With a chocolate heart candy nestled on top, these super soft sweetheart peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are the February version of peanut butter blossoms!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos, a video, and more helpful success tips.
Just like a good go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies, a top-notch peanut butter cookie recipe is a must. Because peanut butter can often leave cookies dry and crumbly, I’ve worked hard to test and succeed with a recipe for the softest peanut butter cookies. Many readers say they taste like the inside of a peanut butter cup!
Naturally, I’ve taken that foundation recipe and created a few different variations. Because if it works, it works! My peanut butter M&M cookies, peanut butter jam thumbprints, and today’s peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are just a few of the spinoffs I’ve created with my trusty peanut butter cookie dough.
I know you and your sweetheart will love these festive cookies!
One reader, Jennie, commented: “Just a quick comment. I have made these cookies for many years. I use your recipes so often and the valentine chocolate hearts caught my attention. I thought my recipes were pretty good but yours is a ‘WOW’! Even my husband commented on these. So, I’ll just delete all other peanut butter cookie recipes now… I have found the best. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Amy, commented:“These are delicious and so soft. Traditional peanut butter cookies crumble after a day but these are completely delicious. Thank you for adjusting the old standard and making these so amazing. ★★★★★“
And another reader, Melanie, commented: “Another winner Sally! The cookie part is irresistible! Everyone commented on how beautiful they were too! I’m going to try it with different candies for year-round. Heck I may leave the candy out and just eat the cookie! ★★★★★”
Why Everyone Loves These Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Soft, thick, and positively packed with peanut butter flavor
- A peanut butter version of my popular sparkle sweetheart cookies
- Only 1 hour of cookie dough chilling
- Great with any variety of chocolate hearts, plain or filled
- Simple + straightforward recipe uses the same base dough as my flagship peanut butter cookies
- Fun to serve alongside white chocolate red velvet cookies, Valentine’s Day cookies, or any of these Valentine’s Day dessert recipes
Start With My Best Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
We use the same dough here as my soft and thick peanut butter cookies. (Note that those have 1 extra Tablespoon of flour to help hold the shape when flattening with a fork.)
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour as the base of these peanut butter cookies. You may look at the recipe and wonder why there’s so little flour. Did you know that nut butters act as a binder and can actually replace some or all flour in cookie recipes? See these flourless almond butter cookies and flourless monster cookies. Using more flour will dry out the cookies, so stick with the recipe below.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise.
- Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both salt and vanilla extract for flavor.
- Sugars: Use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. Both for sweetness, and brown sugar for extra softness.
- Egg: One egg binds everything together; the cookies would fall apart without it.
- Butter: Butter adds flavor and structure. Make sure you have proper room-temperature butter before beginning. And if you need a refresher, I have a helpful video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is the most important ingredient for peanut butter cookies. For best results, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy—the same I recommend for my peanut butter balls and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
- Chocolate Heart Candies: I love these cookies with Reese’s peanut butter creme hearts, which provide a soft, meltaway texture in addition to extra peanut butter flavor. But you can use any chocolate heart candy you like here, such as Dove or Hershey’s chocolate hearts; just keep in mind those have a firmer texture.
These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help
You can find the full written recipe below, but let me walk you through these steps. These cookies are quick and simple—a welcome recipe during a busy holiday season.
Make the dough. You’ll combine the dry and wet ingredients separately, and then together. Expect a very soft cookie dough:
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour to help solidify it, which helps guarantee your peanut butter sweetheart cookies will hold shape in the oven. Cold dough is also easier to portion and roll. After the dough chills, roll into balls about 1 heaping Tablespoon in size (about 25g each).
It’s optional, but for a little sparkle, roll each cookie dough ball in a little granulated sugar:
Success Tip: Prevent Melting Chocolate Hearts
I mean, these peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies will obviously melt your heart, but maybe you don’t want the chocolate heart to melt too? 😉
The first thing I recommend to prevent the chocolate from melting and losing their heart shape is to let the cookies cool for 5 minutes after baking, before you add the chocolate hearts on top.
After very gently pressing the chocolate hearts into the tops of your peanut butter cookies, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will ensure the chocolate hearts keep their shapes and don’t turn into melty chocolate blobs.
The refrigerator will also work, but the freezer is most effective. If you don’t have enough room in your refrigerator or freezer for a baking sheet, carefully transfer the cookies to a smaller tray or plate and then freeze.
For best taste and texture, use a creamy, processed peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. They’ll spread less and won’t be as crumbly. I don’t recommend crunchy peanut butter—the cookies will be sandier/crumblier, will spread more, and will taste a bit dry. Natural peanut butter is OK in a pinch, but the cookies crack and crumble more.
