The best peanut butter cookies! They're soft, chewy, and practically melt in your mouth. This no-chill recipe is easy to make with 9 ingredients.
This peanut butter cookie recipe yields the best peanut butter cookies I’ve tried! They have soft and chewy middles, lightly crisp edges, and a bold peanut butter taste. They’re easy to make with 9 ingredients, and you don’t have to chill the dough. What more could you ask for in a peanut butter cookie recipe?
I’ve tested and tweaked this recipe countless times over the last 5 years. My first version had a delicious nutty flavor…but the texture was a bit too crumbly. The second time, the cookies were softer, but they didn’t taste as rich. Fast forward a few batches, and I finally landed on what I think are the perfect homemade peanut butter cookies.
Readers love them too. Maurice wrote, “This is the ULTIMATE peanut butter cookie. I find a lot of recipes leave the cookies dry and they crumble into a million pieces. These are soft and crumble in the perfect way!” I hope you agree!
Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy peanut butter cookie recipe:
- Peanut butter, of course! This recipe calls for a higher ratio of peanut butter to flour than most classic recipes do. It gives the cookies an amazing peanut butter flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. I recommend using creamy peanut butter over crunchy peanut butter for the best texture.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking soda – It helps the cookies rise and spread.
- Unsalted butter – Let it soften at room temperature before making the recipe.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar – The white sugar helps the cookies spread, while the brown sugar adds molasses-y depth of flavor and keeps them soft and chewy in the middle. Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar both work well here.
- An egg – It acts as a binder, perfecting the cookies’ chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop! Add 1/2 teaspoon if you’re using salted peanut butter. Add 3/4 teaspoon if your nut butter is unsalted.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Can I use natural peanut butter?
Yes! I often use natural peanut butter here. 365 Organic, Thrive Market, and Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter are my favorite brands.
- Tip: Make sure that your peanut butter is well-stirred and smooth before making this recipe. Avoid the dry, stiff stuff that you might find at the bottom of a jar.
Feel free to sub processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy if you prefer.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
You can find the complete peanut butter cookie recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s a quick overview of how to make peanut butter cookies:
First, make the dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a handheld electric mixer works too!), cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. The mixture will smell amazing!
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
Next, form the cookies. Scoop slightly heaping tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls.
Fill a small bowl with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and roll the dough balls in the sugar.
Recipe Tip
Roll the cookies in sugar. I tested this recipe with and without rolling the cookies in sugar, and the sugary cookies were my favorites every time!
Without it, your fork will stick to the cookies when you decorate them with their signature fork marks in a criss-cross pattern.
It also adds a nice crunch to the outsides of the cookies and brings out their rich peanut butter flavor.
Arrange the cookie dough balls on two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 2 inches between them.
Press down on the tops of the cookies with the tines of a fork to form a cross-hatch pattern.
Finally, bake the cookies. Bake one sheet at a time in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will be just set around the edges but look underdone in the middle.
- Tip: The bake time affects the cookies’ texture! Bake 10 minutes for softer cookies and 12 minutes for crispier ones.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies
Store these homemade peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze peanut butter cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze perfectly. Seal them in an airtight container or freezer bag and stash them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Easy Cookie Recipes to Try
If you love these classic peanut butter cookies, try one of these delicious cookie recipes next:
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Or any of these 17 Easy Cookie Recipes!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour,
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt*
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter**
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and the ¼ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla and mix until creamy. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Scoop slightly heaping tablespoons of the dough, then use your hands to roll it into balls. Place the ½ cup granulated sugar in a small bowl and roll the cookie dough balls in it. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between balls. Press down on the tops of the balls with a fork to form a cross-hatch pattern.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, 10 minutes for a softer cookie and 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. The cookies will be just set around the edges but still seem underdone in the middle. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Easy, perfect recipe! Thank you for sharing!!!! 🙂
So good!
I used salted butter, so I didn’t include the other salt and it turned out great.
My boyfriend woofed down three of them before I finished my first and he gives them a huge thumbs up 🙂
How many calories?? Love these
These are by far the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made! I let them in the oven 11 minutes and they came out really nice and soft. I highly recommend trying it out!
I’m so glad you loved them!
tried making and mine came out a little dry and crumbly not smooth – does that mean i overcooked?
Awesome lunchbox snack.. the kids love it
So cool!
I was excited for chewy pb cookies. Good flavor but pretty dry- almost cake-like. Maybe it’s bc I didn’t use natural PB?
A bit too crumbly and dry. I prefer more chewy.
Cookies are good,but very crumbly
We’re very crumbly and dry. Any fixes?
Hi Dave, if the dough feels dry when you’re shaping it, I’d add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it feels moist and cohesive. You could also bake the cookies for a minute or two less to keep them softer.
My first ever attempt at baking cookies. I forgot I only had salted butter, and not unsalted, so I just left out the sea salt this time. They still came out absolutely lovely, my roommates loved them. Super soft yet crumbly. I’ll remember the unsalted butter for next time. XD
After making oatmeal cookies for 6 decades, I have a new favorite recipe! Thanks! These cookies are melt in your mouth excellent, no spreading, perfectly soft and chewy with the right amount of crisp. Love them!!
So glad you loved them, Nancy!
I’d have to agree with the majority on this one. There is no need to sugarcoat before baking. (No pun intended!!!) These are very yummy cookies, to be sure. 5 out of 5, Will bake again.
Hi Jimmy, so glad you enjoyed them!
BEST COOKIES EVERRRR!!!!!!!
Am I missing the nutritional facts?
Hi Anna, you’re not missing them—we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes unfortunately. You could use an online nutrition calculator to get them though!
best pb cookies hands down. so peanut buttery and soft. works great with natural pb too. will skip rolling in sugar next time as i preferred the texture of the ones i made without.
I’m so glad you loved the cookies, Gabriella!
Can I cut down on the sugar
Hi Glenda, the sugar plays an important role in creating the cookies’ texture, so I’m not sure how it would work to reduce it. You could definitely skip the sugar for rolling. It might also work to use 1/3 cup brown sugar instead of 1/2. Without having tried it though, I can’t guarantee the results!
Love these cookies! Delicious!😋
I loved these cookies. This will be the second time making them in two weeks! This time I won’t roll them in the sugar, but that’s the only change I would make thank you for this great recipe.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Love these!
Added 1/4 cup steel cut oats to the recipe and rolled them without the sugar….oh, wow! Light with a little bit of meatiness, crispy, and melt in your mouth. I felt like Po when he found Monkey’s almond cookies.
I’m so glad you loved them!