Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe (2024)

Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic. Soft & chewy, these peanut butter cookies have quickly become our favorite sweet treat.

My family can’t keep their hands off these easy peanut butter cookies. This peanut butter cookie recipe is not your traditionalcrunchypeanut butter cookie, but there isn’t a better recipe. Trust me, we’ve tried them all.

Now, I have made this recipe in two different ways: one with baking soda and the other with baking powder. This was all an accident, and while I originally posted the recipe with the baking soda, after making it over a hundred times, we all agreed that the best cookie results from baking powder. But if you make the same “mistake” I did, these cookies will still knock it out of the park.

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What peanut butter cookie recipe is the best?

While I love making homemade peanut butter cookies with just 3 ingredients, they are not as soft and chewy as these. I love three-ingredient peanut butter cookies, but I am just not as satisfied.

These cookies go right in line with my love for creamy peanut butter. Peanut butter is my go-to snack anytime I am hungry.

Whether it’s by the spoonful, with pretzels, on a sandwich or paired with some Nutella, I really could eat peanut butter in any way, shape, or form. Because I have a sweet tooth, cookies are among my favorite foods. This makes soft peanut butter cookies an obvious hit.

Should I use crunchy or creamy peanut butter to make peanut butter cookies?

While I typically love creamy peanut butter for cookies, there are moments—like when I eat my morning breakfast toast with bananas—when I reach for the crunchy peanut butter.

We are a house divided between creamy and crunchy peanut butter. My son, Aiden, and I are more in the middle and could eat either. My husband and daughter, Jersey, love crunchy, and my other three kids, Jojo, Cannon, and Madden, will only eat creamy. If I accidentally pack them crunchy, the sandwich will still be in their lunchbox when they get home, making you wonder what they ate for lunch.

We also have extreme opinions on whether soft or crunchy peanut butter cookies are the best.

I tend to lean towards chewy, soft cookies. The best cookie recipe I’ve ever had is my Best Ever Monster Cookies. But most classic peanut butter cookie recipes I’ve had are too crunchy, leaving a crumbly mess. So, I have been on a mission to find the best peanut butter cookie recipe, and finally… finally… I found it.

Everyone except for Aiden, peanut butter cookies are best when soft and chewy. Aiden loves a good crunchy cookie you can dip in milk. However, he won’t decline these Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies.

What could you add to peanut butter cookies?

  • The first time I made these cookies, I stuffed them with Rolo candies. I drool as I think about those Rolo Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies they were to die for. The second time I made them, I left them plain ole’ Jane – although the word plain seems a little harsh for these cookies as they are far from it.
  • I mean that they are so dang good that you don’t need any fanfare-like chocolate chips, Rolos, or M&M’s. The cookie is perfect just the way it is. These cookies are so good it will be hard to resist eating them right off the beaters.

Why do peanut butter cookies have fork marks?

When peanut butter is added to the batter, it densifies it. Putting fork marks in the dough makes it easier for the cookie to bake evenly. This will help keep them soft, so don’t forget this step.

How long do cookies last?

These cookies are kept in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.

If desired, freeze the cookies in an airtight freezer bag. They can last for 1-2 months.

If you love cookie recipes, try these:

  • Cookie Dough Bites
  • No Flour Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
  • Tagalong Cookies
  • Best Ever Soft Sugar Cookie
  • Best Ever Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • German Chocolate Cake Cookies(family favorite)

I can’t wait for you to get your hands on a dozen or two of these. They are easy and simply the Best Soft Peanut Butter Cookies you’ll try.

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Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 8 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 30 cookies

Calories: 130 kcal

Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies these classic cookies have quickly become my favorite cookie. Soft, chewy and made with peanut butter, there isn’t a better peanut butter cookie out there, trust me I’ve looked.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe (7)

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter use Jif or Skippy type peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper, if desired.

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat together until smooth & creamy best if using a stand mixer or hand mixer.

  • Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix until well combined.

  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until well combined.

  • Use a cookie dough scoop, or spoon the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in white granulated sugar if you desire and place onto baking sheet.

  • Using a fork, press down on each ball of dough to flatten, creating a criss-cross pattern.

  • Bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

  • These keep well for a couple of days in an airtight container.

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Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 69mgSugar: 7gVitamin A: 100IUCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.5mg

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe (8)

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Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

Image of What are the basic 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.

Why is peanut butter cookie dough dry? ›

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.

Why do you put fork marks in peanut butter cookies? ›

Basic reason..the dough is more dense than most cookie doughs, and the pressing with the fork tines helps the dough bake evenly. Secondarily, its pattern makes it easier to tell them apart from other cookies with similar appearance.

What are the 7 basic ingredients in all cookies? ›

What are the 7 basic baking ingredients?
  • Flour.
  • Raising Agent.
  • Salt.
  • Fats & Dairy.
  • Add-Ins.
  • Water.

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 taste weird? ›

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.

Can I use brown sugar instead of white sugar? ›

In most baking recipes, you can substitute brown sugar for white sugar in a one-to-one ratio. So, if your recipe calls for one cup of white sugar, swap one cup of brown sugar. The sweetness level will be the same, but the brown sugar may change the texture of your baked goods.

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.

Why are my peanut butter cookies so oily? ›

You baked your cookies and they came out an oily greasy mess. Urgh, what an awful feeling! If you've had this happen to you, odds are you made one of two mistakes: either you didn't allow the ingredients to thoroughly mix during the creaming process or you didn't allow the dough to rest enough before baking.

What are the Girl Scout cookies with peanut butter? ›

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. In 2024, Girl Scouts - Diamonds will be working with ABC Bakers, offering the cookie varieties listed above.

What happens if you don't chill peanut butter cookie dough? ›

For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they're in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential. Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool.

Should I let peanut butter cookie dough rest? ›

We prefer natural peanut butter here, so you can dial in the sugar and salt amounts precisely, and smooth peanut butter over crunchy to better control the cookies' fat and moisture levels. Letting the cookie dough rest ensures the flour is fully hydrated, resulting in crisper edges and chewier middles.

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 are the ingredients in most peanut butter? ›

Roasted Peanuts, Sugar, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Molasses, Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (rapeseed And Soybean), Mono And Diglycerides, Salt.

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.

What ingredients should I look for in peanut butter? ›

The best choice is a peanut butter with one ingredient listed: peanuts. If the peanut butter is made only with nuts, the oil will rise to the top of the jar.

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