My peanut butter cookie recipe is everything a classic should be. Perfectly sweet (without being overwhelmingly so), soft with slightly crisp edges, and very peanut-forward. They’re made with all butter (no shortening!), brown sugar, and a touch of cornstarch for the perfect, tender, soft and buttery cookie. Recipe includes a how-to video!
This super soft and buttery peanut butter cookie recipe is one of my all-time classic favorites, right up there with my chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles. I have quite a few peanut butter cookie recipes on the blog (a quick search will show you there are at least 13 🫣), but these are my take on the classic.
Why This Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Works:
- All butter, no shortening. Many classic peanut butter cookie recipes (including the one I grew up with) rely on shortening, which can lend thickness to the cookie but leaves them tasting flat. I swap this ingredient for butter, which not only adds flavor, but creates a tender, richer crumb.
- Slightly underbake for just the right texture. The cookies should come out of the oven looking just barely underdone in the center. Residual heat finishes baking the cookies as they cool, leaving you with chewy centers and cookies that are still soft the next day (and the day after that…)
- Classic look, improved method. We still press them with a fork (it’s tradition, after all 😉) but unlike many recipes these cookies don’t actually need it, the dough is already balanced for just the right spread.
- Adaptable. Add your favorite mix-ins (I include a few of my favorites below!), or head over to my recipes for flourless peanut butter cookies or sourdough peanut butter cookies for those equally tasty versions.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter. I prefer creamy peanut butter, but chunky peanut butter will also work if you want a little extra texture. Natural peanut butter (the kind where the oil separates) or homemade peanut butter can work, but will yield more crumbly, dry cookies.
- Butter. Many recipes (including my family’s recipe growing up) use shortening or a blend of butter and shortening. I developed my peanut butter cookie recipe specifically to use butter and only butter. The result is a cookie that’s soft with a buttery, tender crumb and flavor that makes your eyes roll back in your head.
- Flour. Measure this with a scale or alternatively use the technique in my post on how to measure flour. Adding too much flour to the dough will make for hard, dry, and bland peanut butter cookies.
- Sugar. Growing up, peanut butter cookies were only ever made with granulated sugar. One of the first changes I made when developing my own recipe was to swap out a majority portion of that with brown sugar. This not only adds moisture (thanks to the molasses in brown sugar, but also depth of flavor. We do still keep a bit of the granulated sugar in the dough to keep things from being overwhelming, and I also roll my cookies through granulated sugar for a pretty, sparkly exterior that helps encourage just the right amount of spread and gives them a lovely, delicate and subtle crunch (just on the outside!).
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch acts similarly to flour by absorbing moisture and preventing the cookies from spreading too much, but you need less of it than you do flour and it doesn’t toughen the dough the same way. It’s key for a soft texture and you’ll find it in many of my cookies like my peanut butter blossoms and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
SAM’S TIP: Feel free to add chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, Reeses pieces, chopped chocolate, or even chopped up Nutter Butters to the dough.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
- Step 1: Make the dough. Cream the butter, sugars, and peanut butter together until well combined and smooth, then stir in the egg and vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until you have a cohesive dough, then cover and place in the fridge to chill.
- Step 2: Roll through sugar. After chilling (the dough shouldn’t be sticky–if it is, put it back in the fridge), roll 1 ½ tablespoon scoops of dough between your palms. Roll each dough ball through granulated sugar, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Step 3: Press with a fork. Use a fork to gently press down into the cookies in a criss-cross pattern to give the cookies a head start on spreading.
- Step 4: Bake. Do not over-bake these cookies! The centers should actually seem just slightly under-baked when they come out of the oven. They will finish baking as they cool on the cookie sheet for perfectly soft and chewy results.
SAM’S TIP: If your first batch of peanut butter cookies comes out a bit too flat, your ingredients may have just been a tad warm, just pop the dough back in the fridge and chill it a bit longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since peanut butter is thick and low in moisture, it can keep the cookies from spreading more than you’d expect. Lightly pressing them with a fork gives the spread a head-start (and their signature look).
Peanut butter cookie dough is typically quite dense and needs to be pressed down to encourage spreading and even baking. Typically this is done with the tines of a fork.
With my peanut butter cookies recipe, the fork marks are less necessary (and you can skip it if you prefer unnecessary as these cookies will spread pretty well on their own. However, a peanut butter cookie without the criss-cross design on top just doesn’t seem right to me, so we keep it classic here!
Yes! My peanut butter cookies recipe freezes quite nicely. To do this, simply follow the directions for rolled cookies (if rolling in sugar) or drop cookies (if not rolling in sugar) in my how to freeze cookie dough post.
Over-baking your cookies is a surefire way to ruin their texture, so keep a close eye on them! I actually recommend you remove them from the oven when they’re still a bit soft in the middle, that way they can finish cooking on their cookie sheets outside the oven.
For softer cookies, it’s better to avoid using natural peanut butter AND make sure that you measure your flour properly (see my post on how to use a kitchen scale!).
More Peanut Butter Recipes:
Can’t get enough peanut butter? Try my peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies, peanut butter snickerdoodles, or peanut butter pie next! 🥜
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
(The Actual Best) Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (140 g) creamy peanut butter¹
- ⅔ cup (135 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Additional granulated sugar for rolling
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well combined.10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, ½ cup (140 g) creamy peanut butter¹, ⅔ cup (135 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.1 large egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Make sure to pause periodically to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well-combined.
- Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place peanut butter cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to one hour (start with 30 minutes, if the dough is too sticky or your cookies are coming out of the oven too flat, chill for an additional half an hour. This dough may be chilled overnight if you'd like).
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Once dough has chilled, remove from refrigerator and scoop into heaping 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized balls (39g).
