Classic peanut butter cookies are soft, chewy, and topped with a trademark criss cross pattern! Using a whole cup of creamy peanut butter ensures that they have plenty of peanut butter flavor. And brown sugar helps them stay moist and chewy. So you can store your soft peanut butter cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe: Plenty of Peanut Butter Flavor!

Growing up, peanut butter cookies were not a household staple. My mom rarely baked them; she’s always been team chocolate chip. And on the rare occasion we bought them from the store, they were always just ok. But I always felt they lacked in flavor and were either too crunchy or too soft.

No wonder it took me ages to get around to perfecting this recipe. But after weeks of recipe testing, late night peanut butter runs, and mountains of dirty dishes. I finally created the perfect peanut butter cookie. They’re crunchy on the outside but also melt in your mouth moist, with plenty of peanut butter flavor!

These classic peanut butter cookies are:

• baked with brown sugar, so they’re soft but chewy… and just a little bit crunchy at the edges
• full of creamy peanut butter flavor without being too peanut buttery (does that make sense?)
• freezer friendly… for up to 2 months. 
• made with just 9 simple, everyday ingredients
• a dream come true for peanut butter purists
• absolutely delicious with an ice cold glass of milk

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies:

• Butter: Be sure to use unsalted butter, and bring it to room temperature before use. Butter that’s too cold won’t properly cream with the sugars.
• Peanut Butter: For best results, use regular creamy peanut butter, like JIF or Skippy. I do not suggest using natural peanut butter, or subbing almond butter. Crunchy peanut butter will work if you want a crunchier peanut butter cookie.
• Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use pure vanilla, not imitation or artificial vanilla. If you don’t have this ingredient on hand, you may simply omit it. The cookies won’t have the same depth of flavor but will still be delicious.
• Sugar: You’ll use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. This duo sweetens the cookies and adds depth of flavor.
• Eggs: Use large eggs and be sure to bring them to room temperature before use.
• All-Purpose Flour: I don not suggest subbing almond flour or coconut flour in this recipe. Some readers have reported great success using a 1 for 1
• Chemical Leavening Agents: Baking soda and baking powder help these cookies spread and puff up in the oven. Be sure yours are fresh, as expired leavening agents don’t preform well, and can add an unpleasant taste to the cookies.
• Salt: If you only have salted butter, you can use it and omit this ingredient. But salt helps enhance the flavors in the recipe while balances sweetness.

Creamy Peanut Butter vs Natural Peanut Butter 

• Conventional creamy peanut butter works best for peanut butter cookie recipes because it has a smooth and even texture. 
• My favorite creamy peanut butter brands are Skippy or Jif. 
• Natural peanut butter, made up of just peanuts and salt, is typically very oily and hard to get even. 
• Using natural peanut butter runs the risk of uneven peanut butter. This can cause an uneven split cookie dough.
• Natural peanut butter also doesn’t contain sugar, so the cookies will bake up less sweet. 

How do You Make Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Make the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Toss in the sugars, eggs, and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. No need to whisk together the flour baking soda and other dry ingredients first. Don’t over mix your cookie dough or the cookies will be cakey.
2. Chill the Cookie Dough: Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least an hour. If the cookie dough is too firm to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften.
3. Prep the Oven: 20 minutes before you plan on baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). You’ll also want to line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Bake the Cookies: Scoop out cookie dough, roll it into balls, and place it on your prepared baking pan. Use a fork to make criss cross marks on the top of each cookie. Then bake until the edges are golden and the centers have set.
5. Dip in Chocolate: This step is optional, but you can melt chocolate and dunk each cookie in it for an extra decadent treat!
6. Cool the Cookies: Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies 

• If you plan to eat the cookies within a few days, place them in an airtight container. Or a zip-top plastic bag and press as much excess air out as possible. 
• You can place a slice of stale sandwich bread inside the container to help absorb excess moisture. This little trick will keep the peanut butter cookies nice and soft.
• If you’re craving a warm cookie, preheat your oven to 300°F. Place the cookie – or cookies – on a baking sheet. And place in the oven for about 3 minutes, or until warm to the touch. 

Can I Skip the Criss Cross Pattern? 

• Absolutely! If you don’t want to go through the effort of making the criss cross pattern on every cookie, you can skip this step. 
• The cookies will puff up a little more if you don’t press the balls with a fork. This will make them slightly softer. And puffier since the fork marks won’t press the cookie dough down.
• For a snickerdoodle twist, you can roll the dough into balls. Then get a bowl of granulated sugar rolling. I usually use 1/2 cup of sugar for one batch of cookies. This will make them sweeter. 
• No matter how you decide to “dress up” the cookie dough, the baking method remains the same. Once you roll the dough into balls, you’ll place them on the prepared baking sheets and bake as directed. 

Optional: Dunk in Chocolate

If you love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, try dunking your cookies in melted dark chocolate. A tiny amount of coconut oil gives the chocolate extra shine! And crushed peanuts and sea salt add plenty of pizzaz.

More Peanut Butter Cookies Recipes:

• Soft Batch Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Santa’s Favorite Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
• Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Salted Pretzel Peanut Butter Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Monster Cookies

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