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These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my absolute favorite desserts on the planet.
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 continuing to enjoy 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 thick and chewy, yet soft, and have just amazing peanut butter flavor. They are 1000% perfect with a glass of cold milk.
The 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 with a digital scale, 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 and dry, hard cookies lacking in flavor. 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 my 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. Feel free to substitute peanut butter chips for some of the chocolate chips, if you wish!
Cookie 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.
- 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, so that’s why we are flattening the balls well with the palm of your hand before baking. This will encourage them to spread more while they bake.
What Type of Baking Sheet for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip 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.
Do I Need to Chill Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?
For best results, chill the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie dough overnight in a large bowl in the fridge. Here’s why:
- 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.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Ahead
Make the cookie dough as instructed and portion out the dough balls using a cookie scoop. Place the dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze them until solid, then remove them to a freezer bag to store in the freezer. 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!
-
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.
-
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 until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
-
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 and dry cookies.
**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 has been updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Love this recipe! So easy!
These are the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies ever! I used a medium scoop, I didn’t flatten the cookies, and I refrigerated them for about 1 hour before baking. I already can’t wait to make these again. Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
These were perfectly thick and delicious! Just the right amount of peanut flavour and perfect chocolate chip cookie texture. I used chunky peanut butter and slightly less than 2 cups of chocolate chips. Will definitely be making these again, they didn’t last long!
These were so good and so easy! I followed the direction of making the dough the night before and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours before baking. It made such a difference, keeping the cookies very fluffy. Would definitely recommend this recipe.
It’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m a teacher at a high school. I made these to share with staff and students. They smell delightful and I’m holding off on eating them for fear that I’ll eat more than one! Peanut butter and chocolate chips sound like a match made in heaven! My husband would say “too many chocolate chips’c but I say More for me!
This may be me new “go to” cookie recipe!!! Easy to follow…and I love peanut butter and chocolate!! I told my friend (who owns a bakeshop about them)…taking some to share with her tomorrow!! Yummmm!!!
Delicious cookies
This recipe is SO GOOD!!! Shared them with friends at work and everyone said they were the softest cookies they had ever tasted. I sub’d chocolate chips for big chocolate chunks and it still worked great!
Apparently these cookies were so good no one in my family left me one to try. Definitely need to make more.
I just made made these and they are fantastic! The recipe was easy to follow and they’re a real hit in my house!
The best cookies ever! I will absolutely make these over and over again! The recipe set up (as always) is easy to follow and very exact. I would give this recipe 100 stars if I could!
These cookies turned out beautifully. They were super easy to make and were delicious!
Espectaculares.. las favoritas de mi hijo
So yummy!!
Just like cookies from a bakery!!
DELICIOUS! I only had limited time this weekend so baked these cookies right away (instead of giving them some fridge time). They still turned out amazing and look incredible. Thank you for this easy recipe!
These cookies are so good! I love peanut butter and chocolate too, so this is the perfect pairingZ I love that the cookies and soft and chewy but not cakey. Perfect. I cheated and only left it in the fridge overnight (less than 24 hours), but they still were really yummy! Thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe!
Peanut butter and chocolate chips are perfect combination. Love this
Chocolate and peanut butter is my absolute favorite combination, so I knew I needed to try these cookies as soon as I saw them. This recipe did not disappoint! They are perfectly chewy, thick, and loaded with peanut butter and chocolate chips. I love how they don’t spread in the oven, allowing them to keep a beautiful, round shape. Will definitely be making these again! 🙂
We made these cookies this morning… best peanut butter cookies ever!! Thank-you for sharing your recipe. I’m obsessed with your page. It all started when I pinned the ultimate cookie guide, and I have been baking your recipes ever since!
Yum! Ended up making about 2 dozen smaller cookies and they were a hit! One batch was a bit underbaked and soft and chewy, while the other was cakier, both delicious!
YUM! Just baked a batch and ate some for breakfast! I’m glad the recipe made a lot as my intent was to freeze them as I’m expecting a baby any day now! PB and chocolate is my all-time favourite combination so I figured these would be perfect to keep in the freezer for those much-heard-about ravenous moments while breastfeeding. I just hope they’ll be some left by the time baby is actually born. 🙂
Love these thick cookies with a very light peanut butter flavor, definitely a keeper!
Such an easy and scrumptious recipe! I let the cookie dough rest for 24 hours in the fridge- it’s become a habit with most cookie recipes and it truly makes a difference! My husband said these reminded him of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and he loved the size!
Thank you for yet another fantastic recipe!
Seriously the beat recipe ever for cookies! My kids ask for these for every holiday or any special event where we need to bring a dessert. I get requests for this recipe all the time! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
This recipe had me wanting to make it since I love peanut butter cookies but I never thought about putting chocolate chips in peanut butter cookies even though I LOVE peanut butter cups. I would definitely make these cookies again and they were easy to make but hard to keep around they ate them as soon as I made them.
Made the cookies today and I have to say they are very good. Not hard to make either. Waiting to bake was the hard part.
Is it okay if I just use butter?I do not have any parchment paper
These cookies were terrific. They were large soft and wonderfully tasty. My husband LOVED them.
Wow!!!! What a delicious recipe!! Thank you for sharingTessa
Easy to make, no mixer needed. And the smell amazing. Everyone loved them!
These Peanut Cookies are the best cookies I have ever eaten! I made these for my Mother’s birthday, and she adored them! I love these cookies and could eat them all day! (lets not talk about how many I have already eaten ). Please post more peanut butter and chocolate recipes! They go together like peanut butter and jelly!
Haha 🙂 🙂 I certainly will – I have 2 PB + Choc recipes coming in the next two months that’ll knock your socks off!
