These are my ideal peanut butter cookies—soft, chewy, and full of delicious nutty flavor. With only 5 minutes of prep, they’re the ultimate treat to make throughout the year!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You won’t need any special equipment. Simply mix everything in one bowl with a spatula, scoop, then bake!
- It’s perfect for peanut butter lovers. My brother has been asking me to develop a peanut butter cookie for over 2 years and I finally did it. He said it was well worth the wait, which says a lot!
- It’s versatile. You could zhuzh up the peanut butter cookies however you like. For example, you could add half a cup of chocolate chips, M&Ms, or even Reese’s Pieces. YUM!
Looking for more simple cookie recipes? Try out my double chocolate chip cookies!
Ingredients
To follow my easy peanut butter cookie recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Melted unsalted butter makes the peanut butter cookie dough really easy to mix by hand.
- I like to use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar to create the perfect balance of flavor and chew. You can use light or dark brown sugar; dark brown sugar will just give you a deeper butterscotch flavor.
- I used one whole egg and an extra egg yolk to add extra flavor and tenderness.
- I used Hungryroot’s creamy peanut butter, which is also organic!
- You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla paste (1:1) in this recipe.
- Flaky sea salt really enhances the sweetness and nuttiness of the cookie.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
💡 Baking Tip
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
- For rounder cookies, place a large circular cutter or mug on top of a freshly baked, warm cookie. Move it around in a circular motion until your cookie is perfectly round! This step is totally optional and purely for plating purposes! 🙂
How to Make Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Step 1: Mix together melted butter with peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugars until fully combined.
Step 2: Add in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until silky smooth.
Step 3: Stir in dry ingredients until no dry spots remain. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Use a cookie scoop (2-3 tablespoon capacity) to gather dough. Roll into sugar and place on lined baking sheet, spacing cookies 3-4 inches apart.
Step 4: Bake cookies at 350°F/177°C for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden and middles are mostly set. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let completely cool on tray and enjoy!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
“FINALLY!!!!” – my brother, who has been asking for peanut butter cookies for years 😂
Storage
If you’d like to make these peanut butter cookies ahead of time, you can freeze raw cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Make sure to roll them in sugar right before baking! You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time, too.
- Room temperature: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating instructions: Allow frozen cookies to thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Or, reheat in the microwave at 10-second intervals.
😋 More Recipes You’ll Love
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Thank you so much! -Bianca ❤️
📖 Recipe & Video
Peanut Butter Cookies
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Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl for mixing dough
- 1 small bowl or plate, for rolling dough in sugar
- 1 Medium cookie scoop 2-3 tablespoon capacity
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- ¾ cups (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt or table salt
Wet ingredients:
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¾ cup (193.5 g) creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup (165 g) light or dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla extract or paste
- 1 (1) egg room temperature
- 1 (1) egg yolk room temperature
For rolling:
- ¼ cup (50) granulated sugar
For topping:
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
- In a large bowl, use silicone spatula to mix melted ¼ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar until combined.
- Mix in 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon vanilla until smooth.
- Add in all of the dry ingredients: ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Mix until no dry spots remain.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Scoop & bake cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Add ¼ cup granulated sugar to a small plate or bowl.
- Use cookie dough scoop to gather dough (2-3 tablespoons) and roll into granulated sugar. Place on lined baking tray, spacing cookies about 3-4 inches apart.
- Bake one tray at a time for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown and middles are mostly set. Immediately sprinkle on flaky sea salt.For the perfectly aesthetic cookie (optional!), place a large circular cutter or mug on top of a freshly baked, warm cookie. Move it around in a circular motion until your cookie is perfectly round.
- Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
- Room temperature: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating instructions: Allow frozen cookies to thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Or, reheat in the microwave at 10-second intervals.
