These Peanut Butter Cookies are absolutely PERFECT and so easy to make! Thick, soft, and slightly chewy with tons of peanutty flavor. Your new go-to recipe!
Yield:
28 cookies
Prep Time:20minutes
Cook:12minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Ultra peanut buttery and perfectly sweet. Texture: Soft, tender, and slightly chewy. Perfect with a glass of milk! Ease: Very simple and easy. Pros: My favorite PB cookie recipe. No dough chilling required. Cons: None!! Would I make this again? Of course.
To know me is to know my love and obsession for peanut butter.
So when I realized that in over 10 years of blogging, I had never published my recipe for classic Peanut Butter Cookies, I was in shock. How could I have been so neglectful to all my fellow PB lovers?!
So I actually took my go-to recipe and got to work tweaking and improving until I got the perfect balance of nutty flavor and thick, tender, and slightly chewy texture in every bite.
This is a simple and easy old-fashioned peanut butter cookie recipe, you don’t even need to chill the dough. But it’s one of those recipes I hope you add to your repertoire and return to again and again. Especially during the Christmas cookie season!
How to Make the BEST Peanut Butter Cookies
How to make peanut butter cookies thick and soft:
Peanut butter is one of those ingredients that basically automatically lends itself to a thick texture in cookies. It’s thick and rich all on its own, and that translates to the final result. That’s actually why we press the tines of a fork into the balls of cookie dough to flatten it into a disk shape. Otherwise the cookies would hardly spread.
Now the key to soft peanut butter cookies is the perfect ratio of PB, butter, flour, and leavening which is what I believe I’ve accomplished here! Plus a hefty amount of brown sugar, which draws in moisture for soft and tender cookies.
Lastly, for soft cookies be sure not to over-bake these. They’ll continue to bake from the residual heat of the oven. I find it’s best to remove them *just* before they look completely done so you don’t over do it.
What’s the best peanut butter to use for cookies?
When it comes to baking in general, conventional creamy peanut butter is usually best. Some “natural” peanut butter products have too much oil separation and won’t make for a cohesive dough. You can usually get away with the more natural options among conventional brands like Skippy, Jif, or Justin’s – as long as they have an ingredient like palm oil or vegetable oil to keep everything smooth.
Can Peanut Butter Cookies be frozen?
Yes! Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for about 1 month. Allow to defrost at room temperature then re-fresh in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes, if desired. You can also freeze the disks of cookie dough (that have been rolled in sugar and pressed with the fork) in an airtight container for several months. Allow to thaw to room temperature before baking.
These Peanut Butter Cookies are absolutely PERFECT and so easy to make! Thick, soft, and slightly chewy with tons of peanutty flavor. Your new go-to recipe!
1 1/2sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1/4cup(50 grams) granulated sugar
3/4cup(150 grams) light brown sugar
3/4cup(200 grams) creamy peanut butter (don’t use “natural” peanut butter)
1large egg
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
For rolling:
1/3cup(67 grams) granulated sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°Line large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until combined.
Place the granulated sugar for rolling in a small bowl. Using a medium spring-loaded cookie scoop, form the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon rounds. Roll between your palms to smooth then roll in the granulated sugar before placing on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough by pressing the back of a fork into each ball of dough twice to create a crisscross pattern.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I love peanut butter and love these cookies. They are the right texture soft with a nice crumb like the Pb cookies we used to make as kids. They are going to be perfect when we make s’mores with them later on tonight! I noticed when you rate the recipe, it automatically clicks on “I made this” maybe you should change that so people aren’t misled with a 2 star rating when clearly that’s crazy!
Yay! So glad to hear that. I’m not sure I’m understanding your comment re: recipe rating. The “I made this” box gets ticked because the rating is meant to allow for feedback from only people who have actually made the recipe 🙂
Tessa,
Have made several of your creations and am very pleased with the results, so thank you for sharing them.
On the PB cookies, is the sugar roll absolutely necessary to the flavor ?
Thank you
I made these as soon as I got the recipe yesterday. I followed the directions exactly. They are a nice cookie, but I find them a bit dry…next time I would bake a little less, as my edges weren’t browning so I think I overbaked them a bit. I am also not liking the sugar on the outside, so I would omit that next time. So, I will try this recipe one more time with the above changes and then review it again.
I made the peanut butter cookies OMG they are amazing!!!!! took them to work everyone loved them. I will definitely be checking out more of your cookie recipes .
I also tagged#handletheheat on my Instagram page with a picture of the cookies I made.
Thanks Karen
this recipe is perfect , it is one of my favorites! I am thinking about using the exact same recipe to make nutella cookies. Instead of peanut butter I will use nutella.What do you think?
Wow!! Wonderful cookies!! I added chocolate chips to mine and they were perfect!! I made them again using cookie butter instead of pb and they were amazing too!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!! ♥️
The cups and grams measurements are not adding up. 302 grams of flour is equivalent to about 1 and 1/4 cups and 2 tablespoons i believe. and the sugars are each 3/4 cups but the grams are different. Which measurement is correct? Grams?
