Best Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe (2024)

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5 from 14 reviews

The BEST Peanut Butter Cookies are the ones you make for your family and friends during the holidays. These classic peanut butter cookies are asked for all year round, and my nephew Nick is the reason I'm writing this recipe out today - well after the holidays.

Why is this Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe the BEST?

Homemade peanut butter cookiesare my second favorite type of cookie, after chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes the batter somehow ends up in my mouth instead of on the cookie sheet.This recipe was handed down (or rather stolen) from my mother many years ago. She is not sure where she got it, so most likely was from my grandmother. Those recipes are the best because they are tried and true, made with a lot of love, and made specifically for the enjoyment of friends and family.

Remember when you helped your mom make cookies so that you could lick the bowl? No? That was just me? Well, when you make your own homemade peanut butter cookie recipe, and nobody is watching, you don’t have to wait until the bowl is empty!

Carlos doesn’t like classic peanut butter cookies, so I don’t have to worry about them disappearing on me. I can relax and eat them at my leisure. I love how these cookies just melt in your mouth, and who doesn’t like peanut butter? Well, besides Carlos... he’s weird.

Related: Melomakarona Greek Honey Christmas Cookies |

Watch this How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies Video

How do you make Peanut Butter Cookies?

As with most baking, I recommend softening the butter to room temperature, or at least 45-60 minutes out of the refrigerator. It's not absolute but suggested. I also like to measure out my larger ingredients like flour, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Once that's done, we're ready to go.

Following the classic peanut butter cookie recipe is pretty easy. Sift all the dry ingredients together; combine the wet ingredients in stages, then add the dry mixture to the wet. The cookie recipe below is doubled from my mom's original recipe.

If you find that the mixture seems too wet, just add another ½ cup of flour. For peanut butter cookies, the dough should be moist, but not too moist... I know, very scientific terms.

Preparing the Peanut Butter Cookie Baking Trays

I try to be very efficient in everything I do, and baking is no exception. Each cookie sheet of the peanut butter cookies bakes in the oven for 10-12 minutes each. I will usually prepare two trays of cookies at a time. While they are baking I'm getting the next two trays ready to pop in the oven. If you want to be even more efficient, and you have the space for 6 cookie sheets, you can have 2 in the oven, 2 cooling, and 2 being prepped to go in the oven. Or, you can have a glass of wine (or milk) and just take your time.

How do you give Classic Peanut Butter Cookies their signature look?

I love the way these cookies look too. Once you spoon the dough on the baking sheet, the classic way is just to use a fork and double press it down on the dough to give it that “oh that must be a peanut butter cookie” look. I recently tried using a potato masher that had all horizontal grooves. It looked like a good idea but didn't work so well.

PRO TIP: After every other cookie, press the fork in flour, and then tap off the excess flour. This keeps the fork from sticking to the cookie.

So family and friends agree this is the best peanut butter cookie recipe ever, and my nephew Nick will be so happy that I finished this post. Did I mention that he asked for it right after Christmas, and it took me at least a month to give it to him? What an awesome uncle I am.Don't let your family down, go ahead and make this delicious peanut butter cookie recipe.

If making cookies is your thing, you can try:

Almond Thumbprint Cookies filled with Mixed Red Berry Jam
Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies with Fig Preserves
Samoas Cookie Caramel Coconut Bars | Caramel DeLites.

If peanut butter is your thing, give these recipes a whirl:

Protein Energy Bites

So why don't you give it a try? When you do, don't forget to share your feedback and variations in the comments section below! Share your creations with us on social media by tagging us @Spoonabilities on Instagram. We'd love to see pictures of your cookies and let us know who in your family loves them the best.

Warm Regards,

Geoffrey Swetz
Chief Tasting Officer, and occasional baker for Spoonabilities

Classic Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 14 reviews

Author: Geoffrey Swetz
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 48 1x

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Description

The BEST Peanut Butter Cookie recipe is the one you make for your family and friends during the holidays. Once you make them once, these peanut butter cookies will be asked for all year-round.

