These are The Perfect Soft Peanut Butter Cookie! No old fashioned criss-cross necessary, these peanut butter cookies melt in your mouth!
I feel like I have recreated a classic here, guys. I am so super excited to share this recipe for the BEST Peanut Butter Cookies in the game. They are little love nuggets and I want you to make them and fall in love just like I did!
Of course I am a peanut butter cookie fan…and while I have even made many peanut butter cookie recipes here on my site I have never LOVED a peanut butter cookie as a standalone item. Is that weird? I mean stick a Reese’s Cup on top and the cookie takes a backseat. Right?
What makes the perfect soft peanut butter cookie?
I think peanut butter cookies are sometimes too peanut buttery? Is that a thing? Or often times they are too crumbly which is never a cookie goal. OR you get that icky peanut butter “feeling” in your mouth. I don’t know, I can’t describe it, but I know you know…
You will find NONE of those issues here today with this Perfect SOFT Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe.
My recipe has the EXACT right amount of peanut butter, a slightly crispy edge and a soft middle. Oh, and did I mention I added peanut butter chips? Yeah THAT was a good idea. You totally don’t have to…you could even use chocolate chips or white chips, but the addition of peanut butter chips just adds a creamy sweetness to this peanut butter cookie recipe that makes it THE BEST!
How to make the BEST Peanut Butter Cookie
- This recipe is spectacularly easy…just a few little tweaks to keep them from being too thick, hence no crisscross necessary.
- I add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the dough, which gives the cookies a slightly melty texture, while keeping the cookie centers soft.
- Also I recommend using a combination of baking soda and baking powder in this peanut butter cookie recipe, which gives these cookies the perfect height without being cakey. The cookies will puff up ever so slightly in the oven due to the baking powder and then settle a touch while they are cooling to create a soft crinkly texture.
- I like also like to use a butter/peanut butter combo to tone the flavor down a bit. Some peanut butter cookie recipes use only peanut butter, and while that’s great for flavor, it tends to make the cookies a little crumbly.
- Finally I use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in my pb cookie recipe, which helps give the edges an itty-bitty crisp, while still having the depth of flavor that the brown sugar brings.
Why don’t these peanut butter cookies have the criss-cross pattern on top?
- Another great tip when baking these cookies, as well as any cookie recipe, is to use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough. This ensures that all the cookies are the same size and shape!
- And notice these peanut butter cookies don’t have the famous criss-cross pattern! Since there is no chilling of the dough it’s fairly sticky and will be really difficult to roll into a ball, so if you don’t have a scoop do your best using a heaping tablespoon.
- And like I said before, I like to add peanut butter chips in this recipe. You can add them before they bake or as soon as they come out of the oven. It’s a step you certainly can skip, if you wan to, or find yourself fresh out, but including the chips adds a creamy sweetness to the cookie. And like I said earlier, you can add white chips, milk chips, or even semi-sweet chips!
When they are baked up they will look like this…
I know these will now be your go-to peanut butter cookie recipe.
Looking for more Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes?
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
- Thick and Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
- Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
The Perfect Soft Peanut Butter Cookie
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 10 minutes
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Total Time: 20 minutes
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Yield: 24 cookies 1x
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Category: Cookies
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Method: Baking
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Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
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Print Recipe
PinDescription:
The best SOFT peanut butter cookies EVER!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, room temp
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Add the butter and peanut butter into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer onto medium speed and mix for 1 minute, or until smooth and combined. Add both sugars and with the mixer still on medium beat the mixture for 2 minutes until pale in color and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue mixing for 45 more seconds until combined and smooth.
- Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix for an additional few seconds until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until the dough comes together. Stir in the peanut butter chips evenly.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, placing the scoops 2 inches apart.
- Garnish with extra peanut butter chips, if desired.
- Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes until they are golden at the edges.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
Store airtight for up to 3 days at room temperature
Keywords:: peanut butter cookies, recipe, best peanut butter cookies, peanut butter
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
Get 5 Baking Secrets That Will Change Your Life!
Has anyone used almond, coconut or tapioca flour for this peanut butter cookie recipe?
If so how was it and do I need to adjust the amount of flour?
My husband hates when I substitute or cut back on sugar or butter! Lol!
