These soft, thick, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies may be the only peanut butter cookie recipe you ever use again. 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.
This recipe has lived on my site for years and some readers say the cookies taste like the inside of a peanut butter cup. YUM!
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 has lived on my website since 2012 and 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.
Why You’ll 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 dough— add 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 I’ve 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, 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 1–2 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 you’re 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) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (100g) for rolling
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (about 185g) creamy peanut butter (see note)
- 1 teaspoon 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. 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 1–2 hours, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). 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 11–12 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 Mixer or Handheld) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats | 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 185–195g.
- 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.
I cannot wait to try your wonderful Peanut Butter Cookie recipe
I made these for a church fundraiser and they turned out awesome! I used a version of Skippy that has no added sugar because that’s what I usually buy. So they weren’t overly sweet, which is great. They are on the crumbly side, but I think that’s the nature of this type of cookie. My peanut butter obsessed hubby also gives them 2 thumbs up! Thanks Sally.
I’ve been baking for my family for 50 years. This is the absolute best cookie recipe we have ever tried. Thanks, Sally. Outstanding!
This recipe is amazing, I get requests to make them all the time. I’m wondering if it’s an appropriate dough to put in a cookie gun? Just got one and am hoping to try it out with a recipe I love.
Hi Fiona, this peanut butter cookie dough is too soft for a cookie press/gun. You may enjoy these spritz cookies. It’s a dough that works very well in a press.
This is an absolutely fantastic recipe. Thank you so much. I have made it exactly as you describe, but I also adapted this for my child who needs to eat some extra calories and nutrients to make up for a medication that suppresses appetite. I made what seem like a lot of modifications, but it tastes fantastic anyway: the white sugar is replaced by monk fruit, the brown sugar is replaced by coconut sugar (not too different), the flour is replaced 85% by whole einkorn flour and 15% by collagen powder, and 25% of the butter is replaced by olive oil. I know it sounds like a lot but the flavor and texture are excellent and it ends up being 100% whole grain, lower in saturated fat, higher in protein, and lower in sugar, while still having almost the exact same amount of calories.
I have always struggled with weight gain, but Ive found if I track my food intake and make sure to increase my calorie and protein intake I start to slowly gain. But I want to start doing that in a healthy way. Do you have any tips on where to start? Also where do you find einkorn flour?
Any idea how many calories are in each cookie?
Hi Cindy! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I would love the old Peanut butter Lovers recipe with Reeses pieces. I love your Peanut Butter cookie recipe, delicious
Hi Kay, feel free to send us an email at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com and we’d be happy to share a copy of that older recipe with you. Thank you!
Don’t waste your money. Followed the recipe exactly. They have crumbled to dust.
I’ve made this twice and it’s perfect , you didn’t follow recipe if these didn’t turn out
Well I just want you to know that the first batch I cooked I burnt a tad the rest an here on aftercwas the bomb the burnt ones are great the others are awesome, I’m giving you you 10 stars wtg
Followed the recipe and methods, even weighed the ingredients. Tasted good, but the cookies were dry. Any idea why and how I can prevent this in the future? Thank you!
Hi Hallie Ann, you can slightly reduce the flour by 2-3 Tbsp. That will help for next time.
I never cared for Peanut Butter cookies before because I thought of them as dry. The old fashioned ones were. Now these came out crispy edged and moist middle gems. With my oven, exactly 11 minutes was perfect.
This was great recipe thxs sally ❤️
Can you give me a little guidance on making this recipe for 50 dozen
Hi David, cookie recipes can typically be doubled without issue, but multiplying by more than that can overwhelm you mixer. We’d recommend making several double batches in order to reach your desired yield.
Hi, im wondering if I can add the marshmallow fluff to this recipe, I do add it to other pb cookie recipes, what would you suggest, should I decrease some of the ingredients, and if not how much marshmallow fluff should I use
Hi Tina, we haven’t tested it before so we’re unsure how that would turn out. You might enjoy these s’more peanut butter cookies instead.
I loved this recipe so much!
Great recipe. I always make chocolate buttercream icing and ice half of the cookies. Peanut butter and chocolate is a classic. 🙂
Do you think I can add more peanut butter? Maybe an additional 1/4 cup.
