Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
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These peanut butter cookies strike the perfect balance: rich, satisfying, and chockful of peanutty goodness in every bite. Nostalgic and delicious!
When I set out to find the best peanut butter cookie recipe, I tested dozens of recipes from my favorite cookbooks and online sources. The standout was Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipe from My Father’s Daughter. These cookies have a wonderful peanut buttery flavor, a sandy texture, a hint of crunch from chopped peanuts—and they’re loaded with Reese’s peanut butter chips. I should mention, I’m not usually a big fan of peanut butter chips, but they add wonderful texture and flavor here.
P.S. If you happen to be on a gluten-free diet (or are baking for someone who is), I’ve also got a fabulous flourless peanut butter cookie recipe that’s just as delicious.
“Wow Wow wow!!! My 7-year-old said it best after trying one: It’s like I’m having a party in my mouth eating this cookie.”
What You’ll Need To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the base for the cookies. To ensure you’re using the correct amount of flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents, helping the cookies rise.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the cookies.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Not only adds deep peanut butter flavor but also contributes to the moist and chewy texture. For best results, do not use natural peanut butter; it doesn’t contain stabilizers and is prone to separating (I like Skippy No Need To Stir).
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture to the cookies, while also contributing to their chewiness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies with its aromatic richness.
- Large Egg: Provides structure and helps bind the ingredients together.
- Peanut Butter Chips: Intensify the peanut butter flavor and add bursts of sweetness throughout the cookies.
- Salted Peanuts: Provide extra crunch and a hint of saltiness, complementing the sweetness of the cookies. These are optional, but I highly encourage them.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Next, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters. Beat until smooth and creamy, about a minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix, scraping the bowl as needed, until the dough is just combined.
Mix in the peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts (if using) on low speed—that’s your cookie dough! You can proceed as is, but it’s best to chill the dough for about an hour to make it easier to work with; otherwise it will be a bit sticky.
Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the cookie dough into 1½-inch balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, and then use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern and push the cookies down—this not only gives the cookies their classic look but also helps flatten them for even baking.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until perfectly golden.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for a few days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months.
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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Looking for the perfect peanut butter cookie recipe? Look no further—this is the one!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with knife
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature (I like Skippy No Need To Stir)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- ½ cup very finely chopped salted peanuts (optional)
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds more. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts (if using).
- Chill the dough for 1 hour (see note below). Set racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Using a 1½-inch scooper with a wire scraper (if you don’t have one, use a spoon and your hands), form the dough into 1½-inch balls on the prepared baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, mark a crisscross pattern on the cookies, pressing them down slightly. Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and golden on the bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. (Note: the cookies are very fragile when hot, so take care not to break them. They’ll firm up nicely as they cool.)
- Note: It's not absolutely necessary to chill the dough, however, it is quite sticky and difficult to handle if you don't have a cookie scooper. Chilling the dough makes it much easier to handle, but feel free to skip this step if you like.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions:The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 173
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Sodium: 13mg
- Cholesterol: 78mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These are by far the best PB cookies I have ever had. I followed the recipe to a tee and they came out perfect. I’m not a fan of PB chips, but they really add a certain “je-ne-sais-quoi” to the flavor and texture. Once again, you’ve hit a home run with this one 🙂