Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
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Looking for the perfect peanut butter cookie? This easy recipe delivers rich, nostalgic flavor with just the right balance of sweet and salty.
When I set out to find the best peanut butter cookie recipe, I tested dozens—from favorite cookbooks to popular online versions. The standout was was Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipe from My Father’s Daughter. With a few small tweaks, it’s become my go-to. These cookies have a rich 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 fan of peanut butter chips, but they add great texture and flavor here. These are everything you love about an old-school peanut butter cookie, with a sweet-salty edge that makes them hard to resist.
For more peanutty goodness, try my peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter pie next! Or give my flourless peanut butter cookies a go—they’re naturally gluten-free and as delicious as any good peanut butter cookie.
“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
- Flour, baking powder, and baking soda: These give the cookies structure and lift. Just make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh—expired leaveners won’t do you any favors!
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and flavor. I like using unsalted butter so I can better control the salt, but if you only have salted, just cut back on the added salt by ¼ teaspoon.
- Creamy peanut butter: Brings deep peanut flavor and helps create that sandy-chewy texture. For best results, don’t use natural peanut butter—it tends to separate. I like Skippy No Need to Stir best here. (And if you’ve got extra, make a batch of my buckeyes while you’re at it.)
- Light brown sugar: Sweetens the cookies and adds moisture, which helps with chew.
- Vanilla extract: Just a little boosts the overall flavor.
- Large egg: Binds everything together and gives the cookies structure.
- Peanut butter chips and salted peanuts: These boost the peanut flavor and add just the right mix of sweetness and crunch. I love using Virginia peanuts for baking (and snacking!)—they’re extra big and flavorful.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make homemade peanut butter cookies
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. 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 the mixture is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg.
Step 3: Combine the two mixtures. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture. Mix, scraping the bowl as needed, until the dough is just combined.
Step 4: Add the chips and peanuts. Add the peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts and mix on low speed—that’s your cookie dough! Chill the dough for an hour so it’s easy to work with.
Step 5: Shape the cookies. Form the cookie dough into 1½-inch balls on parchment-lined baking sheets. 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.
Step 6: Bake. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until perfectly golden.
Step 7: Cool. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days; you can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Jenn’s Pro Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Measure properly. Always measure flour using the spoon and level method. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much flour, which can make the cookies dry or dense. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off for the most accurate measurement and the best texture.
- Avoid natural peanut butter. This is important! For the best cookies, you want to use a creamy, shelf-stable peanut butter—the kind you’d find in most supermarket brands. It shouldn’t separate or require stirring.
- Skip the chill. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip chilling the dough—but just know it’ll be stickier to work with and the cookies may spread more. Chilling firms up the dough, helps control the spread, and gives the cookies better flavor, too.
More Classic Cookie Recipes to Try
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Rich and loaded with peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts, these peanut butter cookies are loved by kids and grown-ups alike.
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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After doing the fork cross-cross, I sprinkled a light sprinkling of granulated sugar crystals for baking on them. Then baked them! Just an extra pro touch!
Wow … perfect! I didn’t use the peanut butter chips, but didn’t need to!
These are ‘Melt in the Mouth Peanut Butter Cookies’. I’ve gotten so many nice compliments with this recipe. Thanks so much!
I made these GREAT peanut butter cookies! Thanks for sharing this terrific recipe Jenn. It was the best peanut butter cookie I ever had. My family loved them! Actually every recipe I’ve made from OUAC has been Outstanding.
Wow Wow wow!!! My 7 year old said it best after trying one:
“It’s like I’m having a party in my mouth by eating this cookie”
Will definitely make these again.
Sidney from Wisconsin
I made these today. My husband said “well, these are not going to last long!”. These are the very best peanut butter cookies I have ever made and I have been making peanut butter cookies literally for 60 years!! Followed the recipe to the letter. Another great recipe from Jenn!
Great recipe! Very tasty and moist. I was having trouble with the baking time. The cookies didn’t seem done after 10-12 minutes or even 14 minutes at 325 degrees F. I noticed the original recipe you linked says bake at 350 degrees F. Is that intentionally adjusted to 325 or a transcription error?
Hi Christina, glad you enjoyed these but sorry you found the bake time to be off. I’m going to have another look at the recipe. Stay tuned!
Hi Jenn. What would be the impact if I simply don’t have the chips and don’t substitute any other “chip” etc? I suppose it would just make a smaller quantity of dough and therefore, fewer cookies. Do you see a problem if I just make them plain/no chips? Thanks, from France (where these kinds of chips don’t exist!)
Hi Jennifer, I think you’re right, that you would just have less dough. If you’re not using chips, you may want to consider this cookie also. It’s a bit different than this one, but also delish!
Is the 1/2 teaspoon salt a correct measure?
Yes, that’s correct. Enjoy!
hi Jenn..
let me tell you about my ‘nut butter’ cookies. i have been happy with your other cookie recipes & wanted to make your chunky peanut butter cookies but only had trader joes’ almond butter.
that & dark brwn sugar were my only changes. they were very good! the batter was never oily & not sticky..instead it was kind of like modeling clay, very easy to roll in a ball. one batch i baked longer & they came out crisp. the other batch i took out at about 13 min or so. that is when the center of the cookie was ‘moist’ w/the butter..delicious! forgot to add the ‘butter’ was chunky, no salt. thank you..
Glad they came out nicely with your tweaks!
Hello Jenn,
I have a friend whose favourite dessert is chocolate peanut butter cookies — can I make those for her using this recipe and sub the peanut butter chips for chocolate chips (or add the chocolate chips in addition to peanut butter chips?). Would you recommend milk chocolate chips or semi sweet ?
Hi Mlak, I haven’t used chocolate chips in place of the peanut butter, but I think it would work (and milk or semi-sweet is really just a preference but if you want something similar to the flavor in Reeses candy, then I’d go with milk). Hope your friend enjoys!