This is the world’s most perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. And just wait until you taste one.
Today’s cookies have a soft-baked texture that you’ll love. There are two cookie doughs rolled together to make 1 swirled cookie. I used my favorite recipe for peanut butter cookies and these double chocolate chip cookies. These cookies were the brainchild of an intense chocolate/peanut butter craving and a wild soft-baked cookie craving. I wanted something different than a peanut butter cookie dipped in chocolate, like these peanut butter half moon cookies. Needless to say, my cravings were satisfied.
And don’t they look like little yin-yangs? You’re getting two cookies in one here!
First, make both doughs. Let’s begin with the chocolate cookie dough. This recipe is quite standard and uses some of the same ingredients from the peanut butter dough. Make sure you use natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
After you prepare the chocolate dough, make the peanut butter dough. The peanut butter cookie dough should be familiar to you– it’s the same recipe I use for regular peanut butter cookies and peanut butter blossoms. I make it in 1 bowl for this recipe. What makes the peanut butter cookie dough so great? Well to start, my recipe calls for more peanut butter than your typical peanut butter cookie. Most run-of-the-mill recipes I’ve seen call for around 1/2 cup of peanut butter. Speaking ratios, this amount is paired with 1.25 cups of flour and 1 stick of butter. I simply add an extra 1/4 cup of peanut butter.
Both the chocolate cookie dough and the peanut butter cookie dough require chilling.
How to Swirl the Doughs
Now it’s time for some SWIRLS! These cookies are extra large, about 1/4 cup of total dough per cookie!
Take 2 Tablespoons of chilled peanut butter dough. Roll into a ball. Take 2 Tablespoons of chilled chocolate cookie dough. Roll into a ball. Take both balls and gently smoosh them together and roll them in your hands into a perfect ball. *It’s important that your chocolate cookie dough is chilled or else you’ll get chocolate all over your hands. Once you have a perfectly swirled ball, bake the cookies. The cookies will appear undone when you remove them from the oven. In fact, they will look quite soft and you’ll question yourself: “Are these really done?! I can’t even pick one up!” Yes, they are done. As the cookies cool down, they will “set” and become firm enough to hold and move around without breaking.
Even though the cookie dough needs some chilling, the actual active work of this recipe is quite short. Maybe about 20 minutes of beating, mixing, and rolling the two doughs together. And then it will take you approximately .5 seconds to shove one into your mouth.
Biting into one is like reaching chocolate & peanut butter bliss. If you’ve tried my peanut butter chocolate cookies before, you know the experience. The intense chocolate fudge cookie with dark chocolate chips mixed with a soft peanut-butter-overloaded cookie and MORE dark chocolate chips… could you really ask for anything more? Go big or go home.
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Soft-Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Now you don’t have to choose between chocolate cookies or peanut butter cookies!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 2/3 cup (55g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk (any kind, dairy or non)
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a few more for optional topping
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) 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 (185g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the chocolate cookie dough: Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Beat in the egg and vanilla on high speed until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly beat it into the wet ingredients on low speed. The dough will be thick. Again on low speed, beat in the milk and then the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky and tacky.
- Make the peanut butter dough: Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Beat in the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla on high speed until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined, then beat in the chocolate chips. The dough will be thick, yet very soft.
- Cover both cookie doughs tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days. It’s imperative that both doughs are chilled otherwise the cookies won’t hold shape.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Measure 2 Tablespoons of chocolate cookie dough. Roll into a ball. Measure 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter cookie dough. Roll into a ball. Press the two balls together between your hands and roll them into 1 large ball. Repeat for each cookie. The chocolate cookie dough is particularly sticky and will stick to your hands, so wash/wipe them after you roll each.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges appear set and the centers still look soft. Tip: If they aren’t really spreading by minute 9, remove them from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x. This helps initiate that spread. Return to the oven to continue baking.
- Cool cookies for 5 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 cooling 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: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 10 days. You can make the cookie doughs and chill 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) | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: peanut butter chocolate swirl cookies
I almost cried when I ate one of these cookies. So good. I didn’t know I could make something so delicious. Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
Could I make these smaller like using 1 T. of each kind of dough?
Hi Darlene, absolutely! Bake time will be slightly shorter for smaller cookies.
I tried making these. I chilled both doughs for the same time (four hours), but when I baked them I found that the chocolate half of the equation cooked earlier and spread much farther than the peanut butter half, resulting in lopsided cookies that looked more like Mt Saint Helen’s post eruption than the pretty yin yangs in the picture. Any idea where I went wrong here? They still tasted pretty good though!
★★★
Hi EJ, did you by chance use dutch-process cocoa powder instead of natural cocoa powder? Because that can affect how the cookies rise, since they’re made with baking soda. If you try the recipe again, be sure to use natural and it may also be helpful to add a little more flour so the chocolate cookies don’t spread quite as much. I would add 2-3 extra Tablespoons, about 15-24g.
Sally, I loved this recipe, definitely a keeper..thank you love your recipes
I would like a stronger peanut butter taste, I found I couldn’t taste much peanut butter
I measured perfectly, is there a way to add more peanut butter to get this taste?
Thank you again
★★★★
Hi Deb, what brand of peanut butter did you use? The peanut butter cookie dough should have a pretty pronounced peanut butter flavor, so it’s possible a different brand may work better for you. Be sure to use creamy processed peanut butter, too. Thanks for giving these a try!
