Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
When it comes to peanut butter cookies, nothing beats the classic peanut butter cookie. These cookies are rich, buttery, and have just the right balance of sweetness and peanut butter flavor. Whether you prefer using creamy or crunchy peanut butter, this recipe is versatile enough to satisfy your preferences. Plus, the cookies get their iconic crisscross pattern from pressing the tops with the tines of a fork, giving them that nostalgic, homemade look.
The Chemistry of Peanut Butter Cookies
The key to perfect homemade peanut butter cookies lies in the balance of wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Peanut butter provides fat and moisture, but it lacks gluten, which is why all-purpose flour is needed to give cookies structure. Adding unsalted butter and brown sugar enhances the flavor and moisture, while granulated sugar contributes to a slightly crisp exterior. Chilling the dough helps the cookies retain their shape during baking, giving you thick, chewy cookies with every batch.
What is in homemade peanut butter cookies?
All-purpose Flour
Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.
Baking Powder
Puffs up your batter or dough instead of spreading it out. Baking powder contains a little bit of baking soda, an acid & cornstarch. Because of this, it only needs a liquid to react. It also consists of two different acids, so it’s double reacting. It reacts as soon as it’s mixed with a moisture and then again when it’s heated up.
Baking Soda
Elevates the pH level of your batter or dough. It increases the spread in your treat and encourages browning, which gives the crispy outside and soft inside texture that everyone loves. Baking soda needs both an acid and a liquid to react. Things that will activate your baking soda are: vinegar, fruit juice, molasses, brown sugar, tartar, buttermilk and sour cream. Baking soda only reacts once, which is right when it’s mixed into your batter or dough. The soda creates little air bubbles all throughout your treat. When the air bubbles get heated up in the oven, they expand.
Fine Sea Salt
Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand.
Unsalted Butter
It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough or batter and it will result in an overly salted treat.
Butter adds fats to your dough or batter which helps with moistness, flavor and texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.
When baking with butter, the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm, your treat will melt too fast and overspread in the oven, leaving you with a greasy, flat mess. If your butter is too cold, it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your treat too thick.
Brown Sugar
Is granulated sugar with a little molasses mixed in. Molasses is a somewhat smoky flavored natural sweetener, which makes brown sugar a bit sweeter than granulated sugar. Brown sugar draws more moisture into your treat, keeping it softer for longer. It’s also more acidic, which means it will help activate your baking soda.
Granulated Sugar
Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.
Peanut Butter
Adds another fat into your dough or batter that melts easily, allowing your treat to spread a little more. It will also add a creamy texture & rich flavor to your treat.
Eggs
Adds both a protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because, when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the egg white mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking, which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick treats. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters and doughs together and help them from collapsing. Unless otherwise specified, always use large eggs.
Vanilla Extract
When using pure vanilla extract, as opposed to imitation flavoring, it will add the deep rich flavor that everybody wants in a treat.
How do you make classic peanut butter cookies?
Dough
- Mix the butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Mix on low speed until combined. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the mixture for 1-2 minutes until it becomes lighter in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add the peanut butter. Add 3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter to the bowl and mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Crack 1 room temperature egg into the bowl, then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer and stir on low speed until the dough forms.
- Chill the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for 1-3 hours. This helps the cookies hold their shape during baking and enhances the flavor.
Bake
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it lightly with cooking spray.
- Shape the cookies. Scoop the dough using a large cookie scoop (about 2-inch balls). Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar, coating it completely. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Create the crisscross pattern. Using the tines of a fork, press down gently on the tops of the dough balls, creating a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown. The centers will still look soft but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them set on the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
Store the baked peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For more extended storage, freeze the dough in cookie dough balls or the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
The cookie dough can be made ahead and chilled in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also freeze the dough in pre-portioned cookie dough scoops to bake fresh cookies whenever the cravings hit.
Serving Suggestions
These cookies are perfect with a glass of milk or serve them warm for the extra peanut butter flavor. You can also drizzle melted chocolate on top of an extra indulgent treat.
Recommended Products
Why make homemade peanut butter cookies?
These classic peanut butter cookies are an excellent treat for any time of year. Whether for a holiday gathering, an after-school snack, or just because you’re craving something sweet, they’re always a hit. They’re also perfect for gifting or bringing to potlucks since they store well in a cookie jar or airtight container.
These peanut butter cookies are simple to make and require just a handful of basic ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. They’re perfect for baking ahead and storing in an airtight container for when the craving strikes. The butter and peanut butter combination creates a chewy, rich cookie with a crumbly texture, while the brown sugar adds depth of flavor. Plus, chilling the dough ensures a thicker cookie with a perfect balance between crispy edges and a soft, chewy center.
Enjoy baking these, they will become a family favorite in your home. Their rich peanut butter flavor and soft, chewy centers are the perfect way to indulge your sweet tooth and satisfy your peanut butter cravings!
FAQs
Why do peanut butter cookies have a criss-cross pattern?
The crisscross pattern on top of peanut butter cookies serves a practical and aesthetic purpose. Since peanut butter cookie dough is thick, pressing the dough with the tines of a fork flattens it, allowing it to bake more evenly. It also gives the cookies their iconic looks.
Can I use natural peanut butter?
Yes, you can use natural peanut butter, but keep in mind that it has a different texture than regular creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter tends to be more oily, so you may need to adjust the flour mixture slightly to prevent the dough from becoming too loose. For the best results, stir the natural peanut butter well before using it in this recipe.
How do I store these?
Store peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you want to store them longer, you can freeze the dough in cookie dough balls or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Can I add chocolate chips to these cookies?
Absolutely! Adding peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, or even white chocolate peanut butter chips would be a delicious way to elevate these classic peanut butter cookies.
Recipes You May Love
- Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
- Browned Butter Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Honey
- Peanut Butter Swirl Frozen Custard Ice Cream Recipe
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar + more for rolling
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the room-temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the standing mixer bowl. Mix until combined, then turn the speed up on the mixer and whip until lighter in color and texture, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter, mix until fully combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients on top: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer on low and mix until the dough forms.
- Remove the dough and wrap in plastic wrap, place in the fridge to chill for 1-3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge.
- Scoop the dough with a large cookie scoop into a small bowl of sugar. Roll the dough until fully covered, then place it onto light metal cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Use a fork to make a crisscross on top of the cookies.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove and allow them to set on the pan for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
I’d love to see it! Follow @_mrs.madi_ on Instagram and tag your photos with #mrsmadi.
Sharon Korth
Hi Madi, I just found your recipe on pintrest and I am going to try baking them today! I will report back later!! Thank you!
Madison Reid
Yay!! I hope you loved them!!