Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
These soft peanut butter cookies are easy to make, full of peanut butter flavor, and don’t require any dough chilling. This is the best peanut butter cookie recipe you will ever try!
Over the years I’ve published hundreds of recipes on my site. It’s been my goal this summer to update some of those older recipes that I really love with more pictures and information to ensure that you can make them with ease.
So today I’m bringing back one of my favorite classic recipes on the blog – these delicious homemade peanut butter cookies!
Why You Will Love These Cookies
- They’re incredibly easy to make
- No dough chilling required
- Super soft
- Packed with peanut butter
I’m also sharing helpful tips on freezing your cookie dough, preparing the dough ahead of time, and so much more. If you love peanut butter, then this is one cookie recipe you’ll want to try!
Ingredients For This Recipe
To make this peanut butter cookie recipe, you’ll need 9 simple ingredients. Let’s break down each one and what it does in this recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour: The flour helps provide the structure for these cookies so that they hold their shape and don’t fall apart when you pick them up.
- Baking Soda & Salt: The baking soda provides a little lift and the salt enhances the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: I recommend sticking with unsalted butter for this recipe if possible. Your butter should also be soft enough to press your finger into.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: I prefer to use a mix of sugars, the brown sugar adds moisture to the dough and keeps the cookies soft.
- Peanut Butter: I like to use creamy peanut butter and recommend sticking with a no-stir option like Jif or Skippy.
- Egg & Vanilla Extract: The egg helps bind everything together and the vanilla adds flavor.
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Once you have all of your ingredients, it’s time to prepare these peanut butter cookies. To start, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a couple of large baking sheets with parchment paper. The parchment paper is completely optional here, but it will make for easier cleanup and I find that cookies just bake up better with it too.
Next, you’ll whisk together your flour, baking soda, salt, and set it aside. You’ll mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for a minute or two until they’re well combined. Then, mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract. I suggest stopping to scrape down the sides of your bowl at this point and giving it another mix to ensure that the wet ingredients are well combined.
After you mix up the wet ingredients, you’ll add the dry ingredients and mix them in until just combined. Then, scoop the cookie dough, roll each ball in some granulated sugar, place them on the prepared baking sheets, and press each one down with the tines of a fork in a criss-cross pattern. The fork marks will help flatten the cookies some so that they spread as they bake in the oven.
Once the cookie dough is ready, simply bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
FAQ’s
Can I use crunchy peanut butter in these cookies?
Yes, you can substitute the creamy peanut butter with the same amount of crunchy peanut butter.
How do I adjust the recipe if I only have salted butter on hand?
A good rule of thumb when replacing salted butter with unsalted butter in a recipe is to reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon per stick of butter. Since this recipe only uses 1/4 teaspoon of salt, I recommend still adding a tiny pinch of salt.
Can these cookies be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze these cookies! Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply place the cookies on the counter for a few hours so that they can come to room temperature.
If you want to freeze the cookie dough: Scoop the cookie dough with a cookie scoop, press each ball of dough down with a fork in a criss-cross pattern, and freeze the cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 1 to 2 hours. Once the cookie dough is frozen, freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can bake the cookie dough from frozen for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Can I prepare the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes! You may prepare the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. If you need to prepare it further in advance, then I recommend freezing it.
Baking Tips
- It’s best to use a room temperature egg in this cookie dough. If you forget to let your egg come to room temperature, simply place it in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- I prefer to roll the cookie dough in some extra granulated sugar before baking, but this step is completely optional. Feel free to skip it if you prefer!
- Want to add chocolate? Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the cookie dough or try my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies instead!
More Easy Peanut Butter Recipes To Try!
- Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Video
Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190 grams) all purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (190 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined.
- Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Place the 3 tablespoons (40 grams) of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough, roll into a ball, and coat in the granulated sugar. Place each ball of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one. Gently press each one down with a fork to make a small criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
I just made these and they are delicious! I love that they are soft and so full of peanut butter flavor. I am definitely keeping this recipe!
Can I make these cookies for an ice cream sandwich? They look delicious
I think they would work well for ice cream sandwiches!
I made these last night and followed the directions to the T and they were absolutely delicious!! Exactly how I like my peanut butter cookies. I added a chocolate glaze on top and MmMm!! Thank you! I’m adding this to my arsenal.
I was searching for an easy Peanut Butter Cookie recipe for a while, then I spottedyour recipe. I did not hesitate and tried it right away. These cookies are scrumptious and my husband loves them. I will be making them again. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
So glad you liked the cookies, Heidi!
These are awesome!! Keeper recipe.
This was a great recipe! I had warm cookies ready to eat in 30 mins which were soft and delicious. 100x better than store bought! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
My search is over. Hands down to you Danielle. This is the best soft peanut butter cookie recipe EVER!!!
Trying this with fresh ground peanut butter. In the oven now. Can’t wait.
Just sampled a couple…..they were excellent!
These turned out great. ? They were just a tad crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I did make them a tad smaller and reduced the baking time. I used a store brand peanut butter but next time I’ll try it with a better brand of peanut butter.
