Packed with double the peanut butter, these very peanut butter cookies boast a dense flavor, remarkably soft texture, and a deliciously crumbly edge.
I know these cookies look familiar to you. Peanut butter cookies are nothing new in our kitchens and certainly nothing new on Sally’s Baking Addiction. Along with oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies rank high on my repeat recipes list!
I have a recipe for crispy old-fashioned style peanut butter cookies on my website and another in Sally’s Cookie Addiction. Then there’s these ultra soft and thick peanut butter cookies that serve as the base for variations like peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter and jam thumbprints. But can there be room for one more? With 2 cups of peanut butter in the cookie dough, today’s extra soft cookies steal the spotlight. We’re using the same cookie dough as my bakery-style peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and white chocolate peanut butter cookies, recipes I’ve grown to love so much because of all their flavor. Today’s cookies are easy to make, completely packed with flavor, and boast a deliciously crumbly criss-cross pattern on top. Love them!
Less Flour, More Peanut Butter
I call these very peanut butter cookies because they’re packed with 2 cups of peanut butter in the dough. This is 2x the amount of my classic peanut butter cookies AND they have less flour, so you can be sure today’s cookies are dense with flavor! They remind me of these peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in terms of peanut butter flavor, but they don’t have the chewy oat texture.
By the way, did you know that nut butter can take the place of flour in some recipes? These flourless almond butter cookies require just 5 ingredients. Almond butter provides enough structure and stability so there’s no need for any flour at all. If you’re looking for a gluten free peanut butter cookie, use that recipe and replace the almond butter with peanut butter.
Here’s What You’ll Love:
- Crumbly edges
- Packed with flavor
- Extra soft
- Crisp sugar coating
- Easy straightforward recipe
My first piece of advice… make a double batch so you can freeze some for later. Here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cookie dough. No need to thaw, just bake for an extra minute or two. You never know when a cookie emergency will rear its head. You might not have time to make cookies from scratch, but you’ll have frozen peanut butter cookie dough. That’s a lifesaver!
Success Tips
- Use room temperature butter. Make sure the butter is cool to touch, not overly warm or melted. Here’s what room temperature butter really means.
- Use more granulated sugar than brown sugar. When making chocolate chip cookies, I always prefer to use more brown sugar than white sugar because that ratio produces a softer cookie. With all of the peanut butter in this cookie dough, however, too much brown sugar made the cookies so soft that they fell apart.
- Chill the cookie dough. Chilling the cookie dough is important, but this dough is thick so it doesn’t need hours inside the refrigerator. A quick 1 hour of chilling will prevent the cookies from over-spreading.
Best Peanut Butter for Cookies
The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today’s cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy. Natural-style peanut butter is my choice for eating, but it just doesn’t produce the same type of cookie as its processed counterpart. With so much peanut butter in this cookie dough, natural peanut butter will give you a dry, crumbly cookie.
If you prefer peanut chunks, use Jif or Skippy crunchy. See recipe note.
Want to add extra peanut flavor? Go for it! Fold 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts or peanut butter chips into the cookie dough. Or you could even drizzle peanut butter on top like we do with these peanut butter chocolate cookies. YUM!
I’ve made hundreds of different cookie recipes and can say with 100% confidence that these have the most peanut butter flavor of any cookie I’ve ever tried.
More No-Fail Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Thick Monster Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Sugar Cookies
Very Peanut Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 40 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Packed with double the peanut butter, these very peanut butter cookies boast a dense flavor, remarkably soft texture, thick center, and a deliciously crumbly edge. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour to prevent excess spreading.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (500g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar for rolling
- optional: 1/2 cup (65g) finely chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, then beat on high speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the peanuts, if using. Dough will be thick and soft.
- Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator (and up to 2-3 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (I like to use this medium cookie scoop), and then roll the balls in granulated sugar. Use a fork to make a crisscross indent on top of each. Bake each batch for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls, without sugar coating, freeze well for up to 3 months. Let frozen cookie dough balls sit on the counter for 30 minutes, roll in sugar, indent a crisscross pattern with a fork, then bake for an extra minute. No need to completely thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Peanut Butter: It’s best to use a processed peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural style, oily peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter adds peanut chunks as well as a more crumbly texture. I prefer to use creamy in this recipe.
- Check out my top 5 cookie baking tips before beginning. It includes how to prevent cookies from over-spreading and why room temperature makes a difference.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Excellent and easy to follow recipe. The cookies turned out as described and so flavorful.
These cookies turned out great! Light crispy edge and chewy inside. Only reason for 4 stars was flavor. Would’ve been so perfect, but something is lacking. No bite. Perhaps the salt? 1/2 tsp vs 1/4? More peanut butter? Very good recipe, just lacks a bit of flavor. Thank you.
I am looking for your recipe for peanut butter cookies that included chopped honey roasted peanuts and peanut butter chips and cant find it! I’ve made it a bunch of times, it’s the best PB cookie recipe hands down. I remember in the article, it said when you were feeling a peanut butter craving, these hit the mark. Could you point me in the direction of that recipe?
