If you’re looking for the best chewy peanut butter cookies, with super soft, chewy centers and crisp edges, this easy recipe is for you! Packed with tons of peanut butter flavor and ready in just 30 minutes, get ready to meet your new favorite cookie.
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Everyone loves a classic, and this recipe for old-fashioned chewy peanut butter cookies truly fits the bill. Every time I make these cookies (like for my annual Christmas cookie exchange) they fly off the plate! While I love trying new recipes, sometimes you just can’t beat something as tried and true as a homemade peanut butter cookie. Here’s why I’ll never grow tired of this recipe:
- Easy: Made with simple baking ingredients you probably already have on hand, these chewy peanut butter cookies will be out of the oven in less than half an hour!
- Crisp and Chewy: Crunchy edges, chewy centers, and sweet peanut butter flavor with just a hint of salt make these cookies simply the best.
- Nostalgia: These classic flavors scream childhood favorite and the simplicity of this recipe insures it’s the only old fashioned peanut butter cookie recipe you’ll need.
- Versatile: This simple, wholesome recipe can be used as the base of many peanut butter cookie dough recipes.
For my fellow peanut butter lovers, try these giant peanut butter cup cookies with a full size Reese’s peanut butter cup in the center! These soft Reese’s Pieces peanut butter cookies and peanut butter oatmeal cookies are other reader favorites.
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for chewy peanut butter cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Flour: Easy, inexpensive, all-purpose flour is all you need. It’s best to spoon it into the measuring cup rather than dunking the cup into the bag, that way you don’t pack it.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda creates the perfect crispy edges. Just double check the label and make sure it’s not expired!
- Peanut Butter: Regular, classic, creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter creates the perfect soft texture.
- Butter: Don’t forget to let it adjust to room temperature before you start.
- Sugars: A combination of granulated white sugar and light or dark brown sugar.
These old fashioned chewy peanut butter cookies are easy and quick to prepare with no fancy preparation needed! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: Beat the peanut butter, butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Combine: Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Scoop & Bake: Scoop about a tablespoon of dough and place onto baking sheets with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
- Finish Cooling: Cool on the pan for around 5 minutes. Slide parchment onto a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Peanut Butter: Regular, inexpensive, creamy or chunky peanut butter will provide the best texture. Natural peanut butter is usually a looser texture with more oil and it will cause the cookies to spread too much.
- Time: Do not overbake this classic peanut butter cookie recipe! When the edges turn slightly brown, remove from the oven. They will firm up on the baking sheet as the cool.
- Feeling Fancy? Press a chocolate kiss in the middle of the dough ball for the perfect peanut butter blossom cookie.
- PB & J Cookies: Use your thumb and press a hollow in the center of the dough. Fill with your favorite flavor of jam. This is a beautiful addition to any cookie platter!
- Cookie Sandwiches: Place a scoop of your favorite ice cream between two cookies. Roll the outside in sprinkles, chopped peanuts, or mini chocolate chips. Then wrap and freeze until ready to serve. Or sandwich the cookies together with peanut butter frosting in the center like in my peanut butter sandwich cookies.
- Fresh Cookies Daily: Scooped dough freezes beautifully. Thaw and bake fresh cookies whenever the mood strikes you.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sugar for sprinkling, optional
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture on low speed. Stir until dough forms.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough), drop rounded balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Leaving space for spreading. (For a sparkle look, I like to sprinkle the tops of the dough with extra granulated sugar — but it’s totally optional.)
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned, and remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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These were SO GOOD. Sometimes PB cookies can taste a bit plain but this has such a good creaminess to it without being too soft. I left the cookies in for 13-14 min so they had a slight crips on the bottom, and it was amazing with salt sprinkled on top. Definitely making again!
These are my go to peanut butter cookies. So easy to make and they are delicious!
*The Best*
I’ve tried lots of recipes for peanut butter cookies, and this one is the best!!! Lots of flavor and perfect balance of chewy/crisp edges. Thank you- I will be keeping this one!
I am making these today06/21, and it is so hot here I put my dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, I hope it will be ok, let ya know
THESE ARE THE BEST!
Peanut butter cookies are my absolute favorite but I’ve never been able to get the texture right, mine usually turned out dry and crumbly. Not these! They are so chewy and amazing. I’ve made them three times and they have been perfect every time.
I made these and baked for 15 minutes! The flavor and texture was just perfect. This will be one of my favorite recipes!
Love this! This is my 2nd time making it, and it is still perfectly thin and chewy. Roll it around in some choco chips and it is like a Reese’s snicker doodle.
Turned out perfect. I used a small scoop so cut time to 9 min but otherwise followed the recipe. Chewy with crispy edges and delicious.
These are the BEST cookies I have made in a while! Super chewy and very yummy! I used all the measurements as the recipe said, except a little less sugar (-1.4), and added some chocolate chips ( can’t forget those)! I baked them for 12 min, and they are still soft inside.
Definitely will be making these again!
The most amazing peanut butter cookies I have ever eaten ( and I’ve eaten my fair share of peanut butter cookies). They are soft, moist and with a chewy edge. I love peanut butter and chocolate so I did add some milk chocolate chips, which turned out incredible but I know that if someone made these without the chocolate they would still be amazing! Thank you!
I needed a quick, easy peanut butter cookie recipe that wasn’t as heavy as the flourless one I usually make. This was perfect! I used Jif Natural and was concerned that the dough was a little loose, but they baked up beautifully. I sprinkled in some toffee bits, because toffee bits are always a pleasant surprise in a cookie.
These are THE BEST soft peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made!!! It has good peanut buttery taste that a lot of them don’t have… Picky family LOVES them!!! Definitely keeping the recipe close!!! Making my second double batch now!!! Highly recommend this recipe, didn’t change a thing!!
I just made these and these were hands down the best peanut butter cookies I have ever had. It was the perfect mix between salty and sweet. I made these for my whole family and they all agreed. 10/10 would make again.
Perfect! Peanut butter cookies!!! Making them today for the third time. I love them and so does my family!
DELICIOUS! Made these exactly as directed and they turned out perfectly. I’ve found that most peanut butter cookies seem dry, but these are moist and exactly what I was hoping for. 100% recommend.
These are legitimately the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had. I followed the recipe exactly (baked for 12 minutes) and they turned out perfectly. I can’t thank you enough!
Fantastic!!! A staple cookie from here on out.
My husband said he used to love his moms peanut butter cookies, I didn’t have the recipe so I made these cookies. He said these taste just about like his moms and we both loved these cookies.
Omg these are the best cookies! The only things I did differently was add a 1/2 tsp baking powder and I folded in the flour mix into the peanut butter mix. I also cooked them for 14-15 minutes. They came out the perfect brown and crisp on the edges and peaks, but still had a soft chewy center. This is my new go to recipe. Thanks!!
These worked out perfectly! On some of them I added halfed marshmallows, and they were soo good. super chewy, and a touch crispy on the outside. I will be using this recipe again!
These are my go to peanut butter cookies. My sons constantly ask for more. Amazing!