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Peanut Butter Cookies

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These homemade peanut butter cookies are a tradition for good reason. Creamy peanut butter is mixed with cookie basics to create the perfect chewy consistency and flavor. Pressed down with a criss-cross pattern, these cookies are easily recognizable as a family classic!

Nothing will satisfy a peanut craving faster than this recipe. They’re moist, chewy, and buttery-rich. Waiting for these fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies can feel like an eternity!

Close up of peanut butter cookies on a black rack, one cookie with a bite taken out of it.

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Who doesn’t love easy recipes like this one and our chocolate chip cookies or cinnamon applesauce cookies. Mastering this peanut butter recipe is super easy and you’ll achieve perfection on your first try. These cookies are sure to please everyone of all ages!

  • SIMPLE INGREDIENTS – You won’t need to go far to shop for these ingredients… most of them are already in your fridge and pantry!
  • RICH FLAVOR – Buttery smooth and bursting with peanut flavor, just like our peanut butter bread.
  • SIMPLE – Just mix, scoop and press, then bake! This recipe is simple and fool-proof.
  • ADDICTING – Keep these in a cookie jar close by because they won’t last long.

Peanut butter cookies are so easy to make that you may want to employ the kids for a few of the prep tasks. I can almost taste them now, let’s bake!

Bowls of ingredients on the counter including flour, peanut butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and a stick of butter.

Recipe Ingredients

Using ingredients that you probably already have in the pantry and fridge; this recipe comes together in no time. Make a double batch simply by doubling each ingredient.

Here’s what you’ll need with full ingredient details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post:

PEANUT BUTTER – Any brand will do, smooth or crunchy. If you are using natural peanut butter, be sure to mix the jar thoroughly before adding. Natural brands tend to separate more easily and need to be stirred thoroughly before adding to the batter.

ALL PURPOSE FLOUR – This is the base of the cookie and will add the proper structure. I don’t recommend substituting for any alternatives as the texture won’t be the same.

BUTTER – Soften unsalted butter to room temperature for a few hours before making these cookies.

SUGAR – This recipe calls for both white and brown sugar. Together, they will add a sweet flavor.

LARGE EGG – A large egg will hold the shape and bind all the ingredients together.

VANILLA EXTRACT – This will add a sweet, earthy flavor to your cookie.

BAKING SODA – Baking soda will help the cookie to rise.

SALT – A tiny bit of salt helps with the flavor.

Pro Tip: For a cruncher result, you can use chunky peanut butter. Add a ¼ cup more than directed as there are a lot of crushed peanuts in there.

Four images with steps to make recipe. First is creamed butter and peanut butter in a bowl with electric mixer. Second is creamed mixture with egg and vanilla on top in bowl, fourth is a baking sheet with scoops of cookie dough and bowl with dough beside it. Fourth image is close up of cookies with forks pressed to create a criss cross pattern.

How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies

Gather your little helpers, cinch up those aprons and let’s bake some cookies! Follow the steps below and make sure to have a glass of cold milk on hand for dunking these warm treats.

  1. PREP – Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. WET INGREDIENTS  In a large bowl, add the peanut butter and softened butter. Use an electric mixer to combine until smooth. Add both the white and brown sugar and continue mixing for two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract with hand mixer until combined. 
  3. DRY INGREDIENTS  Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
  4. COMBINE  Add the flour mixture to wet ingredients. Use the electric mixer until everything is just combined. Don’t overmix.
  5. FORM – Roll the batter into 1 Tbsp balls or cookie scoop and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2” apart from one another. Using a fork, press down on the tops of each and rotate 90° to create a criss cross pattern.
  6. BAKE – Bake cookies for 8-9 minutes. Remove and wait 5 minutes before transferring baked cookies to a wire rack with a metal spatula.

Pro Tip: Sometimes the fork can stick while making the crisscross pattern. This is easily solved by dipping the fork into granulated sugar before each press.

A stack of peanut butter cookies on top of each other with a glass of milk behind it.