So I thought I would ask!:)
Perfect cookie! Mile high altitude, only adjustment was cutting down granulated sugar by half. Also sprinkled some Himalayan sea salt on before putting in oven for 10 min. Aesthetically ideal – came out perfect little round cookies. Taste amazing! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
★★★★★
DELICIOUS! I’ve made these for my mom so many times, they are her absolute favourite! I use gluten-free flour, whatever type I have on hand, and they ALWAYS turn out wonderful! I find they often spread out a lot, but bigger cookies aren’t a problem for me!
★★★★★
Made these for a family get together – we couldn’t get enough! Best peanut butter cookies I have ever eaten. Everyone asked for the recipe!
★★★★★
So glad you liked them!!!
This is honestly the best peanut butter cookie I have ever had! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
★★★★★
So glad you like them as much as I do!!
I had to make this by hand without a mixer and a slight alterations I used half shortening and half butter because that’s what I had, and I had a bag of peanut butter chip and chocolate chip mix bag. Mine came out just like the pictures here and they are really good! Soft peanut butter yum!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed!!
Delicious! I don’t have a countertop mixer so used a hand mixture for the wet ingredients. Then I mixed the dry ingredients together with a spoon and added them to the wet ingredients all at once, combining with a spatula. I don’t know why but I always have to extend the baking time on all cookie recipes. I’ve changed ovens so I think it’s the stainless steel cookie sheets? In any case I had to bake for 12 minutes or so to see color on the edges. Perfection.
★★★★★
So glad you liked them and thank you for sharing your experience without using a stand mixer! I am sure that will help others!
Shelly, could I add PB chips to the dough before baking?
Sure…that’s what the recipe says to do 🙂 Step #5! The extra chips on top are to make them look pretty 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe. My husband is a peanut butter addict so I’ve been looking long and hard for yummy peanut buttery recipes. The only thing that didn’t work for me is the time used to bake the cookies came out still pretty raw. I ended up putting one pan in twice for an additional 5 minutes each time. The second pan I put in twice as well with the first time at 5 minutes and the second time for 10minutes. Maybe it’s my altitude?? ????? I am not in the kitchen long enough to know these things or… Read more »
One cookie a day? I wish I had the control! So glad you liked them and thank for the feedback on the bake time 🙂
I made these last night and they are DELICIOUS. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. My suggestion is to only bake them for the recommended 9-10 minutes – they may not look done, but they’ll cook a little longer on the baking sheet and they’ll come out nice and soft. Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
I am wondering what would happen if I used natural pb with no sugar, salt, or anything, just peanuts as the sole ingredient. I am afraid to try and screw up the recipe since it clearly says to use creamy pb. Any idea?
This is now my fav pb cookie recipe! I was going to bake choc pb cookies but found I was out of cocco. Found your recipe. Perfect! I’ve never seen cornstarch in a cookie recipe so that got me curious. Kinda soft, kinda crispy, not too sweet or too much peanut butter taste.
★★★★★
Thank you!! I worked hard on this recipe to get it just right!
Hi!! I made these cookies and the taste of amazing, but they got more crispy on top versus soft like yours look. I followed the directions to a T because I am extra like that LOL. I even set the timer on the stove to make sure I mixed it long enough. What kind of flour are using? I know that can make a difference! Any other ideas why mine would come out like that? Also, I under baked them so that they would stay soft. Thank you for your help!
What rack in the oven did you bake these on? Possibly you had them closer to the top heating element which might have made them cook a little more on top?
They were on the bottom rack. I was just wondering about the flour because I get different results from different brands. Is there a video for this recipe?
Made these with Werther’s soft caramels chopped up into bits and white chocolate Reeses placed on top… Fantastic Fantastic recipe!!!
★★★★★
What a great idea!!
These were so incredible that I had to come back to the page to lend praise where it’s due! Before I make a recipe I search tons of posts online and usually settle for one that strikes my fancy. I am so glad I kept searching before settling. This is THE peanut butter cookie you need in your life. She has mastered it hands down. I am generally not a fan of PB cookies because of all the reasons she listed, but they are now going to be a regular in my rotation. Make these and you won’t be disappointed!… Read more »
Thank for the great tips on making real good peanut butter cookies.
I like the peanut butter chips being incorporated with other garnish ideas.
(Not your typical, traditional peanut butter cookie-with the fork stroke design,..no room for that).
I look forward to trying out the recipe soon.