You have a few options. For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for a nut-free spread such as sunflower seed butter, or cookie butter spread. Or you can try my sparkle sweetheart cookies recipe instead, which uses a cream cheese sugar cookie dough. You could also take red velvet blossoms or chocolate cherry blossoms and use a chocolate heart candy in place of the Hershey’s Kiss.
Yes! For a little extra sweetness and some sparkle, roll the dough balls in sugar or colored sanding sprinkles before you bake them.
I love these cookies with Reese’s peanut butter creme hearts, which provide a soft, meltaway texture in addition to extra peanut butter flavor. But you can use any chocolate heart candy you like here, such as Dove or Hershey’s chocolate hearts; just keep in mind those will have a harder texture to bite into, especially if you use dark chocolate hearts instead of milk chocolate.
More Valentine’s Day Treats:
- Valentine’s Day Cupid Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
- Date Night Chocolate Fudge Cakes for 2
- Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies
- Small Chocolate Cake (6 Inch) or Chocolate Cake
- Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
And see this list of 36+ Valentine’s Day dessert recipes for even more inspiration!
Print
Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 26-28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With a chocolate heart candy nestled on top, these super soft sweetheart peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are the February version of peanut butter blossoms!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (about 190g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 26–28 chocolate heart candies, unwrapped (like these or these)
- optional: additional 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed until creamy. Switch to medium-high speed and beat in the brown sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside. Also, make sure there’s room in your freezer because the baked cookies will need to be placed inside to prevent the chocolates from melting.
- Roll & bake: Scoop and roll cookie dough, about 1 heaping Tablespoon (around 25g) of dough each. If desired, roll each ball in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Arrange cookie dough balls on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11–13 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Set the chocolate: Gently press a chocolate heart candy into the center of each, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a large plate or a few smaller plates (gently—they’re soft). Place the plate(s) of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate in the cookie.
- Remove from the freezer and serve. Cookies stay fresh covered 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. 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. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats | Cooling Rack | Chocolate Hearts or Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts
- Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. For this particular recipe, it’s best to use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. If you decide to use natural peanut butter, make sure it’s at room temperature and is well stirred, and expect a slightly crumblier cookie.
- Can I use almond butter or other nut butter? Yes, you can use almond butter or another nut butter in this cookie recipe; however, expect a crumblier cookie. I have not tested this recipe with Nutella.
- Can I make a nut-free version? You have a few options. For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for a nut-free spread such as sunflower seed butter, or cookie butter spread. Or you can try my sparkle sweetheart cookies recipe instead, which uses a cream cheese sugar cookie dough. You could also take red velvet blossoms or chocolate cherry blossoms and use a chocolate heart candy in place of the Hershey’s Kiss.
Reader Comments and Reviews
if you’re allergic to nuts, what can you replace peanut butter with please? to retain the shape too
Hi LX, we would make these Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies instead.
Hi Sally! I plan to make these to bring to the office for Valentine’s Day next week. They look so delightful! We have a couple of coworkers practicing the vegan lifestyle – any suggestions on how I could make these vegan? Not so much the dough, but does anyone know if there is vegan alternative to the reese’s peanut butter creme hearts?
Hi Tiffin, we haven’t tested a vegan version, but let us know if you do!
Excellent cookies, I used Godiva dark choc ganache hearts, which made the cookies taste expensive.
These cookies were EXCELLENT! I do some catering and I made these to go with the other desserts. I have to say, I didn’t like the Dove chocolate hearts with them. The cookies were so wonderfully soft, but then I’d have to use my side teeth for the chocolate because it was just so hard. I’ll have to see if I can find the Reese’s, or maybe just a thinner chocolate.
For anyone wondering, these freeze great! Because I was making so many desserts for the catering job, I made these ahead of time and froze them. Usually I try to test freezing, but didn’t have time in this case. I only froze them for about a week, but they were still wonderfully soft and delicious when I took them out. They got rave reviews. I’m cooking for my husband’s co-workers in a couple days and I’m going to make these again!!
Can I roll them in pink sanding sugar instead or granulated sugar? I would like to make them for valentine’s day!
Absolutely! That’s what we do with our sparkle sweetheart cookies 🙂
Thanks! Do you think I could put some pink food gel coloring in the dough? I don’t know if it will look good because the dough will already be brownish because of the peanut butter… If you think it could work, at what moment do I add the coloring?
Hi Liza, we fear the dough will still have a brownish tint to it, but if you wish to try, you can add it in Step 2 with the peanut butter and vanilla extract.
I can’t wait to bake these cookies! I’m wondering if you have ever rolled the dough in colored sugar before baking. Thanks!
Hi Mary Ellen, you can absolutely do that! Just like we do for peanut butter blossoms.