- Roll the cookie dough between your palms until smooth and then roll thoroughly in additional granulated sugar. Place on prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies at least 2" apart.Additional granulated sugar for rolling
- Use the tines of a fork to gently make a criss-cross pattern on the surface of each cookie by slightly pressing down.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 9-12 minutes. Edges should be just turning golden brown but the cookie centers should appear slightly under-baked, allow cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets and the centers will finish baking (but remain soft and chewy) as they cool on the cookie sheet. Don't over-bake or the cookies will be dry.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
¹Type of Peanut Butter
Crunchy peanut butter would work fine here (just adds texture to the cookies!). While “natural” peanut butter will “work”, the cookies tend to be a bit more dry and crumbly.Freezing
This cookie dough freezes well. Chill the dough as instructed then scoop and roll through sugar and criss-cross with a fork (if desired) before freezing in an airtight container. Cookie dough will still need to bake on 375F but may need an additional minute or so in the oven.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This peanut butter cookie recipe was originally published 05/09/2018. The recipe remains the same but more notes, photos and a video have been added to the post to make it as helpful as possible!
Jill
What ifs?…what if I only have whole grain flour and “real” peanut butter?
Was gonna ask how to prepare pans…but remembered parchment paper..
Gonna try putting a few chocolate pieces on top for garnish…must have chocolate!Jill
Sugar Spun Run
I am excited for you to try this recipe, Jill. Whole grain flour tends to alter the texture and taste of the cookies so I don’t usually recommend it. If you are referring to “natural” peanut butter as real peanut butter, that will really depend on the brand. I have found that the natural peanut butter has not been as successful because of the oil, causing a greasy cookie. Again, you are welcome to try. I’d love to know how they turn out for you. 🙂
Ana
I was hoping they’d turn out but they were really dry… I think it was the corn starch. Usually my cookies aren’t dry, but this time they were very dry we ended up throwing them out.
Sugar Spun Run
I am really sorry to hear that your cookies turned out dry, Ana! Usually, this is the result of two things over baking or over measuring our flour. Overmeasuring flour is one of the most common mistakes in baking so I have created a guide that can be used as a reference for next time. I hope that you find it helpful. Again I am sorry that your cookies did not turn out well.
Pat
First, I’d like to tell you that I searched YOUR site when I wanted to make peanut butter cookies. I’ve learned to trust your recipes because you’ve never let me down or disappointed me!
This is the best ever peanut butter cookie recipe. So easy, very uniform cookie and absolutely fabulous flavor. I followed it exactly and 30 minute chilling in the refrigerator was all it needed. 9-10 minutes bake time with just a touch of color when I took them out and they were perfect. Thanks again, Sam!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for continuing to come to my site for new ideas. I greatly appreciate your support, Pat. I am glad that these cookies did not disappoint. Thanks for commenting. I can’t wait to hear what you try next. 🙂
Sandy
look great. can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you, Sandy!
Sarah
Would this still work without baking soda?
Sam
Unfortunately the cookies won’t spread without the baking soda, I’m sorry Sarah 🙁
Susie
LOVE these cookies I made these for the first time today and they were the best ever
This recipe is a keeper
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Susie! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Brenda Pinter
We absolutely love these peanut butter cookies. I did substitute and used crunchy peanut butter and I also added 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. The taste was awesome! Thank you so much for being so generous and sharing all your wonderful recipes with us.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Brenda! I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Elaine
Would it be ok to add peanuts to this cookie recipe and if so, how much would you recoommend?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Elaine! Yes, you can most certainly add chopped peanuts. I usually eye ball it, 1/2 cup maybe? 🙂
Jennifer
Hands down THE best recipe for peanut butter cookies that I have ever made, and I have made quite a few over the years. I made these a few weeks ago, and everyone loved them. I’m making them again today.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the cookies were such a big hit, Jennifer! Thank you for coming back to my site and trying them again. Happy Baking! 🙂
Renee
Your Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies changed my LIFE, and now I made these too, and they are perfect. You need to be famous immediately.
Sugar Spun Run
Your comment made my day, Renee! Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe along with my chocolate chip cookies. I appreciate your feedback and kind words. 🙂
Stacey
Hello-will this recipe work for big 6” cookies like the chocolate chip recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Stacey! Yes, it should work just fine. The baking time will vary, so I recommend keeping an eye on it. I hope that you enjoy the peanut butter cookies. 🙂
Jay
These are without a doubt the best peanut butter cookies I’ve made. This recipe really nailed it; I can’t believe how well they turned out. The roasted flavors of the brown sugar and peanut harmonize wonderfully while the texture itself is just perfect. Thanks for sharing this!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear how much you loved the peanut butter cookies, Jay! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Patricia L Bowers
I made your peanut butter cookies a few days ago. I might not have measured the flour (I eyeball it). The most amazing cookies we have ever had, I chilled the dough for at least an hour, the cookies came out like the most moist cake-cookie ever. I love your recipes. I’ll measure the flour next time!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies, Patricia! Anytime I eyeball the flour they are flat or way too dry, so I am glad you lucked out. Thanks so much for commenting. I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next. 🙂
Katy
Super easy recipe, followed to a “T”. But they came out soft but crumbly at the same time. Not sure what happened.
Ashley
I just have to say that I’ve made your sugar cookies and icing, your worst chocolate chip cookies recipe and these all within the last couple of days and they are the best I’ve tasted of all the recipes for each type of cookie I’ve ever tried/made. The additional notes and suggestions are appreciated! I like that they all go at 350 degrees and the chilling doesn’t bother me. I’ve not had any issues with any recipe of yours and everyone’s enjoyed each things I’ve made.
THANK YOU!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so very much, Ashley, for your kind words. I am so glad that every recipe you have tried of mine have been such a big hit. Thank you! 🙂