These soft, thick, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies may be the only peanut butter cookie recipe you ever use again. Some readers say the cookies taste like the inside of a peanut butter cupโYUM! You need just 9 ingredients and the dough can be adapted in many ways to make different variations like peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter jam thumbprints.
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Why hello there, peanut butter cookie lovers. You’ve come to the right place! This may look familiar, as I have shared a number of peanut butter cookie recipes over the years. But believe me when I say this one is the one to keep in the front of your recipe folder.
This go-to, flagship peanut butter cookies recipe is the same dough used to make these popular peanut butter blossoms among the other 6+ variations listed below. The recipe stands the test of time and even after publishing dozens of other peanut butter recipes online and in my cookbooks… THIS IS THE BEST ONE.
One reader, Joyce, commented: “I’ve been looking for the recipe like my mother used when I was growing up. Soft and chewy in the middle, crispy on the edges, and the perfect peanut butter taste. Takes me back to when I was 9 years old and learning how to make these standing on a chair. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!! โ โ โ โ โ ”
Another reader, Faith, commented: “Seriously the BEST peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had! So delicious. The recipe was very easy to follow while still including helpful tips and directions. Thank you! โ โ โ โ โ “
And another reader, Rita, commented: “I’ve been baking for my family for 50 years. This is the absolute best cookie recipe we have ever tried. Thanks, Sally. Outstanding! โ โ โ โ โ “
Why Youโll Love These Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pillow-soft centers with slightly crisp exterior and crumbly edge
- No-fuss recipe with 9 ingredients
- Super simple to make
- Marked with a traditional criss-cross on top
- Major peanut butter flavor
- Versatile cookie doughโadd mix-ins or turn the dough into pb&j thumbprints
Grab These 9 Ingredients:
You can find the full printable recipe below, but first let me tell you some of the keys to recipe success, starting with the ingredients.
Ingredient Success Tips
- A shockingly small amount of flour. You may look at the recipe below and wonder why there’s so little flour… has Sally completely lost her mind?! Ha! Well, peanut butter and other nut butters act as a binder and can actually replace some or all flour in recipes including these flourless almond butter cookies. Using more flour will dry out the cookies, so stick with the recipe below.
- More peanut butter than other recipes. Most recipes Iโve tried call for around 1/2 cup of peanut butter with similar amounts of other ingredients. We’re using more.
- Use creamy peanut butter instead of crunchy. Just like when making peanut butter snickerdoodles, big giant monster cookies, or white chocolate peanut butter cookies, creamy peanut butter is ideal because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. Crunchy peanut butter is typically thicker and, well, less creamy! For a soft cookie that stays mostly intact, use creamy peanut butter.
- A combination of brown sugar + white granulated sugar. Like when you make chocolate chip cookies, it’s ideal to use more brown sugar than white granulated sugar in this dough. Brown sugar lends a softer, moister, and thicker cookie, while white granulated sugar helps the cookies spread. Use both, but use more brown.
Can I Use Natural Peanut Butter in Peanut Butter Cookies?
Yes, you can use natural peanut butter in this dough! Over the past decade, I’ve made these exact cookies with processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy as well as natural-style where the ingredients are only peanuts and salt. Here are my notes:
- Processed: The cookies truly taste perfect with great texture. They spread less and aren’t as crumbly.
- Natural-Style: The cookies spread a bit more and are somewhat sandier/crumblier.
But, most importantly, both cookies have fantastic peanut butter flavor. Keeping the above notes in mind, you can use either kind, just like you can in flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
Another Success Tip: Chill the Cookie Dough
Chilling the cookie dough in the refrigerator before baking the cookies is crucial to this recipe’s success. The dough is incredibly creamy, almost like peanut butter frosting, and you’ll have a heck of a time trying to roll and bake such a soft dough. Set aside 1โ2 hours for chilling, or do yourself a favor and make the dough the night before.
Expect a VERY creamy cookie dough:
After chilling, the cookie dough solidifies and it’s easier to roll into balls:
After chilling, roll the dough into balls and then generously roll in granulated sugar. Sugar gives these cookies a sparkly sweet exterior with a touch of crunch before giving way to soft, melt-in-your-mouth bliss. Don’t forget the classic criss-cross on top of each cookie, just press with a fork!
Another success tip: After flattening the balls with a fork, use your fingers to reshape the edges into thicker/taller discs, because the thicker the disc, the thicker the baked cookie.
Welcome to the Peanut Butter Cookie Headquarters
Today’s cookies have been my go-to for a decade. If you want to compare, here are 2 other peanut butter cookie doughs and how they differ:
- Crisp/Old-Fashioned Version: Crispier with less peanut butter punch.
- Very Peanut Butter Cookies: Bigger and crumblier with EXTRA peanut butter flavor. It’s practically today’s recipe, only doubled. This is the same dough we use for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
The following recipes use today’s dough. (Note that the plain cookies have an extra Tablespoon of flour to retain shape because we’re flattening with a fork.)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies (pictured)
- Peanut Butter Blossoms (pictured)
- PB Cookie Cups on page 138 in Sally’s Cookie Addiction
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Reese’s Cup Stuffed Cookies
So whether youโre looking for a classic criss-cross cookie or want to add some flair, this soft-baked peanut butter cookie is the ideal base recipe for many variations.
