Using this recipe, you’ll enjoy ultra-soft and thick bakery-style peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that are filled to the brim with chocolate chips. I make them with a whopping 2 cups of peanut butter, so you’re guaranteed mega flavor in every single bite.
One reader, Katelyn, says: “This is hands down my favorite cookie recipe of all time. I’ve baked and loved Sally’s recipes for years and this is my new favorite! I ate 3 at a time. 3 separate times. Then brought them to friends who also ate 3 apiece. Everyone agreed they were the best peanut butter cookies they’ve ever had. Highly recommend! ★★★★★”
You don’t have to go another day without experiencing what some bakers have called “one of my favorite recipes on this site (and in general)” and “the best cookies I’ve ever made.”
While there’s a recipe for classic peanut butter cookies in my Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook and I have my super-soft peanut butter cookies on this website, today’s cookies are EXTRA thick and absolutely loaded with peanut butter and chocolate chips. I published the recipe back in 2016, and figured I’d bring it back into the spotlight. This IS peanut butter perfection, after all.
These Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Are:
- Huge—3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie
- Soft for days
- Crinkly & crackly on top
- Loaded with chocolate chips
- Thick & 100% irresistible
- Relatively quick—only 1 hour of chill time
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: What Works & What Doesn’t
This is a simple recipe, and the same base dough as my white chocolate peanut butter cookies. When developing the recipe several years ago, I learned a couple tricks and am happy to share my findings:
- Embrace a creamy cookie dough. 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of peanut butter, and 2 eggs make for an extremely creamy cookie dough. Embrace it; you do not want to add more flour. When the dough hits the oven, peanut butter acts somewhat like a dry ingredient and gives the cookies structure.
- Chill the cookie dough. You might remember from my How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading page that chilling cookie dough is important. Luckily this dough is thick and stable, which means it doesn’t need hours in the refrigerator before baking. A quick 1 hour of chilling prevents the cookies from over-spreading. My brownie cookies (and the jazzed-up version—peanut butter-filled brownie cookies) have a super-quick chill time, too.
- Flatten the dough. Make sure you slightly flatten each cookie before baking, as this will help the cookies spread a bit in the oven. If you think about it, it’s a common step when making peanut butter cookies—you flatten those with a fork prior to baking. Here, you can just use the back of a spoon or your hands.
Grab These Ingredients:
Selecting the right ingredients is important, especially when it comes to peanut butter. This recipe calls for more peanut butter than any other recipe that makes an equivalent amount of dough. So without question, you’re guaranteed an intensely flavored cookie.
- Peanut butter: As mentioned, these cookies have—front and center—highly concentrated peanut butter flavor. To achieve this, use a commercial brand of creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Though it’s wonderful for eating and cooking, natural-style peanut butter isn’t ideal here. The cookies will be too crumbly and, depending on the brand, may even have an oily texture. Crunchy peanut butter produces the same crumbly results. If you want to use natural-style peanut butter in a cookie recipe, try these flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies instead.
- Room-temperature butter: Make sure your butter is cool to the touch. Here’s what room-temperature butter really means.
- More white sugar than brown: In these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, you’ll notice there’s more granulated sugar than brown sugar. When making basic chocolate chip cookies, I recommend using more brown sugar than white sugar because it produces a softer cookie. The addition of peanut butter already makes today’s cookies soft, and using more brown sugar made them EXTRA soft—to the point where they were falling apart. As a result, I learned it was simply too much of a good thing.
- Chocolate chips: Just like with peanut butter half moon cookies, the chocolate complements the intense peanut butter. I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips because they add a balanced flavor, and just the right amount of sweetness.
One reader, Paige, says: “What is this magic? I was a little hesitant this whole process…. two cups of peanut butter? Three-tablespoon-sized cookies? No way! But this works and the cookies are incredible. ★★★★★“
You can even replace some of the chocolate chips with peanuts, which makes for a wonderfully chunky cookie with extra peanut flavor. You can also roll the balls of dough in granulated sugar (before slightly flattening them) for some sparkle, just like these peanut butter blossoms.
I also have a recipe for unapologetically big and fat peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that boast the same great flavor, and have the added chew from oats.
Use a commercial brand of processed creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Though it’s wonderful for eating and cooking, natural-style peanut butter won’t do this dough any favors. The cookies will be too crumbly and, depending on the brand, may even have an oily texture.
I don’t recommend crunchy peanut butter in these cookies because, like natural-style, it produces a crumbly cookie. Feel free to swap some chocolate chips for peanuts to achieve that crunchy peanut butter texture.