These cookies are delicious!! My husband is not a big fan of chocolate so I did 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup peanut butter chips. Perfection!! They were big, chewy on the inside with a slight crunch outside. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Love that!! Hope he enjoyed them 🙂
Which brand chocolate chips you prefer?
I usually use Ghirardelli!
These are incredible! I accidentally used my medium scoop, it made 39 and the bake time was 9 minutes. Sprinkled Maldonado salt on them before baking. Will definitely be making these again! Wow!!
Love the salt!! Thanks for sharing xo
These are such a hit! Every time I make these everyone raves! I make them all the time:)
I just made these for national peanut butter day and my husband said that these are his all time favorite cookie!!! These are decadent and just delicious ! Love ur recipes:)
Could you please consider making these with natural peanut butter (such as Smuckers), where the oil does separate? I ask because I do not eat the standard kind for health reasons. If not, do you have any peanut buttter cookie recipes that work well with natural pb?
I made them with Teddie natural PB and they were perfect 🙂 I chilled the dough overnight.
I made these day…well started yesterday and let the dough marinate overnight and then baked them today. They are VERY delicious!
Oh man, these look so good! I am not a baker and this had so many great tips. PS: I wish I was there to taste test.
I made these yesterday for Father’s Day! They are amazing! Thank you so much. I keep going back to your recopies over and over again. These also freeze amazing after they were baked! I did not have time to let them sit in the fridge, so what I did was made the dough, then set it in the fridge while I preheated the oven. Then popped them right in after the oven was preheated! They turned out AMAZING, THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Tessa, I LOVE cookies and desserts – do you have any keto-friendly cookies/desserts you can post? Thanks much
These cookies look delicious; how can I make them dairy free? Can I substitute the butter with coconut or avocado oil? and what ratio would you use?
Made these last night and baked 4 right away. Cabot believe how perfectly they come out of three oven… perfect color top and bottom.
The addition of the sea salt on top makes them amazing.
The only thing I wish they had more of a rich peanut butter flavor. To me the peanut butter flavor was faint. I used Jif chunky peanut butter.
My husband loved his two. He krept into the kitchen and asked if there were anymore, lol.
Hello! These look delicious and I am allergic to dairy but would love to try and make them. Would you recommend substituting the butter for margarine or shortening?
I have made other cookies with margarine in place of butter and they were fantastic. They were shortbread that called for a brick of butter. Not much of a difference in texture or taste
Hi Tessa! This is the second cookie recipe I’ve made from you, the first being the brown butter chocolate chunk cookies. Both were delicious. When making these, I used only 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of white sugar because I didn’t want such a sweet dough. Would this have affected the texture?
I’m asking because both times I’ve made these cookies, they turned out a little cakey. Of course, that could just be because I only used AP flour. Thanks!
These. Are. Amazing. Just made a batch. Instagram photo & my own rendition of the recipe (with a shoutout/link to your page) are coming soon {check out http://www.maxandrosies.com to see!} !! Love this site so much.
So excited to make these but I don’t have dark brown sugar or molasses available where I live. Is there any other substitute you’d recommend for the dark brown sugar? (i’ve read you can use dark corn syrup but not sure which will effect the flavor the least) Thank you!
Do you think you could use a cookie cutter with this recipe? I have made these several times and everyone loves them! Having a Pirate Themed party for my son and wanted to make sword and crossbones cookies.
These look sooooo good! The slightly jagged edges just scream to be eaten. Yum!
Heaven in a cookie! I can’t keep myself away from these and I made the mistake of doubling the recipe. I could give some away and gain some devoted admirers but I’ll just keep them and gain some pounds. Totally worth it!
The PB that’s availqble here is one with sugar so can i lessen the amount of sugar in the recipe? Besides, i only have semisweet chocolate chips, else i would use unsweetened ones to neutralize all that sweetness.
The brand I used (Skippy) has sugar in it as well, so I don’t think you’ll need to lessen the amount of sugar in the recipe 🙂
These cookies look perfect!
Peanut butter + chocolate chip. A classic combination that could never be wrong! My husband has been begging me to make cookies, baking is not my forte, so I’m definitely giving these a go!
I love the mix of peanut butter and chocolate chip for this cookie. I also love the size of them.
Thank you Tessa !!!!
Will get them mixed up this evening !!
Did you use natural pnb with the oil that’s separated and have to mix in??? Thanks!
First time making cookies from scratch! This recipe is very easy to follow and they are in the oven now!! Cant wait to share them with the family!!
Hi Connie,
The answer to your question is in the reading material she provided above the recipe. I highly recommend taking a moment to read through all of it, as it provides some really great tips & tricks to create her recipe in your own kitchen without having to guess. In the meantime, here’s the portion that answers your question:
The Best Peanut Butter for Baking
For best results, use a standard commercial brand of creamy peanut butter. I used Skippy for this recipe. Avoid any “natural” peanut butters where the oil separates. The dough won’t come together nicely if you don’t use commercial peanut butter with an added oil.
These cookies sound like the best ever! Wish I had a couple right now!
Tessa,
I need to make about 10 dozen cookies & would love to use the recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip, I would make them a little smaller. If I mix up 5 times all the amounts, will it make a difference it the cookies ? Need to make the in the morning.
No – that should work fine!
What kind of peanut butter? Natural or Jiff or Skippy type that has added fat and sugar.
I have a general comment, not specific to this recipe. When I try and “pin” your recipes to Pinterest, my only option is to use one picture, the picture at the very bottom of the blog post which is for another recipe. How can we fix that?
Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I’m looking into fixing this (haven’t found a solution yet). I usually use my Pinterest bookmarklet in my internet browser to pin and that works fine!
Tessa,
Will it hurt to drop dough, then refrigerate?
I prefer to refrigerate the whole mass of dough but I think as long as the balls of dough are well sealed it should be okay.