Classic Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Add Preferred SourceThese classic peanut butter cookies come together with pantry staples and a fork, no chilling and no special equipment. You cream the butter and sugars, work in an egg and crunchy peanut butter, then flatten each one with the classic crosshatch before a short bake.
I keep coming back to this peanut butter cookie recipe because it’s done in under 30 minutes with ingredients I almost always have on hand. The trick I rely on is pulling them while the centers still look a little underbaked, since they firm up as they cool on the sheet.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You make them with pantry staples: flour, sugar, an egg, butter, and peanut butter, so there’s no special shopping trip.
- They go from bowl to cooling rack in under 30 minutes, with no dough chilling to wait on.
- Crunchy peanut butter folds little bits of peanut through the dough for real texture in every bite.
- Half white and half brown sugar gives you crisp edges with soft centers.
- The dough is sturdy enough to shape by hand, so you don’t need cutters or any equipment past the creaming step.
- They freeze well, baked or as raw dough, so you can bake a few now and keep the rest for later.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need to think about a few of these; the rest are straight from the pantry.
- Peanut butter. The recipe uses crunchy peanut butter for bits of peanut throughout, though creamy works if that’s what’s in the cupboard. Use a standard no-stir style rather than a natural, oily peanut butter that separates, since the oily kind can make the cookies crumbly.
- Butter. Unsalted and at room temperature, so it creams smoothly with the sugars. A quarter teaspoon of salt in the dough balances the sweetness.
- Sugars. Half white, half brown. The brown sugar keeps the centers soft while the white sugar helps the edges crisp.
- Flour. All-purpose. Spoon it into the cup and level it off instead of scooping, since packing in too much flour is the most common reason peanut butter cookies turn out dry.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Scroll down for the full recipe card containing a full printable recipe and measurements in both US customary and metric units.
You make these peanut butter cookies from scratch in one bowl, and the whole thing moves fast once the oven is on.
Preheat the oven and prep the pan
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugars
Beat the room-temperature butter with the white and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. This is what gives the cookies their even, tender crumb, so it’s worth the full few minutes.
Add the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter
Blend in the egg and vanilla, then work in the crunchy peanut butter until the dough is smooth and evenly colored.
Mix in the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together, then add them to the wet mixture a little at a time. Stop as soon as the flour disappears so the dough stays tender.
Don’t overmix, or you’ll end up with tough cookies!
Shape the dough and make the crosshatch
Scoop the dough onto the lined sheet and flatten each mound with a fork, pressing once and then again crosswise. Peanut butter dough is dense and doesn’t spread much on its own, so this flattening is what helps the cookies bake evenly instead of staying domed in the middle.
Bake and cool
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned. The centers will still look soft; leave the cookies on the hot sheet for a few minutes to finish setting before moving them to a wire rack.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Measure the flour by spooning and leveling. Too much flour is the top cause of dry, crumbly peanut butter cookies.
- Watch the clock more than the color. These are easy to overbake, and they keep cooking on the hot sheet after they come out, so pull them when the edges are just set.
- If you want a sharper crosshatch, dip the fork in a little sugar between presses so it doesn’t stick to the dough.
Recipe Variations
- Stir half a cup of chocolate chips into the finished dough for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Adding chips is a well-supported swap that doesn’t change the bake time, and one I make any time there are chips in the cupboard.
- Creamy peanut butter in place of the crunchy gives a smoother cookie with the same flavor and the same timing; it’s a supported swap if you prefer no bits.
- A small pinch of flaky salt pressed onto each cookie before baking plays up the salty side of the dough. It’s a finishing touch rather than a change to the recipe, so it’s supported without any effect on the bake.
How to Store Leftovers
Store cooled peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Slipping a slice of bread into the container helps keep them soft; swap it out once it dries.
To get ahead, freeze the baked cookies in a single layer, then move them to a bag or container for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature. You can also freeze the raw dough as scooped, flattened mounds and bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the time.
What to Serve With Peanut Butter Cookies
These are the kind of cookies that want something to dip into. A cold glass of milk is the classic match, and I like them alongside a mug of coffee for the salty-sweet contrast. For a quick dessert, sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies, or crumble one over a bowl of it. On a mixed cookie tray, they sit happily beside spiced or chocolate cookies without getting lost.
FAQs
No. This dough is sturdy enough to shape and bake right away, which is part of why the recipe is so quick. Chilling only helps if your kitchen is very warm and the dough feels too soft to handle.
Flattening the mounds helps these thick cookies bake through evenly, because the dough barely spreads on its own. The crosshatch is the traditional way bakers have always pressed them down.
Usually, too much flour or a couple of extra minutes in the oven. Spoon and level the flour, and pull the cookies while the centers still look soft.
More Easy Cookies to Bake Next
If this batch disappears fast, here are a few more from the site worth baking:
- Homemade Cookie Monster Cookies hide a whole chocolate cookie inside the dough for a surprise in the middle.
- Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies top a soft cookie with cinnamon sugar and cream cheese frosting for a bakery-style treat at home.
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Pecans bring soft, chewy dough studded with crunchy pecans, with a short chill for the right texture.
- Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Cake Cookies use a little espresso powder to deepen the chocolate without tasting like coffee.
- Easy Gingerbread Cookies lean on dark molasses and a short bake to keep the centers soft, good for decorating or gifting.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, stirring until combined, then blend in the peanut butter until smooth.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup crunchy peanut butter
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until the dough comes together.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop or tablespoon and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each dough ball lightly with a fork, creating a crisscross pattern.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy your cookies!
Notes
- Spoon and level the flour instead of scooping, since too much flour makes the cookies dry.
- Pull the cookies when the edges are set, but the centers still look soft; they firm up on the hot sheet.
- Use a standard no-stir peanut butter rather than a natural, oily one that separates.
- Store cooled peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
