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Looking for theBEST Peanut Butter Cookiesyou’ve ever tasted? This Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe is SO IRRESISTIBLE, because of ONESecret Ingredient!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies To Brag About
Peanut Butter Cookies are probably my all-time favorite cookie variety.
(I feel like I’ve said this before, about other types of cookies, but I really mean it this time!)
The thing about cookies is that as a whole, most of them are good. Homemade, store-bought, soft or crunchy, in all flavors and varieties… Cookies are generally sweet and appealing.
However, when you take the time to makecookies from scratch, you don’t want them to just be good.
You want them to be awesome. Mind-blowing. Impossibly ethereal.
That is how I feel about the Soft Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe I’m sharing today. They are notjustgood… They are borderline narcotic.
If you love soft chewy cookies and (like any true American) you love peanut butter, then this just might be your new favorite cookie recipe.
The BEST Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe… Ever… In the World!
I’ve waited ten years to share my classic chewy peanut butter cookie recipe with you. Not because it’s complicated or full of hard-to-find ingredients. I’ve just been tweaking it for years, and finally, I feel like it’s exactly right.
We all have different preferences, right?
In order for you to agree with me that these are the Best Peanut Butter Cookies of all time, we first have to agree on two other statements…
A) Sometimes soft fluffy peanut butter cookies (with the perfect cookie texture) do not have a strong enough peanut butter flavor. They lackpeanuttiness, which is the whole point of peanut butter cookies. *wink*
B) When you add enough peanut butter to give said cookies the peanutty essence we crave, the texture can tend to become dense or clay-like.
Raise your hand if you’re with me.
Our Peanut Butter Cookie Secret Ingredient
So in order to create the best possible flavor and texture, we had to find a way to enhance the peanut flavor, without adding more creamy peanut butter.
Do you know what can do that?
Peanuts.
By simply adding ground dry roasted peanuts to the cookie dough, you can give the cookies intense peanut flavor, while protecting the delicate cookie texture.
Yes, this does mean you need one extra ingredient for this recipe. But don’t we all usually have a jar of co*cktail peanuts tucked away in the cabinet?
Our Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe is still an easy pantry go-to recipe…. Yet it’s so much more!
These Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies are:
- Bold and nutty
- Soft and chewy
- Crispy around the edges
- Kissed with salt
- With sweet vanilla undertones
- And they keep their fabulous texture for days!
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe Ingredients
In order to make the best peanut butter cookies you’ve ever baked, you will need…
- All-Purpose Flour– You can also use Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Butter– Always go with unsalted butter for baking. This ensures freshness and quality control.
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Extra-Crunchy Peanut Butter– Use something classic for cookies like Jif or Peter Pan. Save the expensive natural peanut butter for spreading on toast.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract– Or vanilla bean paste.
- Dry Roasted Peanuts– I always use salted peanuts, but unsalted is fine too. Just add another 1/4 teaspoon salt to the recipe.
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies from Scratch
- Cream– Beat the butter and sugars together on high speed to break the sugar crystals down into the butter. This usually takes a full 3-5 minutes, but is monumental for the perfect cookie texture.
- Mix– Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Grind– Use a food processor or blender to grind the peanuts into a fine powder.
- Combine– Beat all the dry and wet ingredients together.
- Roll– Scoop the dough into mounds, or roll it into balls.
- Press– Use a fork to press the iconic criss-cross pattern into the top of each cookie.
- Bake– Bake the cookies until the edges are set.
Notes on Baking Mishaps: Most baking errors occur in measuring, or due to faulty oven thermostats. It’s very normal for ovens to run too hot or cool up to 50 degrees! Consider buying a new oven thermometer once a year, to better regulate your oven temperature.
Get the Full (Printable) Best Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe Below!
Why Do You Press Classic Peanut Butter Cookies With A Fork?
Historically, peanut butter cookie dough is much denser than most cookie doughs. Therefore, if left in dough balls (or mounds) the cookies would not spread and bake evenly.
Home bakers found if they used a fork (a tool we all have) to press the cookies into disks with a crisscross pattern, they would bake evenly. It also creates the nostalgic pattern we love!
Although this particular peanut butter cookie dough is less dense than most, it’s still a good idea to press the cookies into even disks before baking.
Just don’t press them too much, or the cookies will be flat.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies with Kisses (Blossoms)
You can also use our Best Peanut Butter Cookie Dough to makePeanut Butter Blossoms.
Simply roll the dough into 1-inch balls and press a chocolate kiss into the center of the ball before baking.
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies?
Yes, you can use a good Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour Mix, in place of wheat flour to make Gluten Free Cookies.
The cookie texture is remarkably close to the original!
Also, try this 3-ingredientsAir Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies Recipewith no flour at all!
How Long Do These Cookies Last?
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. You can even store baked cookies in the freezer for up to 2 months and then leave them at room temperature to thaw.
What Tools Do I Need?
You could use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a medium mixing bowl & paddle attachment to create the dough. Or you can use the classic bowl and spoon. You can use a cookie scoop to keep the dough equal to each cookie and cookie sheets to bake with and a wire rack to cool on.
Check Out Our Other TOP Cookie Recipes
- Best Ever Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
- Frosted Peppermint Cookies
- Perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Chocolate Snickerdoodles
- Soft Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Easy Monster Cookies
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Best Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes minutes
Looking for the BEST Peanut Butter Cookies you've ever tasted? This Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe is SO IRRESISTIBLE, because of ONE Secret Ingredient!
Servings: 30 cookies
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, crushed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In an electric stand mixer, add the softened butter and both sugars. Beat on high to cream the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes, until very light and fluffy.
Meanwhile, set out another mixing bowl. Measure and dump in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. *When measuring flour, stir to fluff the flour in the bag, scoop or spoon it into measuring cups, then level each cup.
Place the dry roasted peanuts in the blender (or food processor) and pulse to grind them into fine powder. Do not pulse them so long that they turn into natural peanut butter. You want fine peanut crumbs!
Once the butter mixture is fluffy, scrape the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Then beat in the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla until very smooth.
Turn the mixer on low and add in the flour mixture, one scoop at a time. Once incorporated, scrape the bowl again. Then beat in the ground peanut crumbs, and immediately turn off the mixer. (It's important to not overmix the dough, or it will become tough.)
Portion out even 2-tablespoon balls of dough. Place the balls (or mounds) on the baking sheets 2 1/2 inches apart. They do not have to be perfect balls, but you do want them to be the exact same size/weight.
Set out a glass of water. Dip a large table fork in the water. Then press the cookie tops with the fork to create a criss-cross pattern. Press the cookies just enough that they are flat and crossed on top, but do not let them get thinner than 3/4 inch.
Bake for 9-10 minutes per batch. The cookies will look a little under-baked when you take them out of the oven, but the edges should be firm and crisp. Let the cookies cool on the warm baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving.
Video
Notes
Baking Mishaps: Most baking errors occur in measuring, or due to faulty oven thermostats. It’s very normal for ovens to run too hot or cool up to 50 degrees! Consider buying a new oven thermometer once a year, to better regulate your oven temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 236kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 159mg, Potassium: 131mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 210IU, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier
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