Sorry i meant the brown sugar and the peanut butter are different. The cups are the same but the grams are different.
3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar
3/4 cup (200 grams) creamy peanut butter
I made these for the first time and they were a hit with everyone. I found that rolling the balls in sugar made them crunchier, so I like it better without rolling them. These are nice, chewy and not too sweet!
Hi Tessa
I want to make nutella stuffed peanut butter cookies, which you do have a recipe for but the measurements for it are all by volume instead of weight and I really prefer to use weight for more consistent, predictable results. This recipe is very similar to the nutella stuffed recipe, same total amount of sugar but more brown sugar in this one and this one has more flour.
Do you know if the reason the nutella stuffed recipe has less flour is because of the nutella or because it’s just an older (possibly less tested?) recipe? I’m thinking I’ll use this recipe with the instructions for stuffing with nutella, unless there is a reason not to do that.
These are freaking amazing!! I’ve made these about ten times & they always come out delicious. I’ve had them rolled in sugar & without. The sugar really brings a beautiful look & extra little crunch yet super soft middle.
The absolute best Peanut butter cookie recipe! Comes out perfect everytime. They are soo good, it is now required in my house to have these on hand at ALL TIMES.
I flattened these cookies slightly with a fork and they did not spread. They kept the same shape going in the oven. I only baked 4 cookies to see how they would turn out. The dough was dry and gave me the idea to make cut out cookies since they don’t spread. I rolled the dough and cut out cookies and they kept their shape at room temp dough. This recipe is a good peanut butter cut out cookie recipe with no chilling required. I weighed my ingredients when I made this. The texture of these cookies is crumbly edges and a soft middle similar to a soft batch cookie. This is not my personal preference in texture but I made these for work and some of my co-workers liked them a lot.
I just made these and while they are good, I found the peanut butter flavour a bit mild. I used Kraft smooth peanut butter. I also weighed all of the ingredients. Do you think a different brand of peanut butter might help to add a stronger peanut butter flavour or should I add more peanut butter (i.e. 250grams)?
Hey Tessa! Love all your recipes! Want to make these for a party this weekend but would prefer making the dough ahead of time so I just need to pop them into the oven the next day. Usually you prefer chilling the dough beforehand which in this case would be practical for me. What do you think, can I make these a day before and finish them straight from the dough or should I bake and then freeze them for the next day? Or are they just as good after 1 day of baking? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi, tessa.. I just discover your page and instagram and i absolutly love the way you cook and explained everythig so simple and easy.. I habe a guestion with this recipe. May I change the brown sugar for regular granumated sugar?… I am from Venezuela and here brown sugar is really expensive… i hope you can response… best regards.. I’ll letbypu lnow tomorrow when i try the recipe. Thanks…
Hi Tessa.. I just discover your website and I love it.. the way you make them look so easy.. amazing.. i have a question, may I change brown sugar for regular granulated one?.. I’m from Venezuela and here brown sugar is really expensive.. I would like to here from you about this.. thank you very much…
NOTE: Please can you share with us a banana brownie recipe o mixed nuts brownie recipe please?… thanks…
I’m sorry to hear that! I’m obsessed with peanut butter and thought it was the perfect amount! I wonder if maybe it was the brand of peanut butter you used? Maybe it didn’t have as strong of flavor as what I used.
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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I love peanut butter and love these cookies. They are the right texture soft with a nice crumb like the Pb cookies we used to make as kids. They are going to be perfect when we make s’mores with them later on tonight! I noticed when you rate the recipe, it automatically clicks on “I made this” maybe you should change that so people aren’t misled with a 2 star rating when clearly that’s crazy!
Yay! So glad to hear that. I’m not sure I’m understanding your comment re: recipe rating. The “I made this” box gets ticked because the rating is meant to allow for feedback from only people who have actually made the recipe 🙂
Oh in a perfect world people follow directions but looks like the comment I was referring to was deleted. Keep up the good work cookie queen
I’m sorry but your videos popping up over the recipe I am trying to read are SO annoying!!!!
Hi Kay – I’m sorry to hear that! You should be able to press the X to close out of them 🙂
Tessa,
Have made several of your creations and am very pleased with the results, so thank you for sharing them.
On the PB cookies, is the sugar roll absolutely necessary to the flavor ?
Thank you
It’s traditional to PB cookies, but if you don’t like that you can skip 🙂
I made these as soon as I got the recipe yesterday. I followed the directions exactly. They are a nice cookie, but I find them a bit dry…next time I would bake a little less, as my edges weren’t browning so I think I overbaked them a bit. I am also not liking the sugar on the outside, so I would omit that next time. So, I will try this recipe one more time with the above changes and then review it again.
Hopefully these changes will make them work for you 🙂
Good evening,
I made the peanut butter cookies OMG they are amazing!!!!! took them to work everyone loved them. I will definitely be checking out more of your cookie recipes .
I also tagged#handletheheat on my Instagram page with a picture of the cookies I made.
Thanks Karen
this recipe is perfect , it is one of my favorites! I am thinking about using the exact same recipe to make nutella cookies. Instead of peanut butter I will use nutella.What do you think?
