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 Cookie 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 wasn’t pleased 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 counterargument for any rules put out by the matriarch of the household.
• This recipe from Dorie Greenspan makes the BEST peanut butter cookies I’ve ever eaten.
• Her recipe uses extra chunky peanut butter and provides the 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 (affiliate link to my go-to flour brand), sugar, salt
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder (affiliate link): Check the expiration date, as this product often expires before you use it all. You can check its freshness by putting a spoonful in a cup of very hot water. If it’s still active, it will bubble vigorously. If it doesn’t, buy a fresh tin before making this recipe.
• Brown Sugar
• Eggs: All my recipes use large eggs, unless otherwise noted.
• Butter: I used salted.
• Extra Chunky Peanut Butter (affiliate link): Creamy is fine if you don’t like the texture of extra chunky. I used the Jif brand, but any favorite will work (except for natural peanut butter as it doesn’t have the desired creamy texture).

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. You can test it’s potency by adding a spoonful of your baking powder to a cup of very hot water. If it’s still active, it will bubble vigorously. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to purchase a new tin before starting this recipe.
• Use extra chunky peanut butter in this peanut butter cookie recipe. It adds some wonderful 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 (affiliate link) 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 (affiliate link) AKA medium cookie scoop, to dish 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.
• PRO-Tip: Take a table fork and press down to flatten a dough ball. Rotate the fork 90° and press down to form a hashmark # across the surface. See the photo above to see how the classic markings should look on a batch of these easy peanut butter cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

You May Also Like

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.

• Salted Caramel Peanut Pie by Hungry Couple
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Caramel Bars
• Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies
• Frozen Peanut Butter Pie
• Homemade Reese’s Bars
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie
• Best Peanut Butter Lovers Recipes
• Plus, check out more of my best Dessert Recipes.
• And more of my favorite Cookie Recipes.

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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!

4.9 Stars (81 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup of peanut butter (I used extra chunky Jif)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• ¾ 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.

• 
  OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
• 
  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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