Hi Gloria, It may take some testing, but let us know how they turn out if you do try more!
Can I add soft cream cheese to my peanut butter batter to give my cookies a creamier taste? Has anyone ever done this?
I added toffee chips to this recipe, and used chunky peanut butter. It was a bit more crumbly, but not unworkably. It has received rave reviews, such as “Wow!!” and “This is the PERFECT peanut butter cookie,” and “I need to have another one of these.”
Can you tell me how to get the criss-crosses to actually “stay” after baking? Mine are faint at best, but most don’t have them at all. I was thinking that the step of pushing back up the edges into rounds would be the key, but it doesn’t seem to have been! HELP!
Hi Susanne, did the dough seem soft when trying to make the fork criss-crosses? You can stick the shaped cookie dough balls back into the fridge for a few minutes before making the criss-cross, as they may have gotten too warm when shaping them into balls. This should help the cookies keep their shape and imprint a bit better. Hope this helps!
Hi! can i use oil instead of butter?
Hi Sandra, we don’t recommend it. You could try solid coconut oil (you want a fat that’s solid at room temperature so that it can be creamed with the sugars), but we’re unsure of the exact outcome. Best to stick with butter here!
Do you recommend any changes to the recipe for higher elevation (Colorado) baking?
Hi Rebecca, 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
I looked around for hours and this is by far the best. Less sugar than most and they stay moist. Thanks
Made these for family baking night. This recipe is now in my recipe box and will be past down to the next generation. Easy to read recipe with detailed instructions. How can they be so soft yet crumble & melt in your mouth? Thank you for sharing, did change the ingredients, combined as written, did add 1 min more.
Hey there! Can these be made LARGE? My kid has requested some like we get at a local bakery. Have you tried them bigger?
Hi Maureen, our peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are extra large and reminiscent of a bakery-style peanut butter cookie. You can leave the chocolate chips out or replace them with chopped peanuts. Hope they’re a hit!
I would love to know your trick to keeping peanut butter cookies from crumbling.
Hi Rayne, we’re happy to provide some tips. First, using a natural-style peanut butter will make the cookies a bit crumblier than a creamy processed peanut butter. Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour to ensure it isn’t over measured. Over measuring your flour can cause the cookies to dry out. Over baking (even by just a minute or two!) can also cause the cookies to become dry and crumbly. Hope these tips are helpful for next time!
If they come out dry or crumbly, you overbaked them. This is the best peanut butter cookie recipe I have come across. They are moist & soft. No matter how many batches I make, they are gone so fast. My family absolutely loves this recipe. Just yesterday, my 17 year old called me from the grocery store to ask what I needed for peanut butter cookies. So funny! Definitely try these if you haven’t already.
Mine were dry. I don’t think I over baked b/c the bottoms were barely light brown. My batter was dry. I think I messed up the flour by measuring it by grams. Do you use a measuring cup?
This is a good recipe, if a little on the sweet side. I used natural peanut butter and added a bit of cream of tarter to help keep them soft. Next time I will not roll the dough balls in sugar at all.
How did they turn out for you? I’m wanting to make this and I’m worried they are going to turn to sand because all I have is natural pb. I do have cream of tartar though, how much did you add and did they come out soft?
I don’t often leave reviews, but these are the best peanut butter cookies. I knew when I saw the dough come together they’d be good. I made them bigger than a tablespoon—used a cookie scoop and overfilled a little, increased cooking time to 15-16 minutes and they came out perfectly. I let them rest a good 5 minutes on the tray before moving them to the rack. They won’t last long in our house!!
Just made your pb cookies they are awesome !! No dry soft center. Wasn’t gonna make till tomorrow put my sweet wouldn’t hold out. Glad I didn’t wait!!!
I pinned a PB lovers cookie on your website with pb chips and Reese’s mini cups. The link now takes me to this post. I’ve hunted for the other recipe on your site and can’t find it. It’s my son’s favorite cookie so wondering if I’ve just missed it and you can direct me to it?
Hi Amber, That is an older recipe that we unpublished. We still have it, so send us an email to sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com and we can forward it to you.
Can you tell me approximately how many ounces in 1 scant?
Hi AnnMarie, each cookie dough ball should be 1 scant Tablespoon (5/8 ounce or 18g).