Indulge in these Giant Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! With your choice of creamy or crunchy peanut butter and tons of chocolate and peanut butter chips, these soft and chewy cookies are a spectacular treat!
When it comes to cookies, I can’t say I really have a favorite, because there are so many awesome cookies to choose from, I can pick just one! But these… these might come close.
Huge and thick, with a chewy center, these giant peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are packed with peanut butter, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips, all in a soft, brown-sugar cookie dough.
These jumbo treats are a wonderful dessert for a family dinner, or for an extra-festive after school snack (you may want to break them in half for kiddos). And they freeze beautifully, so if you want to make extras for another time, go for it!
If you love peanut butter cookies, make sure to check out these other reader favorites: Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms and Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies!
You got it! These cookies are basically a riff on classic chocolate chip cookies, with a brown sugar and butter dough—and a peanut-buttery twist. Real peanut butter is added to the dough for a sweet-and-salty, Reese’s-peanut-butter-cup effect that is basically irresistible. If you like peanut butter AT ALL, these are going to be right up your alley. And in addition to the peanut butter in the cookie dough, you get an extra taste of PB thanks to real Reese’s peanut butter chips! Mmm.
Finally, each cookie is made with a full quarter-cup of homemade cookie dough, so they’re huge! Honestly, I would say that each of these is over one serving… well, depending on your appetite!
The Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at those ingredients, shall we? Each one contributes in a particular way to make these cookies amazing!
- Butter and Peanut Butter: One of the twists in this recipe is that, unlike a normal chocolate chip cookie, the dough doesn’t use just butter. It uses peanut butter as well! Creamy or crunchy is fine, whichever you like. The butter should be softened.
- Sugar: A combination of packed light brown sugar and granulated sugar, just like classic chocolate chip cookies, for tenderness and flavor.
- Egg: You’ll need a large whole egg to help bind the dough together.
- Vanilla: Technically, this is optional, but I think it adds a lot to the overall result.
- Milk: The dough can be a little stiff, so a splash of milk helps get it to the right consistency.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is what you need for these cookies.
- Salt: Just a pinch or two.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda lightens the dough and makes the cookies soft, rather than heavy.
- Baking Chips: I used both Reese’s peanut butter chips, and semisweet chocolate chips.
The method for making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies is very similar to your typical chocolate chip cookie method. Since the dough can be somewhat stiff, I do think that using a stand mixer makes things easier. But you could definitely make them with a hand mixer or even by hand (although you might want a helper to take a turn with all of the mixing!).
- Preheat the Oven. Before you get started, make sure your oven is preheating to 350°F. Line two standard size cookie sheets with parchment paper (or use silicone baking mats).
- Combine the Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, the salt, and the baking soda, whisking or mixing together with a fork. Set this aside for now.
- Cream the Butters and Sugars. Using the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter, the peanut butter, the light brown sugar, and the granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed for a couple of minutes, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as needed with a soft spatula, until the mixture is light and fluffy. (Yum.)
- Add the Liquids. One by one, add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk to the butter mixture, and beat until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add the Dry Ingredients. Next, decrease the mixer speed to slow (you don’t want flour to fly everywhere!), and gradually add the dry ingredients you combined earlier. Beat the mixture only until just combined, or the cookies will be tough.
- Add the Baking Chips. Pour the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips into the bowl, and pulse the mixer several times until the curios are evenly distributed.
- Shape the Cookies. To make these “giant,” I use a #16 ice cream scoop, which is about ¼ cup of dough for each cookie. Scoop the dough into balls and place them on the cookie sheets, being careful not to overcrowd them. You want to leave about three inches between.
- Bake! Bake the cookies for 14 – 16 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. If you want extra chips on the top of the cookies, you can press a few onto the tops of the cookies at about the 11 minute mark.
- Cool.When the cookies are done baking, tap the cookie sheet against the counter several times to help distribute the melted chocolate chips. Cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack to cool fully before serving.
Aside from the recipe as written, there are a ton of options for customizing peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I mean, this recipe is basically a customization of chocolate chip cookies, so why stop there, right?
- Candies: Swap the chocolate chips for M&Ms for a fun and pretty presentation. Bonus points for seasonal colors!
- Nuts: A sprinkling of chopped peanuts on top of the cookies will add extra crunch and flavor. Yum!
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups: Tiny little PB cups couldn’t be sweeter in this easy recipe.
- Marshmallows: It’s no secret that I love marshmallows! Try using mini marshmallows to give these cookies a melted marshmallow finish.
- Make Them Smaller: Use a smaller cookie scoop to make smaller cookies. Don’t forget that smaller cookies bake faster, so keep an eye on them!
Do I Store These in the Fridge?
I do not recommend storing them in the fridge! Instead, keep your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Pro tip: include a slice of bread in the container to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
What About the Freezer?
Yes, you can definitely freeze peanut butter chocolate chip cookies! Just place the cooled cookies back on a cooled baking sheet in a single layer, and slide them into the freezer. When frozen, store in airtight containers with layers of wax paper or parchment between, to prevent sticking. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup Reese’s peanut butter chips
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda; whisk together. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, peanut butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until fully incorporated. Decrease the mixer speed to slow, and gradually add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Add the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips, and pulse the mixer several times until evenly distributed.
- Using a #16 ice cream scoop (or a ¼ cup measuring cup), scoop the dough into balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheets. Be careful not to overcrowd the dough, leaving approximately 3” between each cookie.
- Bake for 14 – 16 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. (Optional: 11 minutes into baking, gently press a few additional chocolate chips into the top of each cookie.
- When done baking, rap the cookie sheet against the counter several times to help better distribute the melty chocolate chips.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cool fully before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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