Classic homemade Peanut Butter Cookies with a soft and chewy center, crisp edges and the signature criss-cross top. Easy to make with pantry staples and packed with rich peanut butter flavor!
My dad LOVES chewy peanut butter cookies, so whenever we have a family get together, someone will bake a batch for him. That someone is usually ME.
This recipe was originally published in February 2011. The photos and recipe notes were updated in May 2025.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: soft chewy peanut butter cookies with crisp edges from rolling in granulated sugar.
Ingredient Tip: Swap out creamy peanut butter for crunchy to change the texture.
Make ahead: Scoop and freeze cookie dough balls and bake straight from frozen. Add an extra minute or two to bake time.
Storage: Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Top Tip: For uniform cookies, use a metal cookie scoop.
When I think back to childhood or a time when I’m truly happy, it usually results in a memory around food.
From learning how to make no bake cookies in grade school, to enjoying a chocolate chip cookie after my first day of high school, to being surprised with a batch Oatmeal Raisin cookies in college.
Today’s cookie recipe is no exception.
These peanut butter cookies are amazing!!! The perfect balance of peanut flavor with a soft middle and lightly crisp exterior.
– Valerie
Pantry Ingredients You Need
Unlike other cookie recipes, there’s a good chance you have everything you’ll need for these peanut butter cookies right in your pantry. Today.
- Peanut Butter. The type of peanut butter for perfect peanut butter cookies is important. This is not the time to be healthy and opt for a natural brand. Go ahead and be choosy, pick Jif or Skippy. The sugars in the peanut butter and the lack of oils (like you find in a natural brand) help create and perfect texture to these cookies!
- Sugar. Today’s easy peanut butter cookies will have a combination of white sugar (granulated sugar) and light brown sugar. This helps create that chewy texture you’re craving in peanut butter cookies!
- Unsalted Butter- Start by softening your butter (use my guide on how to soften butter quickly). Be sure to choose unsalted to make sure you can control the salt in the recipe.
Aimee’s Pro Tip
Today’s cookie dough recipe can be made 48 hours in advance. If chilling dough longer than one hour, let it warm up at room temperature until you can handle it without it sticking or crumbling!
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Make the cookie dough. Start by making the simple peanut butter cookie dough. Don’t overmix after adding the dry ingredients.
Shape. Roll cookie dough into peanut butter balls. Roll in sugar then press with a fork to create the classic criss-cross pattern.
Bake. Peanut butter cookies bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I prefer to under bake slightly for an even softer center!
More Cookie Recipes
- Love easy cookie recipes? Try my 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter cookies for a true 3 ingredient recipe.
- These Oreo Cheesecake cookies are soft and pillowy and loaded with Oreo cookies.
- This recipe for kolache cookies has been in my family for several generations. That is how amazing it is!
- My cut out sugar cookie recipe is one that is not only great for Christmas, but you can make a batch any holiday. If you love sugar cookie frosting, bake and frost a batch today.
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Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar divided
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with 1 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until creamy.
- Add in eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter. Mix until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture, blending until combined (do not over beat). The crumbs will come together to form a dough, that's when you stop mixing!
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate cookie dough for one hour.
- When ready, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a small bowl. Using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop, spoon dough and roll into a ball. Roll in sugar and place on parchment covered baking sheet.
- Use the tines of a fork to press criss-cross marks.
- Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. ENJOY.
Notes
- Use parchment paper or silpat when baking. The extra sugar on the cookie can stick to the pan.
- Wonder why fork marks are used? Peanut butter cookies are dense and don’t spread as much as most types. The fork marks help ensure even baking.
- Want to change up the flavor? Try mixing in some chocolate chips or M&M’S candies to the dough.
- Need something even easier? This 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie recipe is THE BOMB. No flour needed!
- Chilling the dough in this recipe is important! It helps the softened butter bind to the peanut butter creating the perfect texture!
- Dry dough? Be sure you use your hands to roll the cookie dough balls, the warmth will help dough form.
Video
Nutrition
More Cookie Recipes
Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies. Soft and chewy, easy to make, and topped with a sweet sugar coating. You’re going to love this delicious recipe!
I can see what ingredients need to be used but I can’t see where it says how much of each ingredient to put in. Thanks
It’s ok I found them…lol. They were further down the page. Thanks again.
Can you use substitute sugar in your recipes? Can the recipes be downside for people 2-4?
My dough is crumpling as I try to shape it into a ball and even more so when I am using the fork tines to make the criss crosses. I just put the first batch in the oven so I have no idea if they will turn out! I followed the recipe to a T.
Hmmm, definitely sounds like something went wrong?!
I just made these. WOW. They are SOOOOOO good. I think they are the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you 🙂
I can not find the ingredients that goes in these cookies. It tells you how to make them but I can’t find the ingredients
If you scroll to end of blog post the recipe card with ingredients and directions is there (printable too).
Mine came out super crumbly. Not hard, just falling apart easily. Do you know what I could have done wrong?
Maybe left in the over a bit too long. I take mine out when i think they’re not done yet. Or maybe not enough soft/wet ingredients?
I made this receipe with a 1/2 cup less of sugar. Cookies are very good.
I am not a big peanut butter cookie fan but I made these, according to the recipe, for my granddaughter’s birthday party. They are delicious ! I used chocolate chips in half the dough which also worked well. I used a 1 1/2 T scoop that produced a nice size cookie. I might lessen the sugar on my next batch.
I made the cookies using a 2TBSP cookie scoop per directions. This must be a typo because they were big and only made 24. Next time I will use the 1 Table spoon cookie scoop.☺️
I tried this recipe today and they turned out great! And the extra tips were super helpful. FYI though this recipe makes A LOT!! I ended up making over 100 balls and had to freeze half. Would be perfect for a big pot luck or freezing a batch for another day 🙂
How can i freeze extra dough
Peanut butter cookies have to cool a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Otherwise, they fall apart.
Why are mine falling apart when I transfer them to the cooling tray? I am shipping them and I am concerned. I am on my second tray. Cook them longer? Let them cook completely?
Look great. I wonder if you could add some unsalted broken up peanuts to the batter.
I had everything to make these cookies on hand and I just couldn’t resist makeing a batch right away. They are so good!!!
These really are the best!
These peanut butter cookies look FANTASTIC! Would love to have a couple of these right now!
I love peanut butter cookies. Your tips about freezing the dough are so smart. I’ll be doing that from now on.
I tried to make these yesterday but I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed. So, I used what I hand on hand. I added sunflower seeds as I only had smooth peanut butter. The only chips I had was 1 bag of butterscotch and 1/2 a bag of white chocolate chip. Having said that this was a delicious recipe. Thanks for posting it!
-Savannah
Yum, a triple peanut delight. I’m also a firm believer that you can never have too much peanut flavor, the more the better. Knowing me, I’d probably even make a peanut butter drizzle to put on the top. These look like the ideal PB cookie, in its purest and best form. Thanks for linking this up to Sweets for a Saturday.
Your cookies look great, and I love the idea of baking half and freezing half. I should definitely use that technique since we have a household of only 2 (me and my husband), and sometimes baked goods get a little past their expiration date! =)