Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Look no further for the BEST Peanut Butter Cookies. With just the right “snap” and texture from extra crunchy peanut butter, they’ll instantly become a family favorite!

I’ve been making this Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe for years. Once I find a favorite, there’s no need to hunt down another. This recipe is the finest!

Why You Must Make

I was heading to Denver to visit my youngest sister, Maddy, who used to eat slice after slice of peanut butter toast when we were children. I knew she’d be thrilled with a special delivery of these Easy Peanut Butter Cookies.

• I was not mistaken. She loved how tender and not overly sweet these babies were. Bill shared the family tradition he started years ago in his grandfather’s kitchen with Maddy and her husband. Bill’s dad caught his middle son eating cookies and milk early one morning during one of their visits. My father-in-law grew irate and started scolding Bill until Bill’s Great-aunt Kate intervened with, “It’s OK.  It’s a breakfast cookie.” Bill’s dad was raised by his aunt and knew immediately he had no retort for any rules put out by the matriarch of the household.
• This recipe came from Dorie Greenspan makes the BEST peanut butter cookies I’ve ever eaten.
• This recipe uses extra chunky peanut butter to give an added bonus of small bits of peanuts.

Maddy was happy to adopt the idea of breakfast cookies. I did comment that at least a peanut butter cookie contained a bit more protein than the Oreos and chocolate chip breakfast cookies that I’d observed the hubby snacking on for his breakfast cookie!

Recipe Notes

• Kitchen staples: All-purpose flour, sugar, salt
• Baking soda
• Baking powder: (check the expiration date as this product often expires before you use it all)
• Brown sugar
• Eggs: All my recipes use large eggs
• Butter: (I use salted)
• Extra Chunky Peanut Butter: (creamy is fine if you don’t like the texture of extra chunky). I used Jif.

Expert Tips

• As with most cookies, have your butter and eggs at room temperature. They’ll incorporate into the batter better than when they’re fresh out of the refrigerator.
• Pro-Tip: Make sure both your baking soda and baking powder haven’t expired. Baking powder, in particular, has a shorter life span and since it’s used less frequently, it often loses its leavening strength before you even put a dent in the container.
• Use extra chunky peanut butter in this peanut butter cookie recipe. It adds some extra texture and peanut butter flavor.
• If you do not like nuts in your cookies, feel free to use creamy peanut butter instead.
• I used Jif peanut butter. This recipe was not tested with homemade or natural peanut butter, which is not as thick as national brands.
• PRO-Tip: Spray your measuring cup with non-stick spray before measuring out sticky ingredients like peanut butter or honey. It will release like a dream and make clean-up a lot easier.
• Use a cookie disher to scoop out even-sized balls of cookie dough. Roll them between your palms to form dough balls.
• PRO-Tip: Roll your dough balls in sugar. The sugar helps prevent the fork from sticking to the dough.
• Take a table fork and press down to flatten a dough ball. Rotate the fork and press down to form a hashmark # across the surface.  See the photo above for how the markings should look on a batch these easy peanut butter cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Whether or not you want to legitimize the breakfast cookie at your house, you’ll definitely want to bake up a batch of these classic peanut butter cookies.  

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• Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie
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The Recipe:

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Yield 36 cookies

Easy, old-fashioned peanut butter cookies!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup of peanut butter (I used extra chunky Jif)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• Additional sugar for rolling the dough balls

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
3. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter till smooth and creamy.
4. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for a few minutes more.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
6. On low speed or by hand, add the reserved dry ingredients, mixing only till incorporated.
7. Put some sugar into a pie plate. Scoop out level tablespoons of dough and roll in sugar to coat. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2-inches between them.
8. To make the criss-cross pattern, dip a fork in sugar and press down on top of the dough balls in one direction, then again in the opposite direction.
9. Bake for about 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for about a minute before moving to a cooling rack.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan.

Eggs and butter should be at room temperature for easier incorporation. You may use smooth peanut butter if that's your preference.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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  OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
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  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
• 
  OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
• 
  Reynolds Cookie Baking Sheets Non-Stick Parchment Paper, 25 Sheet, 4 Count
• 
  USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 159Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g

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