Wow!! Wonderful cookies!! I added chocolate chips to mine and they were perfect!! I made them again using cookie butter instead of pb and they were amazing too!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!! ♥️
I love cookies so much, thanks for great recipe and step by step tips 😉
Thank you for the recipe, I love cookies so much.
The cups and grams measurements are not adding up. 302 grams of flour is equivalent to about 1 and 1/4 cups and 2 tablespoons i believe. and the sugars are each 3/4 cups but the grams are different. Which measurement is correct? Grams?
Sorry i meant the brown sugar and the peanut butter are different. The cups are the same but the grams are different.
3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar
3/4 cup (200 grams) creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup of peanut butter weighs more than 3/4 cup light brown sugar.
Thanks for the tips appreciated your work.
I usually use Skippy Natural Creamy peanut butter. You say don’t use natural in the recipe. Why?
OMG!! Made these for Monday Pandemic Baking Monday lol… and these are FANTASTIC! I love your blogs and reasoning why you do what ya do! Thank you!
I made these for the first time and they were a hit with everyone. I found that rolling the balls in sugar made them crunchier, so I like it better without rolling them. These are nice, chewy and not too sweet!
Hi Tessa
I want to make nutella stuffed peanut butter cookies, which you do have a recipe for but the measurements for it are all by volume instead of weight and I really prefer to use weight for more consistent, predictable results. This recipe is very similar to the nutella stuffed recipe, same total amount of sugar but more brown sugar in this one and this one has more flour.
Do you know if the reason the nutella stuffed recipe has less flour is because of the nutella or because it’s just an older (possibly less tested?) recipe? I’m thinking I’ll use this recipe with the instructions for stuffing with nutella, unless there is a reason not to do that.
Godddd these cookies are so delicious!!! gosh super duper yummy! can’t wait to try more!! Love it!
These are freaking amazing!! I’ve made these about ten times & they always come out delicious. I’ve had them rolled in sugar & without. The sugar really brings a beautiful look & extra little crunch yet super soft middle.
These are literally melt in your mouth delicious! I’ve never thought of a peanut butter cookie as delicate, but these are that. So good.
So happy you loved these cookies! Yay!
The absolute best Peanut butter cookie recipe! Comes out perfect everytime. They are soo good, it is now required in my house to have these on hand at ALL TIMES.
Haha YAY! This makes me so happy, Brianna!
I flattened these cookies slightly with a fork and they did not spread. They kept the same shape going in the oven. I only baked 4 cookies to see how they would turn out. The dough was dry and gave me the idea to make cut out cookies since they don’t spread. I rolled the dough and cut out cookies and they kept their shape at room temp dough. This recipe is a good peanut butter cut out cookie recipe with no chilling required. I weighed my ingredients when I made this. The texture of these cookies is crumbly edges and a soft middle similar to a soft batch cookie. This is not my personal preference in texture but I made these for work and some of my co-workers liked them a lot.
Hi Tessa:
I just made these and while they are good, I found the peanut butter flavour a bit mild. I used Kraft smooth peanut butter. I also weighed all of the ingredients. Do you think a different brand of peanut butter might help to add a stronger peanut butter flavour or should I add more peanut butter (i.e. 250grams)?
Thanks.
Hey Tessa! Love all your recipes! Want to make these for a party this weekend but would prefer making the dough ahead of time so I just need to pop them into the oven the next day. Usually you prefer chilling the dough beforehand which in this case would be practical for me. What do you think, can I make these a day before and finish them straight from the dough or should I bake and then freeze them for the next day? Or are they just as good after 1 day of baking? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Alina! You can follow my tips for freezing cookie dough to make cookies ahead of time in this post here: https://handletheheat.com/how-to-freeze-cookie-dough/. Hope these cookies are a hit at your party!
Hi, tessa.. I just discover your page and instagram and i absolutly love the way you cook and explained everythig so simple and easy.. I habe a guestion with this recipe. May I change the brown sugar for regular granumated sugar?… I am from Venezuela and here brown sugar is really expensive… i hope you can response… best regards.. I’ll letbypu lnow tomorrow when i try the recipe. Thanks…
Hi Tessa.. I just discover your website and I love it.. the way you make them look so easy.. amazing.. i have a question, may I change brown sugar for regular granulated one?.. I’m from Venezuela and here brown sugar is really expensive.. I would like to here from you about this.. thank you very much…
NOTE: Please can you share with us a banana brownie recipe o mixed nuts brownie recipe please?… thanks…
not enough peanut butter!…. I’ve made many PB cookie recipes and this one needed more PB. They are soft but that’s it.
I’m sorry to hear that! I’m obsessed with peanut butter and thought it was the perfect amount! I wonder if maybe it was the brand of peanut butter you used? Maybe it didn’t have as strong of flavor as what I used.
I made these last year at Christmas time. People loved them. One person who said she doesn’t usually like peanut butter Loved them.
So happy to hear they were such a hit, Lisa! Thanks for the letting us know 🙂