Easy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | The BEST Cookies Ever! (2024)

These are the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever eaten! This easy recipe makes dense, soft and perfectly chewy peanut butter cookies that you’ll make over and over again. They’re my absolute favorite!

Everyone needs a really great peanut butter cookie recipe, and I’m here to deliver that amazing recipe today. This is my staple, my go-to, and the only peanut butter cookie recipe that I make over and over again. It’s pretty much perfect.

This easy peanut butter cookie recipe is unique in the fact that you don’t press down the dough with a fork before you bake it. You press it down with the bottom of a cup AFTER you bake it.

I’m not sure what it does but something magical happens when you wait to press the cookies until after they come out of the oven. They are dense and thick but still chewy and soft in all of the right ways. And they are awesome right out of the freezer. So make a batch, eat half, freeze half, and eat them cold out of the freezer while your kids aren’t looking. I know this is a great option from experience. (If you’re looking for something a little different, you could always try my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies or Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, too.)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These cookies are easy to make but look extra fancy if you use large sparkling sugar!
• They are perfectly chewy and soft!
• They are easy to freeze and save for another day, whether for your own stash or for the bake sale that pops up during those super busy weeks!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies

• Creamy peanut butter: this recipe calls for creamy peanut butter (I prefer Skippy or Jif), but if you prefer the added crunch of crunchy, then go for it.
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar: Both granulated sugar and brown sugar give this dough it’s sweetness and helps give the cookies a soft texture. Sparkling sugar is perfect for coating the cookies – granulated sugar works well if you don’t have any sparkling sugar.
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda and baking powder
• Egg
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

Popular Substitutions and Variations

• This recipe calls for creamy peanut butter but crunchy peanut butter is just fine – it will just add a little nutty texture.
• You can leave out the vanilla extract if you’d like and try another favorite extract or spice like cinnamon.

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (180°C) and lining two baking or cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the butter and peanut butter until well combined.
3. Incorporate the brown sugar and granulated sugar, and continue mixing until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until thoroughly combined.
5. Next, mix in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until the dough is well combined.
6. Pour an additional 3 tablespoons of granulated or sparkling sugar into a small bowl.
7. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands, then roll the dough ball in the sugar to coat it lightly.
8. Place the sugared dough ball on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, ensuring there is a 2-inch gap between each cookie.
9. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes before removing them from the oven.
10. Using the bottom of a glass cup, gently press down on the cookies to flatten the puffy centers, ensuring a consistent thickness throughout.
11. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
12. Let the cookies cool completely before storing them. Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature.
13. To store leftover cookies, place them in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze them for up to two months.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Tips and Tricks for Making Peanut Butter Cookies

• I tried this recipe with both traditional peanut butter and natural peanut butter. They both worked well, though the cookies made with natural peanut butter cracked along the edges when I pressed the cookies lightly after they baked. The cookie was also a bit drier. Not a huge deal but something to be noted.
• This recipe doubles really well if you need a lot of cookies.
• I love the texture and look of extra chubby sparkling sugar on these cookies. I love this big bag ofBob’s Red Mill sparkling sugarfor baking.

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