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
I am wondering why my cookies spread A LOT? I followed the recipe precisely. Also, I baked it for longer than usual (20-23 minutes) because 12-13 mins they looked super underbaked. I measured the ingredients with a digital kitchen scale, I used softened butter, and I chilled the dough overnight. My oven temperature isn’t automatic setting so I adjust and keep an eye on it every now and then. I weighed each cookie to 50g too. What could have possibly gone wrong?
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Hi Josie, Did they look like they spread when you checked them at the 12 minute mark? When these are finished in the oven they will be very lightly browned on the sides but the centers will look very soft. If they spread after that they were simply overbaked. For more troubleshooting tips you can visit the post 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading.
Hey Sally, if I wanted to make half the number of cookies this recipe yields (say, closer to 20 than 40) would I just halve ALL the ingredients?
Yes – just divide the entire recipe in half. Enjoy!
Best peanut butter cookies I have ever made and I have made many in my 73 years. I shared some with a friend and she is now requesting I make more. I have also make a few of your cakes and frostings for birthdays of friends and everything has been a hit. Thank you for sharing with us.
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Another great recipe of yours. Excellent cookies
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Amazing
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Hi! How do you freeze dough? What type of container and how long will the dough last?
Hi Jessica, Here is everything you need to know about How to Freeze Cookie Dough!
There’s nothing like baking to keep you humble! I bake cookies all the time, but haven’t made PB in years so was on the lookout for a reliable recipe. I’m sorry to say we did not like this recipe at all…there is no chew to the cookie and it just crumbled. I never imagined a peanut butter cookie could be so dry with all that fat content. I followed the recipe to the letter and it was definitely not overbaked. I guess I have to keep looking for that chewy PB cookie from my childhood.
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I made these cookies to get rid of some natural chunky peanut butter. I read the notes and advice – strained the chunks out ( will use in Thai cooking later) and refrigerated the dough overnight. The cookies turned out lovely! If they are drier than that with traditional peanut butter, I know my cookie eaters will not complain – because they have a good flavor and are not too sweet. Many thanks!
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I was using the crunchy JIF I had, and they turned out delicious. Also, I made a mistake on one of the later sheets of rolled balls by forgetting to smash with a fork and liked them “fluffy” better! Taking out of the oven at 11 mins just before looking golden and letting them set on the cookie sheet a few minutes was the best soft cookies based on my oven.
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Terrific peanut butter taste…just what I was hoping to find with using 2 cups of peanut butter. Living at high altitude (4500 feet), I made no changes; receipe worked just fine as is. MY OBSERVATION: I made 2 batches; one batch using Skippy CREAMY PB; and the other batch using Skippy CRUNCHY PB. The cookies using the CREAMY PB came out picture perfect and DELICIOUS!! On the other hand, the cookies using the CRUNCHY PB came out drier and crumbly. I do not know my cookie science so am unable to say why this happens.
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Hi Sally – do you think I could mix in chocolate chips? Thanks!!
Yes, you can add 1 cup of your favorite add-ins like chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Really awesome! Melts in your mouth. I used only 1c of sugar, oily natural peanut butter and added 2 teaspoons cinnamon, which you really couldn’t taste due to the big peanut flavor. I also used King Arthur’s white whole wheat all purpose flour cause I like my baked goods whole grain. 12 minutes@325 convection oven. Thank you, Sally, for sharing your always reliable recipes and expertise!
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Finally a peanut butter cookie that tastes like peanut butter!
We baked 8 cookies and I froze the remaining dough. So happy to have them on hand for when a craving strikes.
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I love PB cookies and this recipe exceeded my expectations. The texture of these were beautiful: delicately soft (not crumbly) with a light crunch on the exterior. I will be making these again, for sure! Thank you!
I love this recipe! I tried others but none hold a candle to this one! Each batch I bake gets better and better. Thank you! I even tried it with the oily peanut butter and they turned out great! I did pay attention to your suggestion by using less brown sugar ,chilling the dough, and less cook time. That seemed to do the trick. I appreciate all your tips. Thanks again Sally!
