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!
Love easy cookie recipes? Try our 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter cookies for an easy twist. Or give these Oreo Cheesecake cookies a try soon.
Table of Contents
Why this Recipe is Best
When I think back to childhood or a time when I’m truly happy, it usually results in a memory around food.
And often times, COOKIES.
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.
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.
- These Easy Peanut Butter Cookies have been the recipe that I’ve used for years and years.
- I’m sure it came from my mom or one of my grandma’s church cookbooks, it is definitely not something I created.
- You know why? Because they are perfect. As written. As eaten. They are soft and chewy with a sweet crumble thanks to the extra sugar coating!
Take your peanut butter love to the next level and try our peanut butter chocolate chip cookies next! Or keep a batch of our peanut butter balls in the freezer for when a craving hits!
Important Ingredients Needed
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! These cookies are also rolled in extra granulated sugar, creating a sweet crunch as you bite your cookie. Don’t skip this step. It’s a mouthwatering surprise!
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- Mix Dry Ingredients. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- Mix Butter and Sugar. In a mixing bowl, beat softened butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Finish Cookie dough. Add in eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture until combined.
- Chill. Chill the dough. You only need to chill the dough for about an hour (leaving you time to clean up the kitchen and get dinner ready, haha)!
- Roll & Bake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place remaining granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, spoon dough into hand and roll in a ball. Then roll dough ball into sugar and place on cookie sheet. Using the tines of a fork, press criss-cross marks on top of cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool completely in wire rack.
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 Freeze Peanut Butter Cookies
Yes. You can freeze cookie dough or baked cookies. This is great for today’s recipe because it makes nearly 4 dozen cookies. I usually freeze half the cookie dough for later.
Freezing Cookie Dough. Once you have rolled all the peanut butter cookie dough balls into the granulated sugar, slide them into a ziploc freezer bag. Seal and freeze cookie dough for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, place on baking sheet and bake halfway. Remove from oven, press dough with tines of a fork, and finish baking. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Freezing Peanut Butter Cookies. If you find yourself needing to freeze the baked cookies, slide into an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on counter overnight and enjoy.
Tips and Tricks
- 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. We love chocolate chip peanut butter cookies!
- Chilling the dough in this recipe is important! It helps the softened butter bind to the peanut butter creating the perfect texture!
More Easy Desserts
- Mud Hen Bars
- Buckeye Brownies
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Butter Cookies
- Magic Bars Recipe
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Homemade Cookie Recipes
See all Cookies recipes
Peanut Butter Cookies
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!
- Check blog post for more tips and tricks for today's recipe!
- Dry dough? Be sure you use your hands to roll the cookie dough balls, the warmth will help dough form.
Video
Nutrition
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! =)