I did add some white chocolate chips to some of them because I had some that needed to be used up. Those were good too. I’ll be making this again! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
We whipped these up on the spur of the moment to take to someone, I chose this recipe because it didn’t require chilling the dough, but was a bit concerned about how they’d turn out without that step. We were extremely pleased with the results and will definitely make these again.
We don’t have special scoops, so just guessed with a spoon on the size… If they’re too big, they’ll be too soft in the middle and will fall apart. If you get just the right amount of dough, you’ll have an absolutely perfectly soft cookie with a crunchy edge. ?
As someone who is just getting into baking, I was excited with both how easy these were to make and how delicious they turned out. I am planning on making them again, but adding chocolate chips this time. Hopefully it won’t throw off the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Chocolate chips are fine to use! I would use about 1 cup.
They turned out perfectly! Thank you!
I made substituting shortening for the butter and with all white sugar because that’s what I have. Came out delicious. A structurally sound, very soft cookie recipe.
Allow enough time to cool or they are too soft. They are perfect after about 2 hours cooling time. Before that, they’re still a little soft, and if you do use shortening, they will be a touch oily, so bake them the full 12 or even 14 minutes.
I have made 3 or 4 batches ( I lost count lol!) of these cookies in the past 3 days. They are AMAZING. I shared a few but my husband and I ate most of them..whoops. my oven bakes these perfectly at 11 minutes, any longer and they get a bit crunchy but they still taste just as good. This is definitely getting saved to be used for years to come! Thank you!!!
Really really great cookies! This is my new go-to recipe.
I’ve made these too many times in like two months. And people ask for the recipe, so I’m spreading the word! Great job–thank you!
Thank you, Lori!
What if I don’t have large eggs and don’t have unsalted butter can I use regular butter?
It kind of depends on the size of your eggs for how you would need to adjust it. You can use salted butter, just omit the salt.
Made these tonight… my daughter and husband loved them! I think I’ll try adding M&M’s next time 😉
I made these vegan by using earth balance and a flax egg. I also made them about half the size because I made little pb&j sandwich cookies. So good.
This recipe “cures” particular issues with other peanut butter recipes such as: not enough peanut butter taste; preference for more brown sugar; cookies not soft enough; cooking time too short (one recipe I looked at calls for 6-7 minute baking time). Anyway, I’ve made these twice with success. I add a dash (maybe “half” a dash of cinnamon) and an extra 1/4 tsp. vanilla — these help cut the highly sweet taste. To the reviewer who said the dough is too crumbly. Not mine. It was just right. I made sure to use a very large egg. Maybe my 3/4 c peanut butter is a tad generous, too. I make sure my brown sugar is fresh so it’s not dried out and course.
My first attempt at peanut butter cookies and I’m in love with these. I used an organic crunchy peanut butter which tastes fantastic, only ingredients are peanuts and salt & the recipe turned out perfectly. I used organic flour, eggs and unsalted Kerry Gold butter and everyone loved them. Wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe!
Do you think you could cut back on the sugar for this recipe?
You could probably reduce it by 1/4 cup without noticing too much of a difference.
These were really tasty, but the dough was very crumbly. It didn’t come together well and the cookies fell apart. I re-read the recipe to make sure I got the measurements right and followed it exactly. They tasted great, but looked very rustic. Next time I might try adding a second egg or more butter or peanut butter.
Sorry to hear that, Samantha! Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour too? Glad you liked the taste though!
Not a bad recipe but I taste too much flour (and yes I followed the recipe to a T except baking time). I cut the baking time to 8 mins because my oven bakes fast. Will try it again using 1/4 cup more peanut butter and see what happens. ??
Gteat cookie. Far the best. What I did do is add 1/4 a cup extra peanut butter. I like to really taste the peanut butter
My Little Dogs fav too. Lol. A hit with the Grandbabys..?
Love the recipe. I made now about 4 times and well my co-workers and myself love them. Lets put it this way they always ask me when are you making those really great peanut butter cookies? So I’ve made alot for my co-workers.
So happy to hear that everyone enjoyed the cookies, Ashley!
Husband loves them! Will make them again!
Best cookies I’ve ever tasted homemade! I prefer to eat soft cookies and these certainly didn’t disappoint! I used smuckers natural peanut butter to give them a more nutty flavor, so delicious. They were a hit in the family home! Thanks so much for the recipe ??? Will definitely make again!
Super Delicious and soft!!! Great recipe
Excellent!
I have tried this reciepe several times and turned out great. Kids and grandkids love them. I did modify a little by adding chocalate chips they are great. Keep up the reciepes
I have made this recipe two times! It’s amazing!!! Add less butter if you like more crumbly cookies and add the said amount for a nice soft cookie. They are amazing!!
Tastes amazing yet turned out a bit soft
They’re meant to be soft 🙂
Thanks for sharing this one. This was my first attempt at peanut butter cookies and they were a hit! My oven bakes fast, so I baked them for only 7 minutes.