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 chunk 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 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 doesn’t 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
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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 (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230g; 2 sticks) 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
- 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 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 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, 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.
- 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.
- 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 tips before beginning. It includes how to prevent cookies from over-spreading and why room temperature makes a difference.
Keywords: peanut butter, cookies, Christmas cookies
Made these cookies tonight exactly as the recipe states, used Skippy PB As recommended, but they have turned out a bit sandy as other reviewers have mentioned. Tasty but quite dry…not sure where it went wrong?
Hi C! This recipe is from a few other peanut butter cookie recipes I have up my sleeve (highly loved!) and the general consensus– and I agree– is that these cookies can quickly dry out if they’re over-baked. Keep a close eye on them and when the edges are JUST set, remove them from the oven. The centers will continue to cook as the cookies cool on the baking sheets.
Delish. Everyone loved them made them 2x in 3 days. Followed the recipe exactly. Used jif crunchy pb. Thank you!
★★★★★
How much would the texture change if I had to use cashew butter instead of peanut butter?
If your cashew butter is thick and creamy and not oily it should be ok. I haven’t tested it though so let me know how it turns out!
I made the Very Peanut Butter Cookies tonight and they turned out fantastic . These are the best PB cookies ever. Thank you for a great recipe. It’s a keeper!
★★★★★
I so wanted to love these since I am a fan of all of your cookie recipes.
But these were TOO peanut buttery and I had to drink milk after each bite just to get it down to swallow. Cookies had to bake longer like other posters said and the flavor was lacking. I will stick with your classic peanut butter recipe. Still adore you!
★★
Can you even get a better cookie. Amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Love this recipe!! I’ve always been a big fan of peanut butter cookies and this recipe is hands down the best I ever used. Thanks so much for posting! I will be using this recipe for now on.
★★★★★
Best ever , go and make some like right now
Bakery quality cookies
Super easy, packed with flavour
Hold their shape
★★★★★
They turned out perfect!!!❤️❤️
★★★★★
I’m making these now and they are chilling in the fridge. When you say to use 1 1/2 Tablespoons to roll into balls – do you have a video or pic that explains exactly what you mean? I’m a visual learner and I’m also very black and white so I don’t know if I’m suppose to be literally using a measuring spoon and make it level or just using a heaping measuring spoon. I know this is probably common sense to most but I wanted to double check. Thank you! This is the 4th recipe that I am trying – love your site!!
Hi Nancy! Yes, use a measuring spoon and measure 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of cookie dough then roll into a ball. You can just make it 1 heaping Tablespoon OR 1 Tablespoon + 1-2 teaspoons of cookie dough. A medium cookie scoop measures 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons, so that is helpful as well!
If you were going to add the chopped peanuts, should I use salted or unsalted peanuts? Or what chopped nuts would you suggest?
You can use either salted or unsalted peanuts, depending if you like salty/sweet cookies. (I always prefer salted for a little salty/sweet kick!)
Do you think I could use this recipe with the chocolate hearts to make Peanut Butter Sweethearts? I have made these peanut butter cookies before without the heart and they are delicious!!
You can, Joan! Or see my recipe for Peanut Butter Sweethearts.
I made these over the weekend! It was a bit of a struggle getting my butter to the perfect temperature, so I think it impacted the moisture in the cookie, and unfortunately I did not have enough vanilla left. I found these a bit salty! Next time I may skip the salt all together as peanut butter tends to have salt in it already. It is so important to take these out of the oven in a timely fashion or they will be dry. Definitely will be retrying this recipe with a few tweaks.
★★★★
I made these cookies for my family and they loved the flavor, but as soon as they bit into the cookie they crumbled like sand. I was hoping you could provide some insight as to why that might be.
Hi Lily, I’m happy to help. Make sure that you’re not over-baking the cookies and use processed peanut butter. Though I love natural style, it’s just not the best option to use in cookies.
Made 100% as-is and it’s perfect. You’ve gotta weigh your flour or you’re most likely going to have too much. I admit I was worried they were dry when I tasted them hot out of the oven, but once they were all the way cooled and especially the next day they are the furthest thing from dry. A lot of reviews said they needed longer than 10-12 min, but then said they were dry. Trust the recipe. Take them out at 11, they will not look done, but they’ll be perfect. I tested baking three ways: just scooping the dough, flattening but no sugar, and rolling in sugar and flattening as written. As written was hands down the best. Don’t change a thing and you’ll be greatly rewarded folks.
★★★★★
I made these cookies for all my friends at dialysis and they just loved them. This recipe is amazing good. Thank so much for sharing it.
