🥜🍪 Soft Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
YAY! These Soft Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are rich, buttery, tender, and packed with classic peanut butter flavor. They have lightly crisp edges and wonderfully soft, chewy centers—the kind of homemade cookie that disappears quickly from the cookie jar.
⏱ Recipe Information
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 9–11 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour
Yield: 24 cookies
Difficulty: Easy
🛒 Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- Extra granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
🧈 1. Cream the Butter & Sugars
Place the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Beat for 2–3 minutes, until light and creamy.
🥜 2. Add the Peanut Butter
Add the peanut butter and beat until completely combined and smooth.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
🥚 3. Add the Egg & Vanilla
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Mix just until incorporated.
Don’t overmix.
🌾 4. Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together:
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture.
Mix on low speed just until a soft cookie dough forms.
If using peanut butter chips or chocolate chips, gently fold them in now.
❄️ 5. Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for approximately 30 minutes.
Chilling helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and contributes to a thicker, chewier center.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
🍪 6. Shape the Cookies
Scoop approximately 1½ tablespoons of dough for each cookie.
Roll into balls.
For a classic peanut butter cookie appearance, gently roll each dough ball in a little granulated sugar.
Place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between cookies.
🥜 7. Make the Classic Peanut Butter Pattern
Using a fork, gently press each cookie twice to create the traditional crisscross pattern.
Don’t flatten them too aggressively—the cookies should remain fairly thick.
🔥 8. Bake
Bake for 9–11 minutes.
The edges should look set while the centers still appear slightly soft.
Don’t wait for the centers to look completely baked. They will continue cooking from the residual heat of the baking sheet as they cool.
❄️ 9. Cool
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Then carefully transfer them to a wire rack.
They’ll firm up while remaining soft and chewy in the center.
⭐ Chef’s Tips for Extra-Chewy Cookies
Use Brown Sugar
Brown sugar adds moisture and gives the cookies their soft, chewy texture.
Don’t Overbake
This is the most important tip. Pull them from the oven while the centers still look slightly underdone.
Measure Flour Carefully
Too much flour can make peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly.
Chill the Dough
A short chill keeps the cookies thick and prevents excessive spreading.
Use Creamy Peanut Butter
Regular commercial creamy peanut butter generally gives the most consistent texture.
🍫 Delicious Variations
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the dough.
Peanut Butter Cup
Press a small chocolate peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie immediately after baking.
Salted Peanut Butter
Sprinkle the warm cookies with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt.
Double Peanut Butter
Add peanut butter chips to the dough for extra peanut butter flavor.
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Make a small indentation in each dough ball and fill with a little strawberry or raspberry jam before baking.
🧊 Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container.
Room temperature: Up to 5 days.
For maximum softness, place a small piece of bread in the container. Replace the bread as needed.
❄️ Freezing
Freeze the Dough
Shape the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until firm.
Transfer to a freezer-safe bag.
Freeze: Up to 3 months.
Bake directly from frozen, adding approximately 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
Freeze Baked Cookies
Cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Thaw at room temperature.
🥜🍪 Recipe Summary
These Soft Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are everything a classic peanut butter cookie should be: buttery, rich, slightly crisp around the edges, and irresistibly soft and chewy in the middle.
They’re easy enough for a weekend baking session and perfect with a glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee.
Definitely a YAY! 🥜🍪❤️