Peanut Butter Cookies
intro
Soft, chewy, nutty classic peanut butter cookies with iconic crisscross tops, balancing sweet and salty notes for a timeless, crowd-pleasing baked treat.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and bakeware
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) with racks positioned in the middle slot. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, leaving 1-inch overhang on the short ends for easy cookie removal, and set aside.
Cream butter and sugars
In a large mixing bowl, combine 113g softened unsalted butter, 150g packed light brown sugar, and 100g granulated sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale golden, scraping down the bowl sides halfway through mixing.
Mix in peanut butter base
Add 256g creamy no-stir peanut butter, 1 room-temperature large egg, and 5mL vanilla extract to the creamed butter mixture. Beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute until fully smooth, taking care not to overmix to avoid tough cookies, and scrape down the bowl once to eliminate unblended butter streaks.
Incorporate dry ingredients
In a separate small bowl, whisk together 156g all-purpose flour, 2.5g baking soda, and 3g fine sea salt until evenly blended. Add the dry mixture to the wet dough in two equal batches, stirring with a rubber spatula just until no dry flour streaks remain, about 30 seconds total—do not overmix.
Portion and sugar-coat dough
Scoop dough into 1.5-tablespoon (30g) balls, rolling each between clean palms to form a smooth, even sphere. Roll each ball fully in the reserved 25g of extra granulated sugar to coat, then place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, 12 balls per sheet to leave room for spreading during baking.
Press and bake cookies
Dip the tines of a fork in granulated sugar to prevent sticking, then press a classic crisscross pattern into the top of each dough ball, flattening each to ½-inch thickness. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 9 to 10 minutes, until edges are light golden and centers look slightly underbaked (they will set as they cool).
Cool and store cookies
Let cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 full minutes after removal to set fully, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely for 15 minutes before serving. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Tips
2.Do not overbake: cookies will continue to cook on the hot baking sheet after coming out of the oven, so pull them when centers look slightly soft to avoid hard, crunchy cookies.
3.For an elevated sweet-salty flavor, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie right before baking to cut through the rich, nutty peanut butter taste.
OMG these are SO good! I brought a batch to my office potluck yesterday and every single cookie was gone in 10 minutes flat. I used crunchy peanut butter like my grandma always did and the chew is *perfect* — no sad crispy cookies here! My 7 year old asked if we can make these every Sunday for family dessert night. Total game changer.
Super easy to throw together after work! Only knocked off a star because I accidentally baked mine 2 minutes too long and they got a little crisp around the edges, but the centers were still perfectly chewy. Will definitely set a timer next time. Great base recipe, I tossed in a handful of mini chocolate chips on a whim and it slapped.
As someone who *constantly* messes up peanut butter cookies (they always turn out rock hard for me??) this recipe was foolproof. The chew is exactly what I’ve been chasing for years. I did the classic fork criss cross on top just like the recipe said and they looked like they came straight from a bakery! My teenager and his friends devoured half the batch before they even cooled all the way.
Perfect for meal prep snacking! I made a double batch on Sunday and they’ve held their chewy texture all week in an airtight container — no stale crumbly mess! I swapped half the butter for applesauce to cut a little fat and you literally can’t tell the difference. 10/10 will be on my weekly bake rotation from now on.
Made these with my granddaughter when she visited last weekend and we had a blast. She loved doing the fork criss cross on top of each cookie. They came out chewy, perfectly peanut buttery, not too sweet. Reminded me of the cookies my mom used to make when I was a kid. Will be making these every time she comes over from now on.
Wait y’all, I added a tiny sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top right before baking and I will never make peanut butter cookies without it again. The salt cuts the sweetness so perfectly and makes that peanut butter flavor hit even harder. Chewy, salty, sweet — absolute perfection.
These were okay? I followed the recipe exactly but mine spread a ton and came out thinner than I expected. The flavor is great, super peanut buttery, but I wanted that thicker chewy cookie like the photos show. Did I do something wrong?
Just pulled these out of the oven and had to hop on to leave a review immediately. The house smells like pure peanut butter heaven, the centers are soft and chewy, edges are just barely crisp. I’m bringing these to my block party this weekend and I already know everyone is gonna beg for the recipe. No notes, 10/10.
I’m a guy who can barely make boxed mac and cheese without burning it, so I was shocked how easy these were to make. No fancy ingredients, no weird steps, just mix, scoop, bake. I made them for my girlfriend’s birthday and she said they’re better than the ones her mom makes. Win for me, lmao.
Great recipe! My son has a tree nut allergy so peanut butter is one of the few nut butters we can safely have in the house, and these are a huge hit with his whole elementary school class. I used oat flour instead of all purpose to make them gluten free for a couple kids in his class with celiac and they still came out super chewy, no weird gritty texture! Only reason for 4 stars is they were a tiny bit crumbly with the oat flour, but that’s on my swap not the recipe.
I was skeptical a cookie that comes together start to finish in 35 minutes could actually have that perfect bakery-style chew, but wow, these deliver. I didn’t even chill the dough like I usually do for peanut butter cookies and they came out perfectly, no weird spreading. I rolled half the batch in cinnamon sugar before baking for a little snickerdoodle twist and it was chef’s kiss.
Made these for my weekly guys’ game night and everyone was raving. Even my buddy who swears he “doesn’t like sweets” ate 4 of them. Super straightforward, didn’t have to run to the store for any weird ingredients — I already had everything in my pantry. Will be making these for every game night from now on tbh.
I’ve been using the same peanut butter cookie recipe for 40 years and I have to say, this one might replace it. The ratio of brown sugar to white sugar is perfect for that chewy, soft center that doesn’t go hard after a day. I brought a tin to my church potluck last Sunday and half the congregation asked for the recipe. Fantastic work.
I really wanted to love these, but mine came out way too sweet for my taste. I even used reduced sugar peanut butter and they were still cloying. Maybe it’s just my preference for less sweet baked goods, but I had to dump half the batch because no one in my house wanted to finish them.
Wait a second, I just made these and added a swirl of grape jelly in the center for a PB&J vibe and it is UNREAL. The chewy peanut butter cookie with the little burst of jelly? I’m never going back to regular peanut butter cookies again. So good, 10/10.