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Ingredients

UnitsScale

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 ⅓ cup unsalted butter, or Brown Butter
1 cup of chunky peanut butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and if haven't done so already, take the butter out of the refrigerator.
Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
Blend butter with peanut butter in mixing bowl.
Gradually add brown sugar, creaming until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well.
Mix in sifted dry ingredients thoroughly. [see note below]
Scoop a rounded teaspoon of dough for each cookie, and shape into ball; place on ungreased cookie sheet. I started using a small ice cream scooper which makes it easier and less messy.
Flatten balls with fork in a crisscross fashion.
Bake for 12-13 minutes, or golden.

Notes

The dough should be very moist, but thick. If it seems to too thin or sticky, add ½ cup more flour.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

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Looking for other similar recipes? Try these:

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars with Blackberry Jam
Coconut Ice Cream with Hazelnut Brown Butter Sauce
Chocolate Chip Cookies - Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe Re-do
Almond Thumbprint Cookies filled with Jam
Melomakarona Greek Honey Christmas Cookies

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FAQs

What is the secret to a good cookie? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.

Always use butter.
Choose the right sugar.
Choose the right flour.
Check your flour is in date.
Choose the right kind of chocolate.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Beat in the eggs.
Fold in the flour.

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What are all the ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

Peanut butter

Peanut butter cookie / Main ingredient

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What is the best peanut butter for baking cookies? ›

Cook's Illustrated recommends baking peanut butter cookies with products from traditionally creamy brands like, you guessed it, Skippy or Jif. Such butters have smooth, consistent textures that easily combine with any cookie dough.

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What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

If you don't flatten the cookies first, then the fork does double duty – it performs both functions. One very subtle result of creating the pattern is that the little tips of dough bake up crisper than the rest of the cookie, giving you both a bit of additional texture and deeper taste where the dough is more baked.

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What is the secret to moist cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What makes a cookie the best? ›

The best cookies have layers of texture. A slightly crisp outer shell that holds up to some heat with an inner core that's soft and chewy. Premium cookies taste great at room temperature, straight out of the fridge or slightly heated. Creating cookies in small batches is key.

How to make peanut butter cookie mix taste better? ›

Peanut Butter Cookie Mix Hacks

Easy Add-Ins: After creating the dough according to the peanut butter cookie mix instructions, try introducing 1 cup of add-ins like REESE'S PIECES, toffee bits, dried fruits, mini marshmallows or even cooked bacon bits, if you're feeling adventurous!

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Why are my peanut butter cookies always hard? ›

If your peanut butter cookies are hard, you likely cooked them for too long. They should not be baked for more than 8 or 9 minutes.

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Why are my peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly? ›

If you're wanting to use natural (no sugar added) peanut butter, the cookies will be less sweet and they will likely spread out more. Using natural peanut butter will change the structure and texture of the cookies. Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour.

Why do you use a fork on peanut butter cookies? ›

These early recipes do not explain why the advice is given to use a fork, though. The reason is that peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and unpressed, each cookie will not cook evenly. Using a fork to press the dough is a convenience of tool; bakers can also use a cookie shovel (spatula).

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Why do my peanut butter cookies taste weird? ›

Your other source of fat should be butter, not shortening. Butter will make your cookies taste buttery; shortening will make them taste suspiciously vacant, like Katy Perry's voice post-autotune. Yes, shortening yields chewier cookies than butter does, because butter contains water and shortening doesn't.

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Why flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

Certain cookies — Sugar Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies — need to be flattened a bit before they bake, lest they end up emerging from the oven looking like ping-pong balls rather than typical flat, round cookies.

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What happens if you don't chill peanut butter cookie dough? ›

For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they're in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential. Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool.

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Should I let peanut butter cookie dough rest? ›

We prefer natural peanut butter here, so you can dial in the sugar and salt amounts precisely, and smooth peanut butter over crunchy to better control the cookies' fat and moisture levels. Letting the cookie dough rest ensures the flour is fully hydrated, resulting in crisper edges and chewier middles.

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Do you leave cookie dough in a ball? ›

For longer storage, we recommend forming the dough into a large round, then wrapping it in plastic wrap. This will protect the dough from any potential aromas in the fridge. For slice-and-bake icebox cookies: On a sheet of plastic wrap, transfer the room temperature dough.

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What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

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