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My kids loved it and once he took a bite he new I got the recipe by you that’s how much he loved watching all your videos and learning from you thank you for what you do.
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These cookies are awesome! Very crumbly when freshly baked but after sitting in the container on the counter for a couple of days they are perfect. I kept some dough aside, rolled them and have them in the freezer. I’m sure they won’t be there long… . Thanks for the recipe!
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Hi! I only had natural creamy peanut butter so thats what I used. I put the dough in the fridge and plan to bake tomorrow. Any recommendations for baking to avoid the crumbly/dry cookies that you warned might happen when using natural pb? I want them to be soft and chewy inside!
Thanks!
Natural peanut butter can cause the cookies to be dry because of the oil content. You can try to slightly under bake the cookies but it will depend on how oily your peanut butter was.
Best peanut butter cookies EVER!!
What if I only have dark brown sugar ? Should there be an adjustment in measurement or will it still
Work with the 3/4 cup
This is my favorite PB cookie, I’ve made them twice, they are delicious. I don’t used sugar when I make the indents, just because they are less messy when eating
Great recipe, thanks for putting it out hete
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The cookies turned out great! Thank you! Have tried 3-4 of your recipes, always amazing!
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My family absolutely loved this cookie recipe! Even my husband who originally said he does not like peanut butter cookies. Well now he does! Because I like crisp cookies, I added a couple of minutes to one tray and both cookie times produced a excellent cookie. Very rich and creamy so you only really need one……..ty
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Hey, in the recipe you say 1/2 cup of peanuts, but in the article you say 1 cup. Which one is it?!?
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1/2 cup. Thanks for spotting that!
It was delicious, I used melted butter and it came out amazing, Thank you Sally! My husband has a peanut butter obsession. He really enjoyed these cookies and I will definitely have to make them again.
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Made this today using Kraft smooth peanut butter and it turned out well! Thank you for the recipe.
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Hi sally! I am getting this together now but the dough is all crumbly? It’s not thick and soft like it’s supposed to be? Where did I go wrong? Please help
I tried the triple layer mousse cake which which a hit and the oatmeal choc chip cookies but this one is killing me!!
It’s crumbly so haven’t been able to freeze it
And am baking the bread too but it refuses to brown at the bottom!! Only the Top is brown I guess am overdoing the quarantine baking now
Sounds like you are on a baking roll! What type of peanut butter are you using? The BEST peanut butter for cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter lends dry, crumbly cookies.
Hi sally,
yes, I am on a baking roll and now have OCD. Am spending the little time I have free, to research for the next day never baking time this , I think am doomed!
We don’t get those peanut butter brands here But there was a slight goof up with the flour so I think that caused it!! The cookies were Okay!!! I will make a better lot!
I made the seriously fudge brownies last evening! I forgot to put in the other half of the cut chocolate but it survived and the kids enjoyed the crumbs. It’s setting in the fridge for today hahhaah!! Thank you so much again!
Stay safe
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Best peanut butter cookies ever! Followed all instructions and baked for 10 min at 350…perfect! My whole family loved them, thanks! And the funniest thing was, my son said they weren’t “too peanut buttery like other peanut butter cookies”…cracked me up as yours has double what most have lol!
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Just finished cooling- followed recipe exactly- these are delicious- so peanut buttery! I baked with convection @ 325 for 12 minutes- very good!
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By far the best peanut butter cookies we’ve ever tasted. And the most peanut butter we’ve used in acookie recipe too! We’re going to try the peanut butter chunk ones with the peanuts and chocolate chips next. Thanks SAlly!
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Made these earlier today, they are sooooo good. Made sure not over-bake them after reading these comments, they came out perfect. Thank you for sharing!
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This recipe was delicious. Nice and moist and crumbly at edge. Thank you!
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