Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
on May 31, 2022, Updated Apr 15, 2024
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These are the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever eaten! This easy recipe makes dense, soft and perfectly chewy peanut butter cookies that you’ll make over and over again. They’re my absolute favorite!
Everyone needs a really great peanut butter cookie recipe, and I’m here to deliver that amazing recipe today. This is my staple, my go-to, and the only peanut butter cookie recipe that I make over and over again. It’s pretty much perfect.
The secret to perfection:
This easy peanut butter cookie recipe is unique in the fact that you don’t press down the dough with a fork before you bake it. You press it down with the bottom of a cup AFTER you bake it.
I’m not sure what it does but something magical happens when you wait to press the cookies until after they come out of the oven. They are dense and thick but still chewy and soft in all of the right ways.
And they are awesome right out of the freezer. So make a batch, eat half, freeze half, and eat them cold out of the freezer while your kids aren’t looking. I know this is a great option from experience. (If you’re looking for something a little different, you could always try my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies or Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, too.)
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These cookies are easy to make but look extra fancy if you use large sparkling sugar!
- They are perfectly chewy and soft!
- They are easy to freeze and save for another day, whether for your own stash or for the bake sale that pops up during those super busy weeks!
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies
- Creamy peanut butter: this recipe calls for creamy peanut butter (I prefer Skippy or Jif), but if you prefer the added crunch of crunchy, then go for it.
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar: Both granulated sugar and brown sugar give this dough it’s sweetness and helps give the cookies a soft texture. Sparkling sugar is perfect for coating the cookies – granulated sugar works well if you don’t have any sparkling sugar.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Egg
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- This recipe calls for creamy peanut butter but crunchy peanut butter is just fine – it will just add a little nutty texture.
- You can leave out the vanilla extract if you’d like and try another favorite extract or spice like cinnamon.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (180°C) and lining two baking or cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the butter and peanut butter until well combined.
- Incorporate the brown sugar and granulated sugar, and continue mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Next, mix in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until the dough is well combined.
- Pour an additional 3 tablespoons of granulated or sparkling sugar into a small bowl.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands, then roll the dough ball in the sugar to coat it lightly.
- Place the sugared dough ball on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, ensuring there is a 2-inch gap between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes before removing them from the oven.
- Using the bottom of a glass cup, gently press down on the cookies to flatten the puffy centers, ensuring a consistent thickness throughout.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Let the cookies cool completely before storing them. Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature.
- To store leftover cookies, place them in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze them for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! You can can freeze baked cookies in the freezer for up to two months.
To freeze the peanut butter cookie dough, make the dough into balls and then let them freeze for a few hours on the cookie sheet, then place them in a zip top bag. When you are ready to bake the dough, simply preheat your oven, place the frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet, and bake, adding 2-4 minutes to the suggested cook time, as needed. No need to thaw ahead of time.
Butter is best, but yes, you can use margarine instead of butter in peanut butter cookies. If possible use a margarine with around 80% fat content for a similar texture. You will want to chill the dough before baking so the cookies don’t spread too much.
All Purpose Flour is best for cookies, which is great since it is so readily available!
Yes, you can substitute crunchy peanut butter for smooth peanut butter in cookies. The results will be crunchier texture and a pronounced nutty flavor.
Tips and Tricks for Making Peanut Butter Cookies
- I tried this recipe with both traditional peanut butter and natural peanut butter. They both worked well, though the cookies made with natural peanut butter cracked along the edges when I pressed the cookies lightly after they baked. The cookie was also a bit drier. Not a huge deal but something to be noted.
- This recipe doubles really well if you need a lot of cookies.
- I love the texture and look of extra chubby sparkling sugar on these cookies. I love this big bag of Bob’s Red Mill sparkling sugar for baking.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Desserts
Brownie Cookies
Recipes
How to Soften Brown Sugar
Desserts
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar or sparkling sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with a baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl (a hand mixer works well for this too), add the butter and peanut butter and beat to combine well.
- Add the brown sugar and the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix together until well combined.
- Place the extra 3 tablespoons or granulated or sparkling sugar in a small bowl.
- Scoop a generous tablespoon of dough into your hand and roll into a ball. Add the ball to the bowl of sugar and gently roll it in the sugar to lightly coat the dough with extra sugar.
- Place the prepared ball on the baking sheet, repeat with remaining dough, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Gently press the the cookies down with the bottom of a glass cup. Don’t get too crazy, just press the puffy centers down so that the cookies are evenly thick.
- Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to finish cooling on a wire wrack.
- Let the cookies cool completely before storing. Eat warm or at room temperature.
- Store extra cookies in an air-tight container for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
- Pressing the cookies down after the come out of the oven is magical. You’ll love that step.
- I tried this recipe with both traditional peanut butter and natural peanut butter. They both worked well though the cookies made with natural peanut butter seemed to crack along the edges when you pressed them down after baking. The cookie was also a bit drier. Not a huge deal but something to be noted.
- I love the texture and look of extra chubby sparkling sugar on these cookies. I love this big bag of Bob’s Red Mill sparkling sugar for baking.
- This is a great recipe to double and freeze.
Such a great recipe. I’ve made it a few times. This time I doubled it and added chocolate chips. Delicious!
Sounds like your measuring must be off because I make these all the time and they’re the best peanut butter cookie ever! I’d try again because they are awesome.
These look so delicious! I think I’ll have to make a batch today!
Yeah I made a batch after dinner and they are amazing. And I preped a batch with maple almond butter for rolling and freezing. Sooooo good! Thank you!
That sounds sooooo good! Thank you for sharing the idea!
“eat them cold out of the freezer while your kids aren’t looking. I know this is a great option from experience.” Bahahahahahahahahahahaha!
LOL, it’s the truth!
Trying these!! But about the healthy talk…can I schedule a one on one???
I will testify of this cookies goodness.