Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside….easy Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies from scratch with a secret ingredient that will knock your socks off. Buttery, peanut-y and oh so sweet…..I like to dip, drizzle and dunk in chocolate. Because chocolate and peanut butter is just perfection.

Peanut butter cookie dipped in chocolate on a plate with other peanut butter cookies.


Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

When you know, you know. And I know this is the BEST Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, ever. Just like Grandma’s Peanut Butter Cookies, these are extra crispy outside, soft and chewy inside. As nature intended them to be. This is a cookie for peanut butter lovers.

I could seriously eat piles of these cookies and with baking season right around the corner, I’m planning to just buy a bunch of leggings to get me through the season.

Deprivation is not the key to successful weight loss so bake the cookies, eat a few of the cookies, and share the rest. This will be hard to do in this case because these are seriously the VERY BEST Peanut Butter Cookies you will ever make. I’m not even kidding a little bit.

This is a soft peanut butter cookie recipe that’s a little crisp on the outside. If you want crunchy peanut butter cookies, just bake them for a few minutes longer to dry out the cookie dough.

Ingredients

  • Peanut Butter – Creamy Peanut Butter or smooth peanut butter works best. I find I get the best texture with a natural peanut butter but a more pronounced peanut butter flavor with processed peanut butter.
  • Flour – All-purpose flour is my go-to choice for this cookie recipe but whole wheat flour is a good substitute.
  • Butter – Unsalted butter, room temperature will ensure a tender cookie.
  • Sugar – I use light brown sugar, but you can substitute with dark brown sugar, as well. Regular granulated white sugar will produce a lighter cookie.
  • Eggs – Large egg at room temperature.
  • Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract provides a hint of earthy sweetness.

For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.

Peanut Butter cookies stacked on a marble cake plate

How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies

I tested this recipe so many times to get it right and when I finally made the perfect batch, I forgot to write it down. So, I had to make my homemade peanut butter cookies one more time and  I did remember to add the secret ingredient that boosted the flavor to epic proportions, hellooooo, espresso powder!

Espresso powder adds a punch of flavor that doesn’t taste like coffee at all but just balances out the sweet, salty cookie dough so it tastes like no other cookie you ever tried.

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until well blended
  3. Add the sugar to the butter mixture and beat until fluffy.
  4. Turn the mixer to medium low. Add the egg and vanilla beating until smooth.
  5. Reduce the mixer to low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl and beat until it just comes together.
  6. Drop 2 tablespoon scoops of peanut butter cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet approximately 2-3 inches apart.
  7. Using the tines of a fork, press the cookie dough balls down in a criss-cross pattern to form the cross-hatch design. (This step is optional.)
  8. Bake cookies for approximately 13-15 minutes at 325˚F until golden brown, turning the baking sheet halfway through cooking time.
  9. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Now, you can decorated with melted chocolate like I did by drizzling melted chocolate on top of the cookie or you can just enjoy them as is. Either way, they’re incredibly amazing.

Peanut butter cookies on a sheet of parchment drizzled with chocolate.

What are Peanut Butter Cookies?

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies are an American cookie that’s made primarily of peanut butter. Dating back to the 1910’s, this cookie can be soft and chewy or crispy throughout. It can also contain bits of chopped peanut based on whether you use creamy or chunky peanut butter.

I always thought I didn’t like Peanut Butter Cookies because they always seemed dry and chalky. The texture thing was a thing for me and I just wanted something that had a bit of crunch outside with a soft, buttery inside. Guess what? That’s really hard to do with peanut butter!!!

But I managed to crack the code with this one and was so happy with the results I dipped some in chocolate and sprinkled with chopped peanuts to celebrate!

Then, I drizzled the rest of the chocolate over the rest of the cookies…..because chocolate and peanut butter are so wonderful together. Really. Don’t you agree? If you don’t, just don’t tell me. Tell me what I want to hear.

Peanut butter cookie drizzled with chocolate being lifted from a sheet of parchment paper
  • Swap out the brown sugar with white sugar for a lighter cookie.
  • Remove 1/2 cup flour and replace with 1/2 cup rolled oats for a Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie.
  • Fold in a handful of chocolate chips to create a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie.

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Peanut butter cookies on a sheet of parchment drizzled with chocolate.

Get the Recipe: Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Yield: 28
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Crispy, soft and chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are the BEST EVER. Perfect results every time with this easy peanut butter cookie recipe
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces chopped dark chocolate
  • Chopped peanuts, if desired

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 cookie sheet

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 325˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer,  beat together the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the sugar to the bowl and continue beating until light and creamy.
  • Turn the mixer to low and add the egg to the bowl. Beat to combine. Add the vanilla and continue mixing until combined scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  • With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour to the the bowl and beat to combine. Continue mixing the dough for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  • Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop 2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto the prepared baking sheet approximately 2-3 inches apart. Using a fork, press the dough down to form the crosshatch design.
  • Bake the cookies for approximately 13-15 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through cooking time. (For softer cookies baking for 13 minutes, crispier bake for 15). Repeat steps 6 and 7 with any remaining dough until all the cookies have been baked.
  • Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet to cool completely. 
  • While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl by heating in 30 second increments at full power stirring in between each interval until smooth.
  • Dip the cookies into the chocolate (and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired) then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment to set. 

Notes

Cookies can be baked up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Dough can be made and frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Espresso powder can be found in most well stocked grocery stores. My favorite is by DeLallo Foods.
Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 89mg, Potassium: 148mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 110IU, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1.5mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Baking
Cuisine: American