Sally, Sally, Sally! You took me back to my childhood with these cookies! Well…kind of. Growing up ,Green’s Bakery was the place we all went to BEFORE going to school. They made the softest chocolate peanut butter chip cookies ANYWHERE! Now thanks to you I can have both of my favorite cookies in one bite! Though I changed the recipe AFTER making them like yours the first 2 times, I added peanut butter chips in the chocolate part & dark chocolate chips for the peanut butter part. Needless to say, they NEVER stay long. I am so glad I found you years ago & STILL my “go to” place for ALL things sweet!
★★★★★
Hi Marion, Thank you for sharing! We love that you found a cookie that bring you back to your childhood. Happy Baking!
Hi! Can I use peanut butter chips for the chocolate dough? thanks!
Hi Michelle, You can try peanut butter chips! Let us know how they turn out.
Sooooo ok. I’ve been trying to learn more about baking with cacao powders and trying different chocolate cookies – I *thought* I’d found the most awesome recipe, but then found this. This is heaven – the combination of dark chocolate and peanut butter in a rich, soft cookie – omg. Being a relatively noobish baker, it took me longer to do the prep, but that will come with repeated practice (which I intend to follow through on. Frequently.)
Used almond milk and it turned out great. I also wanted to try using black dutch process cacao for the extra 2 tablespoons and WOW did it make a difference when added to the regular!
I now also understand why it’s important to make sure to refrigerate the dough – after the first batch was in the oven I put it right back in to the fridge so it firmed up again. Thank you for this important note.
Hands down (and chocolate-covered), the best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. Thank you!
★★★★★
Can you use oatmilk for this recipe as a substitute for milk?
That should be fine, Jessica!
These are AMAZING! I just finished making them and half are already gone. We’re a cookie loving family! They’re easily the best cookies I’ve ever made! Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
These cookies are great! I used natural peanut butter because that was all I had and it worked out completely fine, but I was prepared to add and egg, oil and some half and half as someone mentioned above. I was quite short on time, so I put the chocolate dough in the fridge right after I made it, which worked well because the peanut butter dough needed much less chilling. (It only managed to chill for 1.5 hours, and It was only a little sticky.) When rolling them I rolled all the peanut butter dough balls first, and then as I rolled the chocolate ones I combined them, which eliminated the need to wash your hands as much.
★★★★★
These cookies were such a hit and very pretty. You know you brought in good cookies when you get thank you notes from your friends. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Love LOVE these cookies and I’ve made them several times. I decided to try to use the chocolate recipe to make a chocolate peppermint cookie for the holidays. I doubled it, but used 1.5 cups of chocolate chips and 1 cup of crushed candy canes. I dipped the top of the chilled balls in more crushed candy canes before baking. Well, the melting candy inside the cookie messed with the texture and they were completely flat and thin. I was disappointed until I tasted them. OMG they are like chewy brownie edges! I think if I made them again I’d use less candy and add in peppermint extract to try to save the look of them. Then again, if they are ugly then I don’t have to share them.
I have made many cookies over the years. This recipe is one that I come back to often. It has to be one of our favorites at our house. Thank you!
I just made these, fantastic recipe, followed it to a tee and they came out perfect, nice trick with the chips, the cookies look so nice like that! seriously fantastic cookies, and fun to make with the kids! thank you for sharing!
I made these last night as written, but with the addition of a miniature peanut butter cup stuffed inside. Madness! They’re so big! I’m sending them across the country to my Dad for Father’s Day. Thanks for another great recipe!
These are by far the best cookies I have ever made from an online recipe! My husband LOVES these cookies. They are soft, easy to make and oh, so, delicious! Definitely our family’s favorite!
Hi Sally, I have made these cookies a few times and it’s always a hit. I wanted to make these, but I am wondering, can the dough be made and chilled a few days in advance? If so, how many days ahead of time can I keep the dough chilling before I bake them? Thank you so much and Merry Christmas!
Hey Brittney! You can chill the dough for up to 3-4 days.
I just made these and they are absolutely delicious! Another Keeper from Sally!
Amazing recipe! Turned out exactly as pictured. A definite crowd pleaser. Thank you, I’ll definitely bookmark your site. Greetings from New Zealand.
I tried this recipe and really loved it. Will make it again and again. Excellent recipe. Five stars.
These are fantastic and my family has taken to calling them yin yang cookies!!
Oh my gosh, I love how these cookies look and I really want to give them a try. Though I do have one question: For the chocolate dough and the dark chocolate chips, I really want the cookies to have a real Yin-Yang feel to them, so is it okay to substitute white chocolate chips in the chocolate cookie batch, or will the white chocolate affect how they bake?
White chocolate chips in the chocolate dough would be just fine!
Sally, these cookies turned out phenomenal!!! Thank you 🙂
These turned out FANTASTIC Sally, One of my all time favorite cookies now, Thank you sooooo much!!!!!!!!
I just made these cookies last night, and they are so soft and delicious. I used the “tall” cookie ball that you talked about in another post and the cookies are wonderfully thick!
Every recipe from your blog that I’ve tried has been fantastic! I can’t wait to make these cookies, and more, again!
Hello Sally! I absolutely adore these cookies!! They are just lovely! My whole family loves them! My question for you is, could I substitute your chewy chocolate chip cookies for the peanut butter cookies in this recipe? Would it bake up the same? Both recipes are so yummy, and my family really likes the chocolate chip and chocolate/brownie combo. Thank you!!
Hey Eleanor! You sure can – I’ve done it before. They will bake up the same.
These cookies are amazing! They don’t last an hour in my home! The salted double chocolate chip cookies are a big hit too…we love your cookies!