How To Store

Leftover cookies can be stored at room temperature, in the fridge or frozen. Here’s how to do each one:

  • COUNTER – Store in an airtight container up to 3 days. After this the cookies will start to turn stale.
  • REFRIGERATE  Store in an airtight container or plastic wrap for up to 1 week. 
  • FREEZE – These cookies freeze well! Add them to a freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months.
  • TO THAW – Frozen cookies will thaw in about 15 minutes at room temperature.

Pro Tip: This cookie dough can be prepped in advance before baking. Cookie dough can be stored in the fridge up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Tightly wrap the cookie dough ball with plastic wrap until you’re ready to bake.

Ways To Serve

Enjoyed on their own or with a salty partner, these cookies are already perfect and don’t need much more to please a crowd. But just in case, here are a few suggestions.

  • GLASS OF MILK  The kids will appreciate a cold glass of milk to dunk their cookies in.
  • PEANUT BUTTER – Heat some peanut butter in the microwave then drizzle on top of peanut butter cookies for extra peanut flavor.
  • MELTED CHOCOLATE – Try dipping the tops in melted chocolate.
  • ICING – Our cream cheese frosting will take these cookies to the next level.

Common Questions

Why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies?

Being a dense cookie dough, pressing the dough balls with a fork helps them to spread out while baking and form a cookie shape.

Do you grease the pan when making peanut butter cookies?

No, you will get better results if you don’t. This recipe already has a good amount of fat with the addition of peanut butter and a greased pan will cause the cookie to spread too much.

Why did my peanut butter cookies turn out hard?

Over mixing the batter can cause too much gluten to form and this is most likely the cause of hard cookies. To avoid this, when mixing the flour into the cookie dough, stir only until all ingredients are combined then stop.
Can I use almond butter?

Close up of peanut butter cookies on the counter together.

Recipe Tips

  • For a softer chewy texture, don’t flatten down the cookies as much when pressing with a fork.
  • For crisper cookies, press the cookies down to flatten more.

Soft and chewy, moist, and delicious, these peanut butter cookies will easily satisfy any peanut craving. Easy to make and no time to bake. Bring a batch to the next birthday party, office function or empty cookie jar!

More Cookie Recipes

If you liked this recipe, you are sure to like these other delicious and easily made cookie recipes!

Peanut butter cookies side by side on the counter.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft and chewy, moist, and delicious, these peanut butter cookies will easily satisfy any peanut craving. Easy to make and no time to bake.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 19 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
    Two images of a white bowl, first with peanut butter and butter. Second with whipped peanut butter and butter.
  • Add in the white sugar, brown sugar and mix for 2 minutes using the electric mixer.
    Two images of a bowl, first with brown and white sugar dumped on top of batter. Second with creamy batter and hand mixer.
  • Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
    Two images of a white bowl, first with creamy mixture and an egg and vanilla on top. Second with light creamy mixture and hand mixer.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
    Two images of a white bowl, first with dry ingredients dumped in. Second with dry ingredients mixed together.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together until just combined. Do not overmix.
    Two images of a white bowl, first with dry ingredients dumped on top of a creamy mixture. Second with cookie dough mixed in and a hand mixer.
  • Roll into 1 Tbsp balls. Place them on the baking sheet about 2" apart from eachother.
    Press each one down using the back of a fork. Change directions to create the criss cross pattern.
    A baking sheet with cookie dough balls, a bowl with batter, and cross hatch pattern using a fork on raw cookies on baking sheet.
  • Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes exactly. Use a metal spatula to scoop under cookies and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
    Baked cookies on a baking sheet, and baked cookies on a cooling rack.

Recipe Notes:

  • The cookies will be soft when fresh out of the oven. Use a metal spatula to scoop under them and place on a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool.
  • Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. These cookies also freeze well!
  • For a softer chewy texture, don’t flatten down the cookies as much when pressing with a fork.
    For crisper cookies, press the cookies down to flatten more.

Nutrition

Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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