Packed with double the peanut butter, these very peanut butter cookies boast a dense flavor, remarkably soft texture, and a deliciously crumbly edge.
I know these cookies look familiar to you. Peanut butter cookies are nothing new in our kitchens and certainly nothing new on Sally’s Baking Addiction. Along with oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies rank high on my repeat recipes list!
I have a recipe for crispy old-fashioned style peanut butter cookies on my website and another in Sally’s Cookie Addiction. Then there’s these ultra soft and thick peanut butter cookies that serve as the base for variations like peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter and jam thumbprints. But can there be room for one more? With 2 cups of peanut butter in the cookie dough, today’s extra soft cookies steal the spotlight. We’re using the same cookie dough as my bakery-style peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and white chocolate peanut butter cookies, recipes I’ve grown to love so much because of all their flavor. Today’s cookies are easy to make, completely packed with flavor, and boast a deliciously crumbly criss-cross pattern on top. Love them!
Less Flour, More Peanut Butter
I call these very peanut butter cookies because they’re packed with 2 cups of peanut butter in the dough. This is 2x the amount of my classic peanut butter cookies AND they have less flour, so you can be sure today’s cookies are dense with flavor! They remind me of these peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in terms of peanut butter flavor, but they don’t have the chewy oat texture.
By the way, did you know that nut butter can take the place of flour in some recipes? These flourless almond butter cookies require just 5 ingredients. Almond butter provides enough structure and stability so there’s no need for any flour at all. If you’re looking for a gluten free peanut butter cookie, use that recipe and replace the almond butter with peanut butter.
Here’s What You’ll Love:
- Crumbly edges
- Packed with flavor
- Extra soft
- Crisp sugar coating
- Easy straightforward recipe
My first piece of advice… make a double batch so you can freeze some for later. Here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cookie dough. No need to thaw, just bake for an extra minute or two. You never know when a cookie emergency will rear its head. You might not have time to make cookies from scratch, but you’ll have frozen peanut butter cookie dough. That’s a lifesaver!
Success Tips
- Use room temperature butter. Make sure the butter is cool to touch, not overly warm or melted. Here’s what room temperature butter really means.
- Use more granulated sugar than brown sugar. When making chocolate chip cookies, I always prefer to use more brown sugar than white sugar because that ratio produces a softer cookie. With all of the peanut butter in this cookie dough, however, too much brown sugar made the cookies so soft that they fell apart.
- Chill the cookie dough. Chilling the cookie dough is important, but this dough is thick so it doesnโt need hours inside the refrigerator. A quick 1 hour of chilling will prevent the cookies from over-spreading.
Best Peanut Butter for Cookies
The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today’s cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy. Natural-style peanut butter is my choice for eating, but it just doesn’t produce the same type of cookie as its processed counterpart. With so much peanut butter in this cookie dough, natural peanut butter will give you a dry, crumbly cookie.
If you prefer peanut chunks, use Jif or Skippy crunchy. See recipe note.
Want to add extra peanut flavor? Go for it! Fold 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts or peanut butter chips into the cookie dough. Or you could even drizzle peanut butter on top like we do with these peanut butter chocolate cookies. YUM!
I’ve made hundreds of different cookie recipes and can say with 100% confidence that these have the most peanut butter flavor of any cookie I’ve ever tried.
More No-Fail Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Thick Monster Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Sugar Cookies
Very Peanut Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 40 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Packed with double the peanut butter, these very peanut butter cookies boast a dense flavor, remarkably soft texture, thick center, and a deliciously crumbly edge. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour to prevent excess spreading.
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 or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (500g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar for rolling
- optional: 1/2 cup (65g) finely chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Whiskย the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and saltย 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 1-2 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 speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the peanuts, if using. Dough will be thick and soft.
- Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator (and up to 2-3 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line 2-3ย large baking sheetsย with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.ย (Always recommendedย for cookies.)ย Set aside.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (I like to use this medium cookie scoop), and then roll the balls in granulated sugar. Use a fork to make a crisscross indent on top of each. Bake each batch for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.ย
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 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, without sugar coating, freeze well for up to 3 months. Let frozen cookie dough balls sit on the counter for 30 minutes, roll in sugar, indent a crisscross pattern with a fork, then bake for an extra minute. No need to completely thaw. Read my tips and tricks on 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 | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Peanut Butter: It’s best to use a processed peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural style, oily peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter adds peanut chunks as well as a more crumbly texture. I prefer to use creamy in this recipe.
- Check out my top 5 cookie baking tipsย before beginning. It includes how to prevent cookies from over-spreading and why room temperature makes a difference.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These are my neighborโs favorite cookies. I add 1 cup Reeseโs peanut butter chips, and sometimes 1/2 cup each Reeseโs and milk chocolate chips.
I have made this recipe with great success and use a metal cookie stamp so the cookies have a honey bee imprinted on them. I tried to make them yesterdayโฆjust a 1/2 recipeโฆbut they totally went flat and were not the melt-in-youโre-mouth consistency that they normally are. I even bought new baking soda and baking powder. I measured everything VERY carefully, but the 2nd batch came out the same. I chilled the dough as well. Do you have any idea what might be the problem? Thanks in advance.
Hi Allidah, did you use any different brands of ingredients by chance? Or use a different kind of peanut butter? That’s so strange that they turned out so differently from normal. Or was your butter a bit too soft to begin with? Here’s more about what room temperature butter really means.
Hi Sally,
You are my go to girl for recipes. I was wondering if I could make cookie cutter cookies with any of your peanut butter cookie recipes.
Thank you.
Hi Kathy, at this time we do not have a peanut butter cookie recipe that will work for cut-outsโthey will all spread too much and won’t hold a cut-out shape. So sorry!
