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 was looking for a really good but basic peanut butter cookie recipe and I found it right here! I made them today and they were everything you said they would be; very delicious, soft and so flavorful. Right amount of peanut butter, in fact all of the ingredients were just perfect …I didn’t change one thing. So quick and easy, too. They’re so good I ate 3 in a row!! This is my new favorite peanut butter cookie recipe that will be my go-to! I’m giving this recipe five stars !!! Thank you very much for posting!
Can I use self rising flour? Will that make a big difference?
I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe, since self-rising flour has baking powder added to it.
I absolutely love this recipe! It is my go-to for peanut butter cookies.
I just made them again today and am eating one as I type- they are so melt in your mouth yummy!
I looked at the three ingredient recipes but the wife liked the idea of this one with the nod towards a more traditional cookie recipe. I substituted 1/2 C of the flour with a half C of peanut flour with the peanut taste exploding. Great recipe than you for sharing !
Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would do without this amazing recipe! I tried it and they turned out so yummy!?
im just now starting to get more into baking so i tried to make these and they turned out pretty great! This might be on my part, but they weren’t as flat as I expected and were kinda chubby? But nonetheless, still really good and my family is digging them too
Did you make sure to press them down with a fork? They don’t spread much if you leave them in a ball, that step helps them to spread. Glad your family enjoyed the cookies!
Yum!!! Perfect way to use up the crunchy peanut butter I purchased by accident. I only had 75 grams of dark brown sugar, so I made up for it with white sugar. Still delicious!!! So soft and yummy!!!
Mine turned out a bit dry? Only way to describe it. They still had a good flavor but the texture was a bit too powdery? Not sure why.
Sorry to hear that, Ashley. Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour and did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
How do you think this would translate as a gluten free recipe?
I haven’t tried it, but if you’ve had success substituting a certain brand of gluten free flour 1:1 in other recipes it may work in this one.
First time making peanut butter cookies and made this exactly as posted (except decreased brown sugar by 1/4 cup), and it turned out fantastic!
Some commentators have mentioned crumbly dough but that was NOT the case for me at all!! After mixing well, the dough was moist and held together very well.
I used chunky PB and wheat flour – they still came out amazing and I will hundred percent make Them again! This recipe was amazing thanks for sharing!
This was a fun and simple recipe. With supplies running short, I substituted the light brown sugar for Stevia brown sugar. I did not realize this sugar was any different from the other sugars and I added too much (Directions call for about 1/2 of what the recipe would call for). They turned out delicious. My mother in law, who hates peanut butter cookies, is at the table eating them up faster than they can cool. Give this one a go.
Great recipe , but I tweaked it to make them low carb . Used 3/4 c of caralous flour and 3/4 c reg flour . And all sugars where swerve substitute sugars. But they turned out perfect , over all like I said before great recipe.
Very tasty cookie, and I love the soft texture… It’s even better the next day. Right out of the oven (after cooling off) they were almost too soft and fluffy, if that’s even possible! Next time I will probably omit the white sugar, as they were a bit sweet for my taste.
Easy recipe to follow! Best tasting recipe I’ve made so far and very soft too. Thank you for sharing!
Hi, thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I tried your recipe this morning and since we’re locked down where I live, I didn’t have all of the ingredients but they still turned out great. I didn’t have brown sugar and only about half of the butter you listed. I added about two teaspoons of oil and doubled the vanilla. SO GOOD!
Thank you again! Happy Easter.
Great recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly but added cinnamon to the sugar that you roll the dough in. Yum!! 10 minutes was the perfect amount of time for these. Soft and flavorful. Not too sweet.
Thanks Danielle!
I have made this recipe three successful times, and my family LOVES them! However, the last FOUR attempts, my dough has been so thin and sticky after following the directions that I couldn’t roll into balls. I know on my previous attempts that it should be a very dry dough. What could I now be doing wrong?
Hi, Cassie! The dough definitely shouldn’t be too sticky to roll into balls. Have you made any changes to the recipe or ingredients you’re using the last few times you made it? And did you double check the measurements?
I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe! I am a peanut butter fiend and have tried some disappointing peanut butter cookie recipes in my search for perfection (too crumbly, too crunchy), but this is it! They came out perfect! I also appreciate that you include weight measurements- so much more foolproof than cups.
JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! Thank you for sharing. They were perfect and so easily made. Thank Danielle
These were absolutely delicious! I was looking for a soft peanut butter cookie recipe, and this was great! I
Added chocolate chips for that peanut butter/
Chocolate combo. I also used homemade peanut
Butter, and it turned out great! We will be making these again…
I made these and they were an absolute hit. My entire family loved them. I made them with dark roasted peanut butter and I got 3 dozen cookies from the batch. These are becoming a part of my regular cookie rotation. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
made with less sugar in the dough did not use the optional sugar addition. sweet enough for us… I find a lot of things are just fine with less sugar.
This is the absolute best peanut butter cookie recipe I’ve ever tried! They are so soft and delicious. My husband doesn’t like to eat very much sweets but he can’t get enough of these! I made them two nights in a row. Thank you! ?
Made these tonight and added chocolate chips to my batch! Swaped granulated sugar with icing sugar for a even softer cookie. Lasted all of 30min in this house! YUMMY! A must bake!
i almost gave up on baking certain things
cookies were my downfall just horrible some eatable some not lol
i just tried your soft peanut butter cookies and my hubby
loves them no sugar till next time but sugar to make fork marks
they were warm & perfect! the test will be later tonight and tomorrow airtight container i might freeze a few baked ones to see how they are when defrosted!!
thank you for making the baking less difficult and more fun
i’ve made the soft & chewy cookie mix in fridge from last night so baking those up soon but i might take some of the raw dough and freeze it for a test!!
i have a picture but not sure how to do that
i get the emails signed up and i have learned all kinds of things
i did make 644 wontons either fried and soup!! baking was not i
on my radar until you came along!!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Gale! Hope you enjoyed the cookies!
I tried this recipe. Excellent and just the right softness to them.
Wonder what will happen if I chill the dough before baking or add more peanut butter?
It’s fine to chill the cookie dough! Just make sure to flatten them down with a fork prior to baking.
Excellent soft and chewy pb cookie recipe! Added some pb ch ips and m&m’s yumm!!
Great recipe! I only had dark brown sugar on hand, so I used a little bit less of it and a little more white sugar to make up the difference. Otherwise, I made them per the recipe, and they turned out beautifully. Next time, I might use chunky peanut butter, because I enjoy that kind of texture.
I am not a big peanut butter cookie fan, but I bought chunky peanut butter and wanted to use it up fast (I am a creamy peanut butter fan). I found this recipe and substituted chunky peanut butter. These cookies are the BEST! I have no made this recipe two more times! It’s a hit with my family too!
I picked this recipe due to the cookie picture. There were so many ‘less than positive’ reviews I just had to make them for myself to see how the cookies pictured actually tasted. Let me say, I was not disappointed. They are amazing!!!
Side note: I did add 1.5 Tbsp Maple syrup as someone else suggested. I also baked them at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Perfection!!!
I forgot to mention that I used dark brown sugar and they still came out a beautiful light brown as pictured.
So glad the cookie turned out great for you, Samantha!
What if I only have salted butter?
You can use it and just omit the salt from the recipe.