The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
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Thick and soft with a rich peanut butter flavor and slightly sandy texture, these are the best peanut butter cookies.
In search of the ultimate peanut butter cookies, I gathered the best-looking recipes from the internet and my cookbook collection, and I baked them all. Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipe, published in her cookbook My Father’s Daughter, was the clear winner. The cookies are thick and soft with a rich peanut butter flavor and slightly sandy texture, and they are chockfull of Reese’s peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts. I should note that I’m not usually a big fan of peanut butter chips, but they add a wonderful texture and flavor here.
P.S. If you happen to be on a gluten-free diet (or are baking for someone who is), I’ve also got a fabulous flourless peanut butter cookie recipe that’s just as delicious.
“Wow Wow wow!!! My 7-year-old said it best after trying one: “It’s like I’m having a party in my mouth eating this cookie””
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the base for the cookies. To ensure you’re using the correct amount of flour, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents, helping the cookies rise.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the cookies.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Not only adds deep peanut butter flavor but also contributes to the moist and chewy texture. For best results, do not use natural peanut butter; it doesn’t contain stabilizers and is prone to separating (I like Skippy No Need To Stir).
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture to the cookies, while also contributing to their chewiness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies with its aromatic richness.
- Large Egg: Provides structure and helps bind the ingredients together.
- Peanut Butter Chips: Intensify the peanut butter flavor and add bursts of sweetness throughout the cookies.
- Salted Peanuts: Provide extra crunch and a hint of saltiness, complementing the sweetness of the cookies. These are optional, but I highly encourage them.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Next, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer (either a hand-held or stand mixer will work).
Beat until smooth and creamy, about a minute.
Add the egg.
Mix to combine, then add the dry ingredients.
Add the peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts (if using).
Mix until just combined.
Chill the dough for 1 hour. (This step is not absolutely necessary, however, the dough is quite sticky and difficult to handle if you don’t have a “cookie scooper.” Chilling the dough makes it much easier to handle.)
Form the cookie dough into 1-1/2-inch balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, and then use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern and push the cookies down.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Note: This recipe is modestly adapted from Grandad Danner’s Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies in My Father’s Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow. I replaced the dark brown sugar with light brown sugar, omitted the additional sugar for rolling, and added chopped peanuts for texture and more peanut flavor. I also made a few tweaks to the method. To see the original recipe and read the rave reviews, click here.
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The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
Thick and soft with a rich peanut butter flavor and slightly sandy texture, these are the best peanut butter cookies.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with knife
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature (I like Skippy No Need To Stir)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- ½ cup very finely chopped salted peanuts (optional)
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds more. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts (if using).
- Chill the dough for 1 hour (see note below). Set racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Using a 1½-inch scooper with a wire scraper (if you don’t have one, use a spoon and your hands), form the dough into 1½-inch balls on the prepared baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, mark a crisscross pattern on the cookies, pressing them down slightly. Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and golden on the bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. (Note: the cookies are very fragile when hot, so take care not to break them. They’ll firm up nicely as they cool.)
- Note: It's not absolutely necessary to chill the dough, however, it is quite sticky and difficult to handle if you don't have a "cookie scooper." Chilling the dough makes it much easier to handle, but feel free to skip this step if you like.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions:The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 173
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Sodium: 13mg
- Cholesterol: 78mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These cookies are definitely for the peanut better lover and were delicious! I saw that the original recipe used 1/2 light brown sugar and 1/2 dark brown sugar so I used the combination of the brown sugars. Even after refrigerating, the dough was hard to work with – very crumbly but once baked and cooled came together nicely. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
One word……YUMMY!
Will this recipe work if you leave the peanuts out? Thanks. Love your recipes
Sure — the cookies may have slightly less texture without the crunch of the peanuts, but they’ll still be good — hope you enjoy!
Thank you. I did add the nuts, just not as much as the recipe. They turned out great.
Hi Jenn – could I use a hand mixer? I don’t have a kitchen-aid. Also would gf flour work?
Hi Catherine, you can definitely use a hand mixer; you’ll just need to increase the speed a bit. And I’ve never made these with gluten-free flour, so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it will work nicely. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jenn – gluten-free flour worked fine (Bob’s Redmill 1 to 1) and I used chocolate chips rather than pb and they were delicious. I did use the natural peanut butter and as you noted, it was a little dry & made the batter a bit crumbly. Wondering if adding a tablespoon of coconut oil or peanut oil when mixing the peanut butter and butter would help? Or more butter?
Hi Catherine, glad you like these! If you want to stick with a natural peanut butter, yes, I think adding a tablespoon or so of coconut oil may help to provide a little more moisture.
Best peanut butter cookies ever!!!😊😊💕💕🇨🇦
Simply put, this is the best peanut butter cookie recipe that I have made. In the past month, I have been craving peanut butter cookies and have tried other recipes.This one is the BEST! I made exactly as outlined–don’t skip the peanut butter chips or salted peanuts. They give the cookie a creamy and crunchy bite. Normally, I get my fix from Subway–strangely, they make a good peanut butter cookie. Now, I have balls of deliciousness in the freezer and can pop into the oven at will. (Oh, I used a Cusinart as my KitchenAid mixer is in storage and everything came together beautifully.) Thank you, Jenn.
JUST SO GOOD!
I tried these for the first time and had been eying them in Gwyneth’s cookbook which I have as well. They were amazing!! So peanut buttery! My husband loved them!
Thank you for this. What a delicious cookie. I have had my eye on this recipe for a while, and finally made it out to the supermarket to get the PB chips. I wanted to add a couple of notes, in case they are helpful for others:
1) I only used 2/3 cup sugar and I thought they were plenty sweet. I think if they were sweeter they wouldn’t taste peanutty enough.
2) I used two baking sheets. One was very light in color and one was very dark in color. The cookies on the lighter sheet took at least 6 more minutes to get “golden” on the underside, and even then didn’t look as golden as the ones baked on the darker sheet. I used parchment on both sheets.
Jenn is the cookie master. Every recipe from her site is amazing. These peanut butter cookies are no exception. Although peanut butter are not my personal favorite type of cookie, my husband LOVES them. He took a bite as they came out of the oven and immediately exclaimed, “They’re so peanut-buttery!!!” He has eaten 6 so far. Thanks, Jenn!
Thank you once again for a wonderful recipe. My grandson is going to love these😍