This Easy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe makes for the softest, chewy cookies with the best sweet peanut butter flavor in every bite. They’re SO good! Coated in sugar, the cookies are just as pretty as they are delicious and incredibly easy to make. We love them for the holidays, but they’re honestly great any time of year. You’ll definitely want to save this simple but elevated peanut butter cookie recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
- Simple + Reliable – The dough comes together with pantry staples and a stand mixer in about 15 minutes. After a quick chill, all that’s left to do is scoop, roll, and bake. It’s easy, no-stress baking at its best!
- Classic Bakery-Style Look – Rolled in sugar and finished with the iconic fork criss-cross pattern, these cookies have a nostalgic, bakery-worthy appearance everyone recognizes and loves. Your friends and family will never believe you made them yourself.
- Perfectly Balanced Flavor – A strong peanut butter flavor shines through without being overly sweet. The result is a cookie that’s completely addicting.
- Great for Sharing – These cookies bake evenly, hold their shape, and travel well, making them perfect for cookie swaps, holiday trays, after-school treats, or gifting to friends and family.
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Ingredients
You probably already have all the ingredients you need for this recipe. If not, they’re super easy to find at any grocery store! Here’s what to gather before you begin baking:
- Butter – Use unsalted butter for this recipe. Salted butter will make the dough way too salty.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – Brands like Skippy or Jif are best! We don’t recommend using a natural peanut butter, since this recipe works best with a more processed peanut butter that is consistent in texture.
- Sugar – A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar sweetens the dough and keeps it moist, creating lightly crisp edges and a soft, chewy center.
- Vanilla – Adds delicious flavor and enhances the rest of the ingredients.
- Baking Soda – Make sure it’s fresh, or your cookies won’t rise!
- Salt – A must in any cookie recipe, this creates a bolder taste.
- Egg – One large egg is all we’re using to give the cookies a bit of structure and a slightly richer taste.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour as the base of the cookie dough.
How to Make this Easy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
This is one of the easiest cookie recipes you’ll ever make! All the ingredients combine in one bowl, so all you need is a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, a small bowl, two cookie sheets, and a wire rack. We also like to use a cookie scoop, but it’s optional. Here’s how to make homemade Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Cream and mix – Cream the butter on medium speed. Then, add the peanut butter, both sugars, vanilla, baking soda, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining ingredients – Add the egg. Then, mix in the flour until a smooth cookie dough forms.
- Chill – Cover the bowl, and transfer it to the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Portion the cookie dough – Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough, roll each piece into a ball, and roll the balls in a bowl of sugar.
- Bake – Arrange the cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each piece. Use a fork to make a criss-cross design on top of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Then, bake just until the edges are light golden brown and the cookies look just set.
- Cool – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets slightly. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips
- Don’t Rush Chilling the Dough – A minimum 30-minute chill helps the cookies hold their shape and improve flavor. We like to let the dough chill overnight for easy baking the next day.
- Scrape the Sides of the Bowl – As you combine the ingredients, stop periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Avoid Overmixing – Combine the ingredients just until they are well incorporated. Continuing to mix can overwork the gluten in the flour, which results in dense, tough cookies.
- Adjust the Cookie Size – We love using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop to measure the cookie dough portions, but you can make smaller or larger cookies. Keep a close eye on the oven, and adjust the baking time as needed.
- Don’t Overbake – The cookies may look underdone when you pull them from the oven. As long as the center is set, it’s okay! They’ll continue to bake slightly as they cool.
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Variations
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies – Fold 1/2 to 3/4 cup of chocolate chips into the dough before chilling.
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies – Skip the extra sugar, and press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie right after baking.
- Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies – Swap creamy peanut butter for crunchy for added texture.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients for a rich chocolate flavor.
- Sea Salt Peanut Butter Cookies – Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right after baking for a sweet-and-salty finish.
- Mix-Ins – Fold up to ¾ cup of chopped nuts, coconut flakes, sprinkles, or candy pieces into the dough for extra flavor and texture.
How to Store
Make Ahead – Store the prepared cookie dough covered in the fridge for up to one day. You can also freeze raw cookie dough for up to 2 months. To do so, portion the dough and arrange the cookies on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid, and transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes as needed for the centers to set.
Store – Once cool, transfer leftover peanut butter cookies to an airtight container, and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or, transfer them to the fridge for up to 7 days. Let chilled cookies come to room temperature before serving.
Freeze – Store baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months. We like to place a sheet of parchment paper between each cookie to prevent them from clumping together! Thaw at room temperature overnight.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Nutter Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Coconut Pecan Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
- Gingerbread Latte Cookies
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Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Baking Sheets
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 8 Tablespoons; 1 stick
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup extra for rolling the cookies
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter, ½ cup sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix for 2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the egg until combined. The mixture may look weird and clumpy, that is normal.
- Add the flour and mix until just combined and a cookie dough forms.
- Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to roll the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare a bowl with 1/4 cup remaining granulated sugar for rolling the cookies.
- Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls of cookie dough, roll into a ball, roll into the bowl of sugar and place onto the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining cookie dough leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
- Use a fork to make a criss-cross design on the top of each cookie, slightly pressing down the cookie as you indent it with the fork.
- Bake 12-14 minutes until the edges are a light golden brown and the cookies look just set.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- We would not recommend using a natural peanut butter, since this recipe works best with a more processed peanut butter that is consistent in texture.
- If making smaller cookies (1 tablespoon of dough per cookie), reduce the bake time to 10-12 minutes.
- If making larger cookies (2 to 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie), bake 15-17 minutes.
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