These peanut butter cookies are soft and chewy and packed with peanut butter flavor. This will soon be your go-to peanut butter cookie recipe!
These peanut butter cookies are so good. They’re wonderfully soft and chewy but if you prefer them a bit crunchier you can easily have them that way too with a couple of extra minutes of baking time.
The peanut butter flavor comes through beautifully and these cookies are also a good (large) size making them a wonderful snack or dessert.
You’ll also love our peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, our almond butter cookies and our peanut butter almond flour cookies.
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- These are seriously easy to make! Add softened butter and a mix of white and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together with your electric mixer.
- Next add peanut butter, an egg and vanilla extract and mix that in your mixer until smooth.
- Then add in the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking soda and salt and stir this in by hand (don’t use your electric mixer for this part) into a thick cookie dough.
- Roll into balls and roll the balls in sugar before placing them evenly onto a parchment lined baking tray. Aim for around 20 large cookies.
- Flatten them with a fork.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F until lightly browned on top.
- They will be very soft when you take them out the oven but will firm up as they cool. Let them firm up on the tray before you attempt to move them.
Recipe Tips For the Best Peanut Butter Cookies
A mix of white and brown sugars creates the perfect flavor balance for these cookies without weighing them down too much.
We used lightly salted butter, but you could use unsalted butter as well. Let it soften a bit first at room temperature before creaming it up with the sugar.
Commercial brands of smooth salted peanut butters tend to work slightly better in creating a soft cookie than natural peanut butters (the ones that tend to separate) though you can also use any peanut butter.
If you prefer your cookies a little more crunchy then bake them for an extra 2 minutes. So let them bake for 12 minutes in total. For ultra crunchy cookies, bake for 14-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them though, as they can suddenly brown too much on top.
Storing and Freezing
Store your cookies in a sealed container at room temperature where they will stay good for up to a week. They can also be stored in the fridge.
Baked cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the rolled cookie balls and then let them thaw in the fridge overnight, bring to room temperature, roll in sugar, flatten with a fork and bake as normal.
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Simple Oatmeal Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Granulated White Sugar
- ½ cup Butter Lightly Salted, Softened
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Peanut Butter Smooth, Salted
- 1 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Granulated White Sugar For Rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the brown and white sugar along with the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together with the electric mixer.
- Add in the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and mix them together with the electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the all purpose flour, baking soda and salt and mix them in by hand (don't use the electric mixer for this part). You will have a thick cookie dough.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls and then dip the balls in white sugar and place them onto the parchment lined baking tray. Aim for around 20 cookies. Use a fork to flatten the cookies.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the tops are lightly browned. They will still be very soft in the center. Let them cool directly on the baking tray. They will firm up as they cool.
Video
Notes
- A mix of two sugars for these cookies keeps them soft and moist, without weighing them down. However, if you use all white sugar you can get a more crunchy cookie, and if you use all brown sugar you can get an even softer cookie. No matter how you do it though, they are all really delicious.
- You can also use unsalted butter for these cookies, but we used lightly salted.
- Creamy commercial brands of peanut butter tend to work slightly better for these cookies than natural style peanut butter (the type that tends to separate).
- Bake them for 10 minutes for a soft cookie and 12 minutes for a crunchier cookie. For an ultra crunchy cookie extend the baking time to 14-15 minutes, but keep a close eye on them in the last couple of minutes so they don’t burn.
One of the best PB cookies I’ve ever made. They don’t spread. They remain plump and soft centered. They roll easy. They bake in 12 mins. My oven is finicky! The taste is perfect. Not overly sweet. They are fantastic. Muchas gracias from Panamá. Sandy
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Sandy! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!
Awesome. The tropical heat make you chill before baking! Everything melts in your hands here. Excellent cookie!
Yeild was 35 cookies! The dough holds very nicely. Not sticky. Bake beautifully and spread just perfect. I love this recipe! Thank you from the Republic of Panama! 🇵🇦🏴
Awesome! Thanks for sharing and for your great review Sandy!
The BEST P/B cookie recipe I have made……. Every time I make a batch they are gone with in minutes!!!
Awesome! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Melissa!
The best peanut butter cookies. I always make this recipe. Sometimes I add chocolate chips. Excellent. From Panama
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Sheila! Thanks for sharing and for your great review!
I came across this recipe on Pinterest and tried it out for the kids….. It was a smash!!! They were all gone as soon as they were cool enough to eat. The recipe is so easy to do. I didn’t have brown sugar so I used all white sugar instead. I live in Liberia, West Africa and baked on a gas oven without preheating or monitoring temperatures. I did burn a couple but the majority turned out beautifully yummy. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing Samretta! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Just made these cookies. Family said they are ok, nothing special, just ok.Certainly not a big peanut butter flavor. Sorry.
Really nice cookie. Made a double batch and dropped the sugar to 3/4 of a cup of each kind. Baked them for 11 minutes. After cooling the edges were a bit crunchy and middles were soft. YUM! Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Jan! Thanks so much for your great review!
These were the best peanut butter cookies ever! Everyone agreed. I added mini chocolate chips to a few of them. Very tasty.
Thanks so much Judy!
Ready to make them for NYE 2022
These are the best PB cookies. Have been making double batches every week since 8 grand kids home. The empty can comes back every week for more PB cookies. Love these.
That’s wonderful to hear Carol! Thanks so much for sharing!