Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies have crisp edges and chewy middles. They are my go- to quick and easy dessert for any day of the week. This recipe is so easy and can be made with one bowl and you don’t even have to have a mixer.
Peanut butter cookies are one of my favorites, especially right out of the oven. I have no self control when it comes to warm peanut butter cookies, it’s shameful! My kids go crazy for these Peanut Butter Blossoms that are made with Hershey’s Kisses and these easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are another favorite.
The thing I love about this recipe is that I always have the ingredients, nothing fancy, just things I always have in the pantry and they go together really quick.
I found this recipe from The New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and tweaked it slightly. It’s just so easy to whip up a batch of these peanut butter cookies when the craving strikes.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies
- Butter – I always use salted butter but unsalted butter works too
- Peanut Butter – Crunchy peanut butter or creamy peanut butter will work
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
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Step-By-Step Instructions for Peanut Butter Cookies
- Add butter, peanut butter, egg, sugars, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix well with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer.
- Add in flour, salt and baking soda.
- Mix until well combined.
- Use a medium size cookie scoop to form balls.
- Place sugar in a small bowl and and roll cookie dough balls in sugar.
- Place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Mash in a crisscross pattern with tines of a fork or use a cookie stamp to flatten the cookies.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool baked cookies on a wire rack.
Recipe Notes for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Add-Ins for Peanut Butter Cookies: Chocolate chips, chopped peanut butter cups, m&m candies or chopped butterfinger candy bars are great additions.
- How to Freeze Peanut Butter Cookie Dough: Skip rolling cookie dough in sugar. Place cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet with space between. Freeze for 1- 2 hours. Place cookie dough in a zip top freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, roll cookies in sugar and add 2-3 minutes to cooking time.
- Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Tips for Baking Peanut Butter Cookies
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Allow butter to come to room temperature. If you forget, you can always microwave for in 10 second intervals, turning the butter each time until softened.
- Uniform Cookies: Use a cookie scoop for even size cookies.
- For Soft Peanut Butter Cookies: For soft cookies, bake about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet 2 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
- For Crunchy Cookies: Bake 10-12 minutes until well browned.
- Lined Baking Sheets: Parchment paper or silicone liners on the baking sheets will make clean up easy and your cookies will cook evenly and will not stick to the pan.
- Perfectly Baking Time: Check cookies about 2 minutes before the baking time so that your cookies are not over baked. Oven baking times can vary.
- Cooling Racks: Cool cookies on a wire rack. This will keep the cookies from continuing to bake.
Favorite Cookie Baking Tools
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer ~ I have both and use my stand mixer the most for making cookies.
- Half Sheet Pan ~ I love these for baking cookies and making sheet cakes.
- Parchment Paper ~ Cookies bake evenly and makes for super easy cleanup!
- Cookie Scoop ~ I am the worst at making things the same size, a cookie scoop helps me a ton!
- Cookie Jar ~ This is similar to the cookie jar I have and so cute with the chalkboard label!
More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes to Try
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are soft and chewy, filled with delicious oats and chunky peanut butter. One of the best peanut butter cookies you’ll ever try.
- Monster Cookies are loaded with flavor. Peanut butter oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and Reese’s Pieces candies are one of our favorite homemade peanut butter cookies recipes.
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are a twist on the classic Peanut Butter Blossoms and we also love these Rolo Cookies for an easy peanut butter cookie recipe.
If you are looking for the best peanut butter cookie recipe, give this one a try. It’s great for any day of the week and delicious enough to add to your Christmas Cookies list.
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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup for rolling
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°
- Add butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined with an electric mixer or wooden spoon.
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until all combined.
- Use a medium size cookie scoop to form dough balls.
- Pour 1/4 cup of sugar in a small ball and roll cookie dough in the sugar.
- Place 2 inches apart on a lined cookie sheet.
- Flatten with tines of a fork or a cookie stamp.
- Bake for 10-12
- Remove to a wire rack to cool.
I ave only being even less oozing for this recipe almost, ‘forever’ I do remember this recipe Sister and I used when we were kids. Actually the recipe was from an old Betty Crocker’s COOKBOOK.
I love the recipe will try tomatoes
If you don’t have a cookie scoop how much dough would you use per cookie ? Thanks for your time on my question
Hi Sherry,
About a tablespoon to tablespoon and a half will work. I hope that helps.
~ Milisa
The chewy middle of the peanut butter cookies sold me! They were so perfect!
Hi Jane,
They are impossible to resist when they come out of the oven. Thanks for stopping by.
~ Milisa