You may have over-baked them. Bake just until the edges are set; the centers will still look quite soft. Give them at least 10 minutes to cool on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These big bakery-style peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are super thick, ultra-soft, and filled with chocolate chips. It’s best to use creamy peanut butter, and be sure to chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (500g) creamy peanut butter*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360g) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- optional: 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, then beat on high until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and soft.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour and up to 3 days. If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow the dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard and the cookies may not spread that much.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Scoop cookie dough into large balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (about 60g, it’s a lot!), and, if desired, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Coating in sugar is optional. Place 8 balls onto the cookie sheets. Gently press down on each ball to *slightly* flatten.
- Bake each batch for 14–15 minutes, or until the edges appear set and lightly browned on the sides. The centers will still look very soft.
- Cool cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. During this time, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. (This is optional and only for looks.) Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Cover leftover cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Can I Halve this Recipe? Yes, absolutely. Halve the recipe by halving all of the ingredients. The instructions remain the same.
- Peanut Butter: It’s best to use a commercial, processed brand of peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural-style, oily peanut butter. Avoid using crunchy peanut butter because it makes the cookies extra crumbly.
- Chocolate Chips: You can replace 1/2 cup (about 90g) of the chocolate chips with chopped peanuts for extra peanut flavor.
- Check out my top 5 cookie tips before beginning. It includes how to prevent cookies from over-spreading and why room-temperature ingredients make a difference.
This recipe is fantastic and the update is really helpful as well! I especially love that you added a measurement to the dough!
Because of you I now weigh all of my ingredients, and it’s been so helpful. I usually weigh my dough to what I think looks decent, but with your measurement listed it gives me even more confidence when using your recipes. More dough weights would be so appreciated by the detail oriented me You’re awesome Sally!
The taste of these cookies is so rich and i love how soft they are. They did turn out a little on the dry and crumbly side. Is this an error on my part or are they supposed to be that way?
Hi Briana, we’re glad you enjoyed these cookies! How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which can dry out the cookies. Over baking can also cause them to become dry and crumbly, so you can try reducing the bake time by just a minute for next time. Hope this helps!
One of the best cookies I have ever had and I made it! These cookies do not disappoint and turned out perfect.
This recipe is amazing! I made them for a bbq thinking the kids would enjoy them, but the adults devoured them! I added some miniature marshmallows for extra fun 🙂
These are RIDONKULOUSLY good. They’re a new fan-favorite for my friends and family. I didn’t make them quite so big but they still turned out great. Fun tip — I created and froze dough balls, but forgot to flatten them slightly before freezing, so they were perfectly round when I baked them. They puffed up quite a bit, so I gently took a spoon and flattened them slightly AFTER baking them. This worked great and had the added benefit of kind of packing the baked cookie together so it wasn’t quite as crumbly. I added chopped peanuts to mine, but I don’t think I’ll do that again. It was delicious, but it seemed to cause the cookies to be more crumbly and fall apart. But either way, get ready for peanut buttery chocolatey deliciousness! Thanks, Sally!
Sally, You are a WINNER! And, so am I because I have entered lots of your recipes in my county fair and just keep getting Blue Ribbons! I entered this cookie without the chocolate chips in the peanut butter cookie class and won First Place! Another Blue Ribbon because of Sally’s delicious recipes! Thank you so much!
These were delicious! I went to the store specifically to buy creamy pb for these cookies but wasn’t paying attention and came home with extra CHUNKY instead of extra CREAMY… sigh! They still turned out amazing. I used extra large semi sweet chocolate chips. The only change I would do next time is to add an extra cup of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
These cookies were great!! They were a little dry on the edges but very soft inside. Lots of pb flavor!! My family loved them.
Super easy cookie to make with simple ingredients, with phenomenal results! This is the best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever had! I made the first batch without rolling the dough in sugar, and they turned out good. Then I rolled the second batch in sugar, and they came out great! I definitely think the sugar coat puts them over the top! It just makes them a little more special! I’ll be making these a lot… thank you Sally! Your recipes never disappoint!
Full of flavor, soft and chewy! Baked 13 min for 3 Tbsp cookie scoop and they were perfect. Used dark choc chunks and they were YUMMY!
I have made these cookies 3 times in two weeks! We live in Tennessee, we traveled to California for a week and I made them for a family bbq. EVERYONE asked for the recipe. Came back to Tennessee, baked these for 3 of our neighbors who looked after our house. EVERY neighbor asked for the recipe. They are that good!! Thank you so much for posting these fabulous cookies!!
Not to my liking. A but on the dry side. I wished I had made another cookie
I always do things against Sally’s recommendations…but this time it worked out fine
Well I made a daring move…I only had half a cup of jif…and had some natural peanut butter…I added a half a cup of the natural…I was only making a half recipe…and the cookies turned out fine…not crumbly at all..
Got lucky this time..
Probably the best peanut butter cookie ever
Can I use this recipe to make a cookie cake (large cookie).
