts and they still taste and feel (texture) just like the bakery!
Yay! So thrilled to hear that you enjoyed these!! 🙂
These are amazing chocolate chip cookies! The texture is perfect. The peanut butter flavor is very subtle in my opinion so I will probably add less chocolate chips next time so that the chocolate chips don’t over power the peanut butter.
Will the recipe work if I substitute the flour and raising agents with self-raising flour?
Hi Katherine! We haven’t tested this, and Tessa typically prefers to use all-purpose flour and add her own leavening agents, to stay in control of the levening herself. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try, though! 🙂
does the recipe make 3 giant cookies? did I miss something about the 3 ice cream scoops of dough on a baking sheet?
Hi Elise! This recipe makes about 24 cookies. I think where you got confused was the size of each cookie! The directions state to “Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a spring-loaded scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets”. The 3 is referring to 3-Tablespoon sized cookies, which should give you about two dozen. I hope that helps 🙂
Just made this and had a great time! Seems like a great intro to the baking world.
These are fantastic. Thick, chewy, and delicious, just like a cookie should be and they have just the right amount of peanut butter flavour. I didn’t melt the butter, I’m one of those weirdos without a microwave, and I was too lazy to use a pot. I just made sure I creamed the butter and peanut butter with the sugars really well. The cookies were perfect. Thank you for including weights, it makes it so much easier to measure things like peanut butter. Just plop the jar on the scale, press tare, and scoop the right amount right into the bowl. No extra dishes and no trying to scrape it out of a measuring cup!
I haven’t had peanut butter cookies in years and had a spontaneous craving. I followed the recipe to the letter, and these turned out EXACTLY how I pictured the perfect cookie in my head!
I appreciate the weight measures for dry ingredients. I have had much better results with all my baking since I started using a food scale.
Thank you for posting this! I better put the rest of the cookies away before I eat them! 🙂
Tessa, any suggestion on how to make it crispy?
Hi Charu! We have not tested this recipe to make it crispy, but I recommend checking out this Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe for tips and information about achieving a crispy cookie (all the info is in the pink tip box, above the recipe). Good luck 🙂
We love these!! Can’t wait to share with company
Holy *bleep* these cookies are so good!! They are better than my chocolate chip cookies I make which are delicious. I cut the recipe in half only because I didn’t need to bake 24 and I’m glad I did cause I’ve already eaten half and I made them yesterday
Best peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve found! I used 1/2 cup of butter flavored Crisco instead of regular butter. No need to soften. 1 cup of miniature and 1 cup of regular sized semi sweet chips. Used my cookie scoop but didnt press cookies into discs. Baked 10 min for more tender, taller cookies.
I made the batter yesterday and baked them today. The dough was not crumbly like the recipe said they’d be but they cooked up great. My husband thought there were too many chocolate chips (but I did not). I did, at his request after the first batch, add sugar to the top before they baked. That was the extra perfect topper. I really enjoyed them. Thank you!
These came out absolutely to die for. I didn’t even chill the dough or let the eggs get to room temperature. Bake them for 12 minutes and they were perfect. I don’t understand how there are negative reviews on this recipe! Perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate!
These cookies are the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies ever. They’re soft and stay that way for days. They also freeze very well. I got a lot of compliments of these cookies on the Christmas platters.
Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip recipe ever!
My daughter made these (and attached a copy of your recipe) for her 4-H baking contest. She won first place! They are delicious. We love how they still taste mostly like chocolate chip cookies but with a hint of peanut butter.
Made these last night and they’re delicious! Texture is on point! I used 1c semisweet chocolate chips and 1c pb chips. Still a bit too sweet though and masks the pb flavor so I will reduce sugar next time. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Hi there! We are so glad you enjoy these cookies! Don’t reduce the sugar next time, though; that will do a lot more than just reduce the sweetness, as you can see in this article here! Instead, try increasing the salt a little, and use dark or bittersweet chocolate chips instead, to balance out the sweetness 🙂
Great recipe! My only problem is that there is NO NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION. My husband is a diabetic & that info would help tremendously in helping to keep his glucose levels more even.
Hi Donna! I’m sorry, but we don’t calculate nutritional information because we believe desserts should be an indulgence. We realize there are reasons, such as your husband’s, why this can be important to calculate, but online nutritional calculators should be able to assist you with this. Happy baking 🙂
Can I use regular brown sugar??
Hi Christine! Yes, you can use light brown sugar, but the cookies won’t be quite as moist as if you use the dark brown sugar. The extra molasses content in dark brown sugar brings extra moisture to the cookies, as well as a deeper butterscotchy flavor. Let us know what you think of these cookies once you’ve given them a try 🙂
How do you remove peanut butter with ease when using it to bake?
Hi Carly! I hope I’m understanding your question correctly. We typically use a small silicone spatula and/or a spoon to remove the peanut butter from the jar and either weigh it (our preferred method – it’s more precise and, bonus!, fewer dishes!) or to a measuring cup to gauge the volume, and then spoon/scrape it all into the bowl with the other ingredients when needed. I hope that helps! Please feel free to reach back out if I misunderstood your question!
These are without a doubt the very best version of PBCC cookies I have ever made! The recipe is perfect. The cookies are soft, perfectly sweet and salty and peanut buttery!!!
Thanks for sharing you’re recipe.
Only one comment. For me too salty so I will just leave our the added salt next time. Other than that the young people I support loved them….
THE best peanut butter cookies ever!! I have made these several times. Every time I make these cookies, I still can’t believe how scrumptious they are!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! I share all the cookies that I make with my husband’s trap shooting buddies. These cookies are they’re absolute favorite, bar none!
What an excellent cookie recipe. Best cookies I ever had so delicious and amazing texture. I highly recommend making these the whole family loved them. I don’t usually leave reviews but felt this really needed one.
Wow, so thrilled to hear that, T! Thanks so much for the comment!
Best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies ever. Seriously. These were perfect. I let the batter sit in the fridge for about 2 hours just because I had the time and they came out beautifully fluffy and thick. I wonder how they would come out if the batter sat in the fridge even longer! Anyway, thank you so much for the recipe. These are my new favorite cookies.
So good!! Although I used light brown sugar since it’s what I had on-hand. Thank you for the tip about the flour. I’m sure this will help with my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe.
What a disapointment. Waste of time. I even had the dough sitting in the fridge for 24 hours. They didnt taste like peanut butter, dry, no flavor, terrible after taste. Way to many chocolate chips. I needed these to give to someone and with me not having any time at all to bake anything I thought these sounded easy and have so many great reviews. False advertising. Now I have cookies that are terrible and nothing to give for a gift.
Hi Dennis! Oh no, I’m sorry to hear these cookies did not turn out as you’d hoped. It’s hard to say what exactly went wrong without having baked alongside you, but it sounds like something perhaps was accidentally mis-measured, because these cookies should be deliciously peanut buttery with a great level of moistness and chewiness! How do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure flour/sugar/etc and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe. Tessa talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time, in this article here! There are multiple other things that could have gone wrong, too (such as inactive leaveners, using natural peanut butter, etc), so if you wish to troubleshoot any further, please reach back out and we can try to work together to figure out what went wrong. Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, and have a great day 🙂
Looking for yet another cookie recipe, I came across and, tried these. I always ignore Brand suggestions and used half the baking powder and substituted plain yogurt for rest. This is now my “go to” cookie recipe!