★★★★★
I love Peanut Butter Cookies, but I hate PB, I know it’s weird but it’s the truth. I haven’t tried your recipe yet because I am nervous about the amount of PB in the recipe. The only PB cookies I’ve ever eaten or made are my Mum’s, and of course it has a lot of ingredients. Yours sound a lot simpler and more straight forward, and after reading all of the great reviews I think I will try making a batch and see if I like them, if not I’m sure my Grandkids will love them!
Hi Donna, Let me know if you decide to try them! If you do I hope you love them!
Hi Sally,
So I made the cookies today and I actually made the recipe twice because I thought I had done something wrong with the first batch, so I made it a second time and it turned out the same. I did not refrigerate the batter first as it did not appear to need to be put there. I also did not use parchment paper. I baked them for 10 minutes first, but they were still a little under so I put them back for another couple of minutes, and the rest of the batches were baked at 12 minutes. The cookies tasted very familiar to me, but were quite dry, even trying the second batch at 10 minutes. I decided to get my Mum’s recipe out as I hadn’t baked anything since my husband passed away a couple of years ago. So it turns out that my Mum’s recipe is very similar to yours except for a few things. She used only a half cup less peanut butter, 3 eggs instead of 2 and shortening instead of butter, and there is icing sugar (you may call it confectioners sugar, same thing) in her recipe also. So I made her recipe as well and I have to say that, while I like yours, hers has a much more melt in your mouth texture. So I think I will stick with Mum’s, but thank you so much for sharing. It has certainly got me back into baking which is something I always loved doing.
Baked these with my granddaughter. On Christmas night…
Added mini chocolate chips and tasteless protein powder in one batch and another with white chocolate chips. Then froze 3 rolls for the kids to bake later. Easy recipe to follow and the taste was delicious.
★★★★★
Very easy to make and super yummy. They came out thick like I’ve been wanting. They are so good especially fresh out of the oven. I love this recipe.
★★★★★
My sister made these and I loved them. However when I baked them they crumbled . What did I do wrong?
★★★
Hi Carol, What type of peanut butter did you use? Natural peanut butters can lead to a dry and crumbly cookie. It’s best to use a processed peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy.
There were a hit at work! And that was only a half batch. I do not roll mine in sugar and still were great! They loved the ones that I topped with 5 chocolate chips and then cooked them and once cooled a tad and firmed up a bit, spread the chocolate like frosting while still melted. Made them again for neighbors today. This time was a whole batch!
★★★★★
Results: Taking an excellent Peanut Butter cookie and adding chocolate chips was less than expected, much less. I should of known better….
This past summer I made this recipe for the first time while visiting the grandchildren. The cookies disappeared so quickly I repeated the process the next day before heading home. Everyone LOVED them. Well done Sally. Today I am making them again for Christmas 2019. Going to put chocolate chips in some of the batch and will let you know how them are received.
★★★★★
This recipe produces THE perfect peanut butter cookie – in form and flavor! Thank you, Sally!
It is ten days before Christmas, and would recommend freezing them, or packing in tins. I appreciate your advice. If freezing, can you suggest how?
Thank you, and have a beautiful holiday !
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Jo! Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you are making them today for Christmas I would freeze them. You can read about how I freeze both cookie dough and baked cookies in this post.
I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. My wife is currently deployed to Iraq with the Navy and when I asked what kind of cookies I could send for her and her crew she said peanut butter. I found this recipe and made a double batch this evening. They are delicious with a lot of peanut butter flavor! I also read your tips and tricks for better cookies and learned a lot. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Made these last nite….yummmi…love the extra PB…i tucked a couple choc.chip chunks into them while cooling…i know were supposed to share… lol… but…yummi…they cooled quick out on deck …wisconsin winters…like having extra freezer…
★★★★★
If making a double batch, do you double the butter amount?
Yes! Double all of the ingredients for a double batch of these cookies 🙂
Instead of rolling into balls can I use a cookie dough scoop for your recipes?
Absolutely, but if you want to roll into sugar, you’ll need to scoop the dough then roll into balls.
These are so good. In fact, I love all your recipes. I just bought your “Cookie Addiction” book and I have been making cookie dough and freezing it to bake for Christmas. Of course, all my favorite recipes are coming from you. Thank you so much for sharing them with us.
★★★★★
Oh Sally! I have used the same peanut butter cookie recipe from my grandmother for over 50 years, I decided to try yours and to avoid having to chill dough. I added about 1/4 cup more . I worked fabulously and the cookies????? Best we have ever eaten! Thank you so very much for sharing this delightful recipe! Have a Blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday from us here in Georgia! 🙂
★★★★★