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Hi Bold Bakers!
My Best-Ever recipes are all about taking the most classic sweets and making them Bigger, Bolder and the best they can be! Considering how many cookie recipes I’ve created, even I can’t believe this one didn’t come sooner. So, without any further ado, THIS is my BEST EVER PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES recipe!
Packed with that sweet and salty peanut flavor, a crunchy sugar-dusted outside, and buttery-soft inside, this cookie is sure to become one of your go-to favorites!
If you’re looking for more cookies, be sure to check out my Cookie Recipes page for 50+ cookie recipes — both classic and new — from Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies to Chocolate Brownie Cookies!
What Kind Of Peanut Butter Is Best For Peanut Butter Cookies?
The star of the show is the peanut butter! This recipe includes a whole cup of peanut butter, which might have you wondering what kind of peanut butter to use. The truth is — you can use a natural, more runny, peanut butter or good old Skippy and Jif. Both work really well, but a more natural nut butter may provide a softer cookie as those peanut butters can tend to be runnier.
What is important here is that you use smooth butter to create the right melt in your mouth texture for a soft peanut butter cookie!
Taste And Consistency
By the end of making your batch of cookies, each one should have the full flavor of creamy peanut butter, a balance of chewiness to softness in the texture of the cookie, and all the sweet savor from the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
What You’ll Need To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Thankfully, you only need a few tools of the trade to get started:
- 2 cookie sheets and parchment paper
- Medium and large bowl
- Stand mixer
- Whisk
- Fork
- Wire rack
- Measuring cups
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
This is honestly the best peanut butter cookie recipe. Here’s how to make homemade peanut butter cookies that will soon become a staple in your house (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then butter and line 2 cookie sheets (or baking sheets) with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cream peanut butter, butter, and sugars together in a large bowl using a stand mixer.
- After creaming to a light and fluffy state, add egg and vanilla extract and incorporate.
- Add the medium bowl into the large bowl, whisking until a thick dough is formed.
- Scoop dough into heaped tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar then place it on cookie sheets.
- Flatten cookies with a fork, and press down to create an X-shape and that criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
If Peanut Butter Cookies Are Too Crumbly
If you find your homemade peanut butter cookies to be more on the dry or crumbly side it can be for a few reasons. The temperature of the ingredients counts! Starting with room temperature eggs and butter, and then creaming the butter with the sugar really well will ensure the cookie dough is nice and smooth, making for a softer cookie!
Making the Cross Marks In The Cookie
One of my favorite things about these cookies is the way they look. We all know and love the cross-hatch pattern on the top of a classic peanut butter cookie. To get this look you use a plain dinner fork!
After rolling your cookies into balls and tossing them in sugar, use the fork to press the cookies down into a disc. Then, press the fork across the cooking in the other direction, making an X shape. This not only looks super enticing but creates a texture on the top of the cookie making for the crispy parts and soft parts that I love.
How Many Calories In A Peanut Butter Cookie?
Each peanut butter cookie contains roughly 70 to 80 calories. As with all desserts, enjoy but with moderation.
Chilling Peanut Butter Cookie Dough — Is It Needed?
Since this dough is super thick and rich it does not spread as much as a chocolate chip cookie. This means you do not have to chill the dough — but it never hurts! As a rule of thumb, I actually chill all my cookie doughs for at least a few hours to overnight. Chilling is also aging, so this helps the flavors develop, too.
Storing Peanut Butter Cookies
My simple peanut butter cookies will keep for 3-4 days covered and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies are as good warm as they are cool. They stay crunchy on the outside and nice and soft in the middle making them a great bake-ahead cookie or edible gift!
Tips and Tricks to Making Gemma’s Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies:
- When making cookies, always start with room temperature butter
- Should you want a lot of texture to your cookie you can use crunchy peanut butter
- If you’re allergic to peanuts you can use another nut or seed butter
- If you don’t eat eggs they can be replaced with a flax egg
- Instead of using brown & white sugar, you can use coconut sugar
- After the cookies are baked dip 1/2 of them in chocolate for a chocolate peanut butter cookie
- Use these cookies for ice cream cookie sandwiches!
- Grind these cookies into a fine crumb and use like Graham Cracker crumbs in a pie or cheesecake crust
- You can keep the unbaked dough in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freeze scooped dough for up to 8 weeks. Defrost and bake-off fresh.
Get All Of My Peanut Butter Cookies!
As it turns out, you don’t have to make just peanut butter cookies. You can make them in all kinds of ways. Try these variations and let me know which are your favorites!
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Gemma's Best-Ever Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (7 ½oz/213 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (8 oz/225 g) smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter , at room temperature
- ½ cup cup (4 oz/115 g) plus ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (4 ½ oz/128 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg , at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer) cream together the peanut butter, butter, ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) of granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until the dough comes together. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm.
To Bake the Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Scoop the dough into heaped tablespoon-sized balls, about 32 cookies. Roll each ball in the remaining ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) of sugar then place on your prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Using a fork, flatten the cookies and press down creating a classic cross-hatch pattern across the top of each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely
- Enjoy with a glass of milk! Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
These were wonderful! Thank you for the recipe. My husband wishes they were chewier though. Do you have any tips I can try and experiment with? Like would subbing some of the white sugar for more brown sugar work? Or another egg?
This is one of the best recipes i have ever tried. I am very glad i follow your recipes gemma. You really are the best bold baker and i m you biggest fan
Oh my goodness, the best ever cookies I’ve made! Whipped them up on Tuesday, put them in the fridge to cool until the next day. My 2 granddaughters came over for the day & they helped me roll & put them in the oven. Of course as soon as they came out of the oven they wanted to taste them so after 5 min. I let them. I am now the best peanut butter cookie Nana. They went home with all but 2????
going to be doing the same with 2 grandsons tomorrow ????
Ty Gemma
Hi! can I store some of the dough in the fridge/freezer to bake off at a later day? Thanks!
ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɪᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴄᴇʟᴇʙʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴀᴍᴀᴅᴀɴ, ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ғᴏʀ ᴍʏ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴏғ 5 ᴏɴʟʏ ᴄᴏᴢ ᴏғ sᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴅɪsᴛᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ???? ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋs ɢᴇᴍᴍᴀ ғᴏʀ sʜᴀʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴄɪᴘᴇs, ɪ’ᴍ ᴀ ғᴀɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʏᴜᴍᴍʏʟɪᴄɪᴏᴜs ғᴏᴏᴅɪᴇs.
I just baked this in the airfryer.
Had to dial down the temperature a bit.
Also, I added about 15 chopped up dates to this and it was really good.
You might have to reduce the sugar then cos the dates are already sweet.
But ones without me freestyling was really good as well. 🙂
And thanks.
Hi Gemma. My husband loves peanut butter cookies with a Hersheys kiss on top (peanut butter blossoms). Every recipe I try does not have enough peanut butter taste to it. Would I be able to use this recipe and just add the kisses when they are finished cooking? Should I still make the fork cross cross, or bake them as balls?
I have just recently discovered your page. I have already made the best ever chocolate chip cookies and they were a big hit! Have the sugar cookie dough chilling now. Thank you so much!
Just made these, best ever for sure!!!
I just made these and they are so good. Baked for about 12 minutes, and they’re so soft and have a great flavor.
With all the sugar, can a sugar substitute be used. I’m a diabetic, but I love peanut butter cookies. Your recipe reminds me of my mom’s cookies. Thank you so much.