When I bring out my dough and let it warm up its still no where near as soft as yours looks in the video do you have any tips?
Hi Rielly, how are you measuring 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 dough and make it less soft. Yours may also just need a few more minutes at room temperature to soften up before scooping and rolling. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Thank you for your easy and amazing recipes!!
Sally, you are my Julia Childs of the oven!
Like Julia, if I want a foul proof baking recipe I refer to you! Thank you
Just a quick comment. I have made these cookies for many years. I use your recipes so often and the valentine chocolate hearts caught my attention. I thought my recipes were pretty good but yours is a “WOW”! Even my husband commented on these. So, I’ll just delete all other peanut butter cookie recipes now…I have found the best.
Everyone thinks I’m great at baking when all I’m doing is following Sally’s recipes. My niece and nephew were raving about these cookies. Make a double batch – they won’t last.
We love this recipe! One of my sons developed a peanut allergy we substitute with Pea-Not butter * chickpea butter* and they still taste the same and are always amazing! Thank you for this recipe!
Hi! I’m new to baking, and I just wanted to say I LOVE your recipes and how detailed they are! I never thought I’d be able to bake something without setting it on fire, but here I am lol. I was just wondering if you’ve tried these cookies with the smaller Reece’s hearts? I wasn’t sure if it’d be overkill with the peanut butter cookie base as well. Thank you for your help!
Hi Danielle, we’re so glad you’re enjoying baking these! You could definitely try that! Happy baking.
How do you think your peanut butter sweetheart cookies would travel? I would like to mail them to my kids for Valentines Day.
Thank you!
Hi Marci, These cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for up to a week if they are covered, so you could mail them! For ideas on how to pack them for shipping you can see our post on How to Ship Cookies.
Best version of “peanut butter chocolate kisses” cookies ever! I don’t quite agree with leaving the cookie to cool 10 min before applying the candy; I did it sooner because the cookies cooled very quickly on this cold winter day. That’s the only change I made.
Do these cookies freeze well?
Yes, baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough – see recipe notes for details!
These are so delicious. Brought them to work and they were a huge hit. Great chocolate to cookie ratio.
Hi Sally!
Made these today for my husband and I followed the directions and for some reason they crumble and fall apart once you bite into them. What did I do WRONG? The taste is amazing and my husband loved them regardless but I just get so frustrated when i screw up. lol.
I’m glad he still enjoyed them, Jackie! What type of peanut butter did you use? Commercial brands like creamy Jif or Skippy are best for the texture, not natural style peanut butters which contain too much oil.
We all loved them! Skipped dinner due to eating cookies all day ! Lol.
I used the Costco Kirkland brand. I will definitely make them again and I’ll try jif. Thank you !
This is the BEST PB cookie recipe ever!!! Thanks Sally!
Hi Sally! Longtime fan here. I’m curious if you have tried rolling these in pink or red sanding sugar for a more festive look? I don’t know if that would jive well with the brown base or not. It might also change the texture a bit. Thanks for your thoughts! Amy
Hi Amy, I haven’t rolled these particular cookies like I do with my Sparkle Sweethearts, but you certainly can!
Do you think you could dip them in sprinkles before you bake? Kinda like your Sparkle Cookies.
Yes, you certainly can!
Hi Sally, I’m so excited to try these cookies for Valentine’s Day! I also was wondering if it would be okay to mail them to someone, since they’re so soft? (I’ve used your cookie sandwich wrapping method before with great results- would that work here?) Thanks!
Yes, the same method should work here. Enjoy!
If you have Alexa or a phone with Siri or the google assistant just ask them. For example say “Alexa how many grams in a cup of flour”. I use this all the time.
Hi Sally! In your other recipes similar to this one, it says to stick the baking sheet in the freezer after placing the chocolate in the cookie so the chocolate doesn’t melt. Should I do that for these too?
Hi Ali, you definitely can if you find the chocolate heart is melting too quickly. I find they don’t melt quite as quickly as peanut butter cups and Hershey’s Kisses.
Is this peanut butter cookie recipes the same as your peanut butter blossoms recipe? and what brand of peanut butter do you use? Peanut butter brand I think really can change the flavor of a cookie thank you
Yes, this is the same base as my Peanut Butter Blossoms cookies. My favorite soft peanut butter cookie dough to use many different ways. I usually use Jif or Skippy in my baking.
Hi these looks amazing! I would like to make these for my boyfriend who is a peanut butter lover! Is there another recipe that has the measurements in grams?
Hi Anna, This recipe is from 2012 so I don’t have the measurement conversions written for it. Just about all of my newer recipes have measurements written both ways!
These are delish! They turn out great with either light or dark brown sugar. They’re also great with chunky peanut butter as well. Thank you for all that you do!