These Peanut Butter Cookies have the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth texture, with crisp edges and a creamy, rich peanut butter middle. It’s my favorite peanut butter cookie! 

If you look down in the comments, you’ll see that many people say these are the best peanut butter cookies they’ve ever had. 

Peanut Butter Cookies - On a White Dish with 4 Pieces

These aren’t your average fork-pressed peanut butter cookie, and that’s a good thing.

In my opinion, peanut butter “cookies” made from peanut butter, sugar, and egg aren’t very cookie-like. These taste so much better than the usual 3-ingredient version. 

Why This Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Is Noteworthy:

When you make a “peanut butter cookie” with only peanut butter, sugar, and an egg, you simply cannot get the typical texture that you’d expect from a cookie. To me, those “cookies” are excessively crumbly and lack a pleasing chewiness.

This recipe has tons of peanut butter flavor and richness, and ALSO an incredible texture when you bite into it. 

It’s slightly crisp on the edges, but soft, chewy, and moist in the middle. 

And look at the feathered texture and ridges on top:

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe - Presented on White Dish with milk in background

These cookies are phenomenal when enjoyed fresh out of the oven, but they are still decent after they’ve cooled too.

For this reason, they are one of my go-to cookies for bringing to parties or gatherings.

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies:

For the dry ingredients, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl:

Flour, Salt, and Leavener in Mixing Bowl

Whisk together, then set aside.

To get the wet ingredients going, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar:

Butter, Sugar, and Brown Sugar in Glass Bowl

Using a combination of granulated and brown sugar gives the cookie the perfect chewiness and bite.

Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy, then add an egg and vanilla extract:

Adding Vanilla Extract and Egg to Creamed Butter and Sugar

Whip those in, then mix in some creamy peanut butter, until you get a smooth mixture that looks like this:

Creamed Butter and Sugar with Egg in Mixing Bowl

Let’s Talk about Peanut Butter Type for a Second:

I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter here, as the cookies will turn out with an inferior texture that’s more crumbly and dry.

I use a peanut butter “spread” that is very creamy and spreadable. Brands like Skippy, Jif, etc. prepare their peanut butters like this. I personally use the organic Whole Foods Brand (the ingredients are peanut butter, palm oil, and salt).

To finish the peanut butter cookie dough, add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until the flour just disappears:

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Made from Scratch in Glass Bowl with Beaters

Use a medium cookie scoop (affiliate) to portion out scoops of dough directly onto a baking sheet:

Scoops of Peanut Butter Cookie Dough on Sheet Pan

Do Not Roll the Scoops Into Balls:

It’s the scooping of the dough that gives it those incredible ridges and “feathering” on top that melts in your mouth when you take a bite!

I have tested rolling these into smooth balls before baking, and the texture is not as good.

How Long to Bake Peanut Butter Cookies:

Bake the cookies at 350F for 13-14 minutes, until they’re golden brown on the bottom and the edges, but still soft in the middle.

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies on a Sheet Pan Freshly Baked

Keep in mind that there will be a little bit of carryover cooking, and the cookies will firm up as they cool, so you want to err on the side of underbaking. 

These are best enjoyed while warm, with a glass of milk. They’re so rich!

FAQ and Tips:

How to Freeze:

  • Completely Baked Cookies: Complete the recipe start to finish, then let the peanut butter cookies cool completely. Place the cookies in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. To enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature, for about 30 minutes.
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Dough: You can also freeze these unbaked. I recommend scooping the dough onto a baking sheet, then freezing completely. Then you can remove the frozen dough balls from the tray and place in a bag to save space. For this recipe, I recommend thawing the dough back to room temperature before baking, which should take about an hour. I once tested baking straight from frozen, but I found that they don’t bake quite as evenly.

Can you use natural peanut butter? I discuss this above, but I don’t recommend it, as the cookies will turn out with an inferior texture that’s more crumbly and dry. Use a super smooth processed peanut butter “spread.” Brands like Skippy, Jif, etc. prepare their peanut butters like this. I personally use the organic Whole Foods Brand.

How to Store: Make sure to store these in an airtight container, or they will dry out. These cookies will last about two days at room temperature before losing too much flavor and freshness. Technically they will keep longer than this, but I think the taste is too inferior, and at that point you’d be better off freezing them. See the freezing instructions above.

Do Not Overbake: Keep in mind that when you take the cookies out of the oven, they should seem excessively soft. There will be a little bit of carryover cooking, and the cookies will firm up as they cool, so you want to err on the side of underbaking. 

Also, if you don’t have an independent oven thermometer (affiliate), they are an inexpensive purchase and very useful for verifying temperature accuracy. Many ovens are not accurate to the temperature they claim. If the cookies turn out dry, simply put, they were overbaked. They should be moist and gooey on the inside.

More Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes:

Three Peanut Butter Cookies on a White Plate

Peanut Butter Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
These Peanut Butter Cookies have the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth texture, with crisp edges and a creamy, rich peanut butter middle.
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Ingredients

  • 7.5 ounces by weight all purpose flour (1.5 cups measured)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar*
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter**

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
  • In another medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar, for about 60 seconds, until fluffy and light.
  • Mix in the egg and vanilla extract for about 30 seconds, until combined.
  • Mix in the peanut butter for an additional 30 seconds, until combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then mix just until the flour is incorporated. Take care not to overmix.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop, portion out scoops of dough directly onto a baking sheet. You should get about 24 scoops of dough total (split them between two baking sheets).
  • Bake for 13-14 minutes, until the edges are golden, but the middle is still soft. Let them cool for a couple minutes before eating. They are especially fantastic enjoyed warm out of the oven. Enjoy!

Notes

*I've used both light and dark brown sugar and each works well. Use whichever you have.
**See the blog post for more discussion on why not to use natural peanut butter. Make sure to use a smooth peanut butter spread here. 

Nutrition

Calories: 166.09kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.6g, Protein: 3.89g, Fat: 9.51g, Saturated Fat: 3.63g, Cholesterol: 16.99mg, Sodium: 172.33mg, Potassium: 96.29mg, Fiber: 0.88g, Sugar: 9.65g, Vitamin A: 128.08IU, Calcium: 15.53mg, Iron: 0.68mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Joanne Ozug

Post updated in August 2020. Originally published in January 2012.