We have taken this classic cookie and added a bit of crunch to make it our new favorite way to make Peanut Butter Cookies! I also have a gluten-free (or flourless) Peanut Butter Cookie on my blog, you can see that here. Of course, you could also use gluten-free flour in this recipe! If you love my Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe, I dare you to try my Chocolate Chip Cookie and Sugar Cookie Recipes. They are award-winning! Check out all my Cookie Recipes here.
Peanut Butter Cookies
I love peanut butter cookies and make them often for my kids. (I even have a Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookie you will want to try.) I changed these up a bit (after the kids requested it!) and added a bit of chunky peanut butter. If you do not like chunky peanut butter (or added texture) to your peanut butter cookies, simply replace the 1/2 cup of chunky with creamy. This recipe has been around since the 1910s and has had a lot of variations, but the main component always remains true, and that is peanut butter!
I speak from experience when I tell you that the kind of peanut butter you use matters. As a general rule, I always buy Organic/Natural peanut butter for our household. I don’t want a bunch of unnecessary sugar and mystery ingredients, so we stick to the basics. However, I tend to buy “name brands” when I am making Peanut Butter Cookies.
I used a 3-tablespoon scoop for this recipe. I tried the 1-tablespoon size cookie and we felt they were dry and crumbly.
Why Roll Peanut Butter Cookies in Sugar?
So this aspect of the recipe is completely optional and will totally depend on your preference. I grew up with sugar-coated peanut butter cookies and love the texture and sweetness it brings. My BFF prefers her without the extra sugar. My best advice here is to do a taste test! When you are making the cookies, make one pan with the sugar coating and one without, and then let your friends and family decide. (My kids overwhelmingly voted for the sugar-coated, obviously!)
Brown Sugar vs. Granulated Sugar
I also use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. I like how the brown sugar adds a bit of a molasses flavor and makes them extra chewy. Granulated sugar is used for sweetness! If you happen to be out of brown sugar you can use all granulated sugar.
Tips for the Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie
- Do not over-bake! I remove mine from the oven when the edges are just starting to brown. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving them to the cooling rack.
- Want a chewier Peanut Butter Cookie? Try adding an extra egg! (so 2 total in this recipe) We tested both ways and preferred using one egg, which gave it a crispier outside, but they were delicious both ways!
- Kick your cookies up a notch by adding 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to make a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie! Or, melt some chocolate chips and drizzle the melted chocolate over top. Instant bakery style cookies!
- Want to make this a Skillet Peanut Butter Cookie? Add the dough to a buttered 10-inch skillet and bake for 30-45 minutes at 350°F.
How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container. They will last 3-5 days at room temperature.
Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (125 g) chunky peanut butter
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- â…“ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat together the peanut butters, butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fully combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar. (OPTIONAL)
- Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Press each ball once with crisscrossing fork tines.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly browned. (Don't overbake these! They will get dry or crumbly quickly, so err on the side of less baking time.)
Video
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I made these peanut butter cookies for my children who are crazy fan of peanut butter. These came out delicious. loving this recipe. The only recipe I will ever need for peanut butter cookies now!
I lost my “great” recipe for peanut butter cookies and have tried multiple recipes since then. This is my new recipe!! Thank you, thank you! I already have it written into my cookbook so I can’t lose it.
Thank you for the recipe I have made this three time my husband loves it today I am making it for my grandchildrens
You said to use a 3 tablespoon scoop. That seems quite large. Is 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie correct?
Hi, cc! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. Yes, that size is correct; we have a few cookie recipes that use a 3 tablespoon scoop. Have a great day!
My new favorite PB cookie recipe!
Can I not add the crunchy and instead just use creamy pb?
If I use parchment paper. This wouldn’t affect the cookies anyway would it? Thanks for info
My cookies turned out awful. Dry and crumbly. Will not make again.
So sorry Diane. They might have just been overbaked. I can assure you that they are very soft in the middle. Every oven runs differently.
I tried this recipe too and mine were very dry. I did use natural peanut butter so I’m thinking that may have been the reason. It seems hard to come by a cookie recipe that specifically calls for natural peanut butter.
I even used a scale, so my measurements were exact, but they turned out crumbly and dry. I think maybe too much peanut butter in the recipe? I’m not sure what went wrong, but I definitely won’t make these again. I have another recipe that is similar, but it only has 1/2 cup of peanut butter plus 1/4 tspn baking soda, and they always turn out great.
Dry & Crumbly usually means they were overbaked.