Print
Soft & Thick Peanut Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are the softest, thickest peanut butter cookies! You need just 9 ingredients for the base recipe, and it can be adapted in so many ways to make different variations (see post above). Do not skip chilling the dough.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (170g)ย all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoonย baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoonย salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g)ย unsalted butter,ย softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cupย (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cupย (50g)ย granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (100g) for rolling
- 1ย largeย egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (about 185g) creamyย peanut butter (see note)
- 1 teaspoonย pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- 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. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย 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 dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1โ2 hours, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll & coat the dough: Place remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of sugar into a bowl. Roll chilled cookie dough into balls, about 1 scant Tablespoon (5/8 ounce or 18g) of dough each. Roll each ball in the sugar and arrange on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use a fork to make a criss-cross indent on top of each. To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, after indenting the cookies, use your fingers to reshape into a thicker disc (since indenting the balls flattened them out).
- Bake for 11โ12 minutes or until the edges appear set and are very lightly browned. The centers will still look very soft.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer 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 3 days. 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. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for more success tips.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Stand Mixerย orย Handheld) |ย Baking Sheets |ย Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter. If using natural peanut butter, make sure it’s at room temperature, stirred well, and expect a slightly crumblier cookie. 3/4 cup of peanut butter weighs anywhere between 185โ195g.
- Can I use almond butter? Yes, you can use almond butter in this cookie recipe; however, expect a crumblier cookie. You may enjoy these flourless almond butter cookies more, though!
- Can I add chocolate chips or other add-ins? Yes, in step 3 after the dry and wet ingredients come together, you can fold in 1 cup add-ins like chocolate chips (180g), peanut butter chips (180g), or chopped salted or unsalted peanuts (150g). Skip indenting the cookies with a fork.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Just made these and can confirm that you should definitly use processed peanut butter. Edible but falling apart. Maybe needs more oil if using natural pbโฆ
Do you think substituting Cookie Butter would work, or is it too different from peanut butter?
Hi Kelly, we havenโt specifically tested that but that swap will typically work. Or, you might enjoy these Biscoff chocolate chip cookies instead! Feel free to leave out the chocolate chips in that recipe.
These turned out fabulous. I used your tried and true trick of making the cookies more like cylinders than balls. That way, they stayed thick even after making the fork lines. They baked up beautiful and thick and taste delicious. Thank you this fantastic recipe!
I have been making these cookies for years, they are by far the best peanut butter cookies out there. I get begged by my coworkers to bring them in, and was ‘volunteered’ to make them for our Thanksgiving potluck this year. Follow the recipe exactly, perfect as is.
I didnโt see the you must chill. Overall the cookies tasted great minus I burnt them
If I do not have parchment paper, do I just grease a cookie sheet?
Hi Brooke, yes, that will work as well. The cookies may bake faster if your cookie sheets are darker.
I didn’t see what temperature to set the oven to bake these peanut butter cookies? I see 12 min bake time but not at what temperature! Thank you mi
Hi Barb, The temperature is 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
Made these last night and they are absolutely delicious. The soft center came out perfect
I used natural peanut butter and they are a little too crumbly. Is there a fix for this or should I switch to processed peanut butter?
Hi Beth! Processed peanut butter (like Jif) is best for these cookies.
I used white chocolate peanut butter followed the recipe and omg soooo good! Definitely a keeper dori
I GET SO MANY COMPLIMENTS ON THESE AS THE BEST PB COOKIES EVER!
How many grams of sugar do these delicious Soft & Thick Peanut Butter Cookies have per cookie? Iโve never done this but can these be baked without sugar as my friend Iโm baking them for has diabetes? Or may I use a sugar substitute and if so, how much of the sugar substitute shall I use per batch and which brand would you recommend for baking? Thank you so much.
Hi Celeste, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended. We haven’t tried a sugar substitute here, but let us know how they turn out if you try anything!
Amazing recipe and tasted like Grandmaโs Ty for sharing
Better than my grandma made! This is the perfect peanut butter cookie!
Tried to make the thick peanut butter cookies. Chilled over night and it was too hard. Added some milk after it thawed a bit and cookies are better. I followed the directions and I am not sure I will make this recipe again.
These Peanut Butter Cookies are so good. Exactly like my
Grandmothers. Follow the recipe exactly as Sally has here and your family will cheer. Most important, do not overbake. In my opinion, better less than more!! Enjoy!!
These were great. I did a regular batch and a batch with chocolate chips.
This is now the 5th recipe of yours I have converted to. I love your tips, it helps so much as I am so new to baking! Thanks!
These turned out perfectly. I made them without the mixer, done all by hand, totally possible just tilt your bowl, put on some music and work those arm muscles. Much better than the basic peanut butter cookies from childhood, worth the extra effort and time.
Should have read the recipe thru first. Disappointed I had to refrigerate the dough before baking
Hope they are worth the wait!!
I made these today exactly except used King Arthur’s gluten free 1:1 flour as that is what I had on hand. Could this be the reason they taste a bit dry?
Hi,
Can I add chopped up Peanut Butter cups to this? Or is using something lighter in weight like c. chips more appropriate? ( I see you approve of chips in the notes)
Hi Jimmy! Chopped up peanut butter cups should work. Let us know if you try!
My husband says โdonโt change a thing or try another recipe.โ He calls these blue ribbon award winning cookies.
I make these often. I love just having the cookie dough at the ready in the fridge. Today Iโm goin to try some figs in my cookies just because someone gave
Me some and I donโt know what to do with them.
Mixed up yesterday, added a cup of chocolate chips like in the notes. Baked this morning. They are fantastic! Thanks Sally for another fabulous recipe!
I live at high altitude, 7,703 feet above sea level. I only have crunchy peanut butter to work with. What adjustments do I need to make?
Hi Penny! I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html Creamy peanut butter is ideal because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use crunchy peanut butter, but expect slightly different results.
Just made a double batch for a bake sale. I wanted them bigger so I used a small ice scream scoop as measure. Sprinkled a bit of sea salt on top.
They were A-MAZING!
My yield with doubled batch was 36 cookies.