Hi Shari, this dough should work well as a cookie cake. Use any leftover cookie dough for a few extra cookies on the side. Enjoy!
Made these cookies for the first time and they were an absolute hit. You mention the dough can be frozen, but can I freeze the baked cookies?
Hi Joyce, absolutely! Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
I’m not a peanut butter cookie fan but I made these for practice for future cookie gift boxes. My son took the batch to his workplace and placed in the break room. He said they were gone in 5 minutes. He overheard people saying they were “SO good” and “best cookie ever”. I’m making another batch now so he can take again because a few coworkers were too late getting one and were so upset because everyone was saying how amazing they were. LOL!
Made these yesterday (froze half the dough) and everyone scarfed the ones I baked. My dad said they were so soft and my cousin said “strangely addictive “. A keeper for sure. I used mini Hershey’s Kisses and regular chocolate chips and the big kisses looked really cool.
Sally I followed the recipe exactly. My family and my sons coworkers Loved them. I will definitely be making these a lot. Thank You for your hard work and the recipe
Excellent recipe! I made it as is and they were delicious. I made it with half chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips and it was delicious! I made it with Nutella instead of peanut butter and they were amazing!
These are so good! I added two chopped Butterfinger candy bars and 1/2 cup Heathbar toffee bits. I pressed the cookies down a bit using a potato masher to make little squares on top before baking. Very happy with the final results. I hope my cat’s veterinarian and staff enjoy them tomorrow!
These came out amazing! I used half smooth and half crunchy peanut butter for more texture and the kids loved them! Will definitely make these again.
These were dry compared with most other recipes I’ve used from this site. I would switch the brown and white sugar ratios if I tried it again.
I decided to try this recipe for a bake sale. So, So amazing. AMAZING! There were two changes I made – I only shaped 2 Tablespoons of dough instead of 3 so I could squeeze in a few more cookies. The other change was by accident! I was telling the ladies at work (who told me these were the best cookies they have had in a while), the recipe and realized I FORGOT THE BROWN SUGAR!! I cannot imagine how I did that!! They were still amazing though. Thank you for sharing.
My family went crazy for these cookies. We have two die hard peanut butter cookie fans who said these are a new favorite. Specifically mentioned was what a good peanut butter flavor these cookies had. They said, usually peanut butter cookies are just sweet, with a hint of flavor. These had everything they wanted in a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi, my daughter loves your Brown Butter Chocolate Chip cookies, I think the brown butter makes those cookies taste the best ever. Could I use brown butter in this recipe?
Hi Jenny! I think the peanut butter would overpower the brown butter, so it may be a little bit of a waste of time. Additionally, you may need to add a little milk since butter loses a little moisture during the browning process.
Hi! The batter and cookies flavor are DELICIOUS. But the dough and the cookies are EXTREMELY crumbly. Not sure what I did wrong! Can the dough be salvaged? I only baked a couple cookies.
thank you so much!
Hi Sandy, What type of peanut butter did you use? We recommend a commercial brand of creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. If you were using a natural-style peanut butter, or a chunky type, the cookies tend to be crumbly.
I used natural peanut butter (because I did not read ahead). I baked a pan and they were delicious but crumbly. I added another egg and some water to the dough until I liked the consistency and I am pleased with the results. Try that!
That ridiculous statement: cover “leftover cookies” is funny. Who has ever heard of Sallys’ “leftover cookies”
Love these cookies. Been making them since recipe on your website. Amazing!
Hi Sally, – we as superfans and love so many of your recipes. You are our “go to” gal!! I’ve always used airbake baking pans for my cookies but don’t think you do as I don’t see them on your website. What are your thoughts on baking with them as opposed to the regular pans on your website? Thanks!
Hi Patti! What a great question! I like them, but don’t use them as much as my 12×17 half sheet pans (since those are so multipurpose!). I love how sturdy they are! They’re a great choice is you’re shopping for new cookie sheets.
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the link to the nutrition calculator. Can’t wait to make these cookies!
Have you ever tried a sugar substitute like stevia as an alternative to white sugar?
Hi Alice! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Let us know if you give these cookies a try 🙂
Thanks. The sugar substitute I have says it can be used 1-for-1 in recipes calling for white sugar. I made the cookies using a half cup of the sub and half cup of sugar. The cookies are great. They are a little dry and crumbly but I think that might have more to do with my having made some mixing mistakes along the way rather than the sugar substitution. I’ll definitely be making these again, so next time I’ll avoid those errors and give the whole cup sub a try.
I made this recipe with stevia, by subbing all the sugar for 1/2 tsp stevia extract powder. It doesn’t taste quite the same, without the flavour from the brown sugar, but it bakes up and it’s still very good!