I have made these cookies sooo many times. Hands down the absolute best pb cookie ever! I use crunchy jiff pb. Simple and delicious recipe. Sallyโs recipes and tips/notes are always helpful and excellentโฆ.follow them. Thank you Sally!
Can I use peanut butter chips instead of of nuts
.
Hi Cathy, Yes you can!
Perfect recipe. I love the texture of the cookies. If you let them cool, theyโre not crumbly at all.
Followed all the instructions and ingredients but it ended up being a crumbly mess.
Even after they baked they just fell apart unfortunately.
Same here! I was scrolling through the comments to see if anyone else had this problem
I substituted the 1/2 cup of white flour with a 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. I also added a 1/2 tsp. of almond extract. A secret my Grandma shared with me telling me that almond extract heightens the vanilla flavor! If I have it on hand I also add vanilla bean paste!! Usually a Tbsp or two! But I didn’t have any for this recipe. I also added milk chocolate and white chocolate chips to my dough! I baked my cookies the 12 minutes and let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling racks. Mine came out soft and tender! Some are falling apart but that makes a good topping for yogurt or ice cream! My husband absolutely loves the peanut butter flavor in these cookies even though he thinks theyre kind of dry. Next batch I think I’ll shave off 2 minutes on the baking time since they stay on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. So theres transfer baking time because of that as well! So far we absolutely love these!!!! Thank you!
These peanut butter cookies are fantastic!!! I get high praises every time I make them especially when I take them to functions! My daughter asks me to make her a couple batches when she goes camping for the weekend or has a function and she said the feedback is amazing!! I would not change a thing!
Thank you, this recipe is because of you that I get the high praises!
I was thinking about adding peanuts to this. Do you recommend plain raw, salted, or salted and roasted?
Hi Deborah, Any type will work! If you enjoy a salty/sweet taste you can use salted or roasted for even more flavor. Let us know what you try.
Thank you for your help. I ended up using roasted/unsalted peanuts. Those worked well but I think one that is roasted/salted would taste better. I thought that might make the cookie too salty, but I will have to try that option.
Pretty much taste like a sugar cookie. Not getting a lot of peanut butter taste out of it at all and it makes a ton. I think Iโll go back to my original recipe.
I followed the recipe. I did not add peanuts, but I used Skippy peanut butter. I cooled the dough.
These were easy to make. Mixing up quickly. They are more crumbly than we usually like. The peanut butter flavor shines through.
Sally’s has the best red velvet cake ever
The taste is great. I find if I add 2 1/2 cups flour the dough is so hard and crumbly so I reduce it to 2 cups. Anyone else have this problem.
I actually took out a 1/2 cup of flour and used a 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour! They are really soft, but they are delicate, basically fall apart easily. I think it’s just because they have more moisture in them from the extra peanut butter and the brown sugar. My husband seems to think they’re a little dry, but I don’t! Lol They didn’t come out hard at all for me and I baked them the whole 12 minutes and cooled on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Maybe reduce your baking time by 2 minutes. You can also bake a cookie 1 at a time and experiment with the time too. I even added milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips to mine!
How does one make the fork criss-cross without it sticking to the tines and just looking smushed?
Hi Patricia! All forks are a little different – do you happen to have one with the prongs a little farther apart? This can help achieve the criss cross without mashing the cookies too much.
Dip your fork in sugar each time before placing on cookie dough. Doesn’t help every time, but works most of the time.
I made these for my Pop Pop because we are celebrating Father’s Day early!
They’re super yummy and he’s happy with them. Thank you so much for the recipe :]
This is the second year that my husband has requested peanut butter cookies (this recipe in particular) for his birthday in lieu of a cake. I made a double batch (it makes a LOT so if you have a mixer smaller than a six quart, don’t try to double it). We both love your recipe, Sally! This is the absolute best peanut butter cookie recipe I have ever tried. Thanks again for creating this recipe!
I have been baking a very long time40 yrs. All of the sudden my cookies look nice and slightly puffed when I take them out of the oven then go flat!
I checked oven temp, seems to be ok. I even tried chilling the cookies before baking.
Any suggestions?
Hi Stephanie, the cookies will deflate a bit when cooling, this is normal, but if they deflate quite a bit, they may have been under-baked. For next time, you can try extending your bake time just a minute or two. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally,
Would any of your peanut butter cookie recipes work for this cookie pizza?
Hi Sue, we’d recommend our peanut butter cookies for a cookie pizza. Let us know if you try it!
Mine turned out a little dry. Any suggestions?
Hi Becca, weโre happy to help troubleshoot. Did you use processed peanut butter like Jiff? A natural peanut butter isnโt the best to use here (see notes). Dry cookie dough can also be caused by too much flour in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups โ or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. Over baking can also contribute to dryness, so you can try reducing the bake time by a minute or two. Hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious. The perfect peanut butter cookie. Iโm using this recipe from now on.
Hey there Sally,
I currently only have peanut butter w/ honey on hand – would this be fine to use in substitution of the normal peanut butter, or should I omit some amount of the sugar(s) to make up for the additional sweetness from the honey ?
Hi Alexa, you can use the peanut butter with honey without any other changes. The cookies may spread just a bit more, but no need to adjust the sugars.
Love these, I used natural peanut butter and they turned out just as I like them, crumbly and tender. Lots of peanut butter taste and great texture. Best ever.
Best peanut butter cookies ever! My 90 year old mother-in-law agrees and she has baked a LOT of cookies. I use crunchy peanut butter because that is what I love, and these cookies never disappoint.
This is my favorite PNB cookies to make. My husband asks for them all the time
Best PB cookie recipe I have tried. I did not fork prong the cookie dough balls but rather just lightly pressed down on each to slightly flatten the balls. I did not sprinkle sugar on top of cookies, but added one cup of milk chocolate morsels.