Hi Adrian! Could you be thinking of our older recipe for Honey Roasted PB Oatmeal Scotchies? We were no longer satisfied with the outcome of that older recipe, so we unpublished it. We still have it, so send us an email and we can forward it to you. sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
Good recipe bit operator error. This recipe is perfect…but my cookies were pretty crumbly. I was teying ro figure out what I did this time compared to the other times…and honestly the only think I did different was I opened a brand new jar of peanut butter last time…and I used the store brand. This time I used the last 2 cups of my husband’s giant jar of Skippy. I buy those big jars from Target so they last awhile. I have found in my oven ALL your cookie recipes are perfect at 11 min. And i was worried they weren’t done because they are very light colored. They still taste fabulous but I am going to try again with that same brand I used last time and see if that makes a difference because I definitely did something wrong. These are really delicate and my last ones were thick, chewy and a darker shade of brown. .so I don’t know. But I guarantee it’s me not the recipe.
The BEST peanut butter cookie recipe out there!!! I cannot do a sugar cookie with a little bit of peanut UT butter in there ..um no.
Last year these were a big hit. Everyone has asked for the recipe and I sent them to your site. You don’t have a bad recipe on here.
I used this for the kiss cookies as well. The strong peanut butter flavor with the chocolate was really nice. I would suggest this to anyone who has found other peanut butter cookies lacking flavor. 2 CUPS of peanut butter.. that says it all.
This recipe slaps! I read a lot of the reviews and I wanted to address the biggest complaint that people had about them falling apart. I found that if you let them cool completely, they are very sturdy. I also added a tablespoon of half and half to make the batter easier to handle. I have an electric oven and 12 minutes was the sweet spot. I left them on the sheet tray for 5 minutes to cool and finish carry over baking and transfered them to my counter lined with paper towels. When they cooled completely they were perfect. The peanut butter really shines through and I also added a cup of peanut butter chips but, they really didn’t need them. I got about 4 dozen cookies using a #40 Volrath (purple) scoop. Just let the cookies cool first before you put them away. The recipe is not flawed at all and I could have left the half and half out if I were making them the same day.
This has to be the very best peanut butter cookie I’ve ever made. The taste is so full of peanut buttery goodness and the texture is just perfect. I will make these again!
Been making peanut butter cookies for 55years and these were the very best so far.looking forward to finding your chocolate cookie recipe and making them
My brown sugar was a bit dry and my cookies are crumbling. Very delicate and oops, there went another one. Is it my dry brown sugar? Flavor is good, though.
Hi Cheryl, were the cookies over baked by chance? Even just an extra minute or two can dry out cookies quite a bit, especially when it comes to peanut butter cookies. And did you use creamy processed peanut butter? Natural style and crunchy peanut butter can also make the cookies dry and crumbly. Thanks for giving these cookies a try!
I made these cookies. Mine were dry inside. Couldn’t taste.2 cups peanut butter. You.think they would be. Used jiffnnatural. Nice cookie with cup.of coffe I know I.had to mess up.some where
Sally I so want to try this Very Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. Can I use this recipe to make Blossom cookies? It’s Christmas 2023 and I’m baking cookies today. Thank you!
Hi Kim! We recommend using our peanut butter blossoms recipe – happy baking!
I havent tried but I will after send message. I read ALOT of recipes. The information is great 1 thing never mentions is doubling recipe- particularly PB. Do you need to add anything extra for successful peanut butter cookies. ??? thankyou
Hi Betty, simply double all of the ingredients for a double batch of these cookies. Enjoy!
Could this recipe be made with less sugar?
Hi Pamela, sugar plays an important role in the taste, texture, and structure of cookies, and reducing it will produce different results. Feel free to try it, though, keeping this in mind.
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect PB cookie and this is truly it. This, after 4 different attempts in the past month. While all were okay (and certainly no one ever complained!) but still not the wow factor I was hoping for…until now.
Aside from them being delicious and perfect, I really like that you include the weight of the ingredients in this recipe. I’m becoming aware that this is critical. I can’t get confirmation on how much an actual cup of flour should weigh. Different sources do not agree! However, if a recipe lists a measurement, I know it’s in proportion to the weight of the other ingredients. At least in this case it is! I also was careful to handle the dough as little as possible. I did chill in between batches and adjusted the timing up to 14 minutes per. So so so good!! Thank you
I made these with King Arthur’s gluten free, measure for measure flour. They baked well with a good, soft texture. My husband is very happy with them! Thanks for the recipe!
I have a friend that wants me to make these cookies, but add peanut butter chips as well. Would you change anything in the recipe to accommodate this addition?
Hi Heiid, you could add 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips. Enjoy!
Hi. Happy to have found this recipe on Sally’s site. Possible problem: a family member that likes firm cookies . Based on a reply to a comment I read ,that wouldn’t be a good idea…right? (leaving cookies in a little longer)Please reply. Thanks
Hi Nee, peanut butter cookies can easily dry out when left in the oven too long. If you’re looking for a crispier peanut butter cookie, you might try these crispy peanut butter cookies instead. The centers are still dense, but they are crispier/crunchier than traditional soft-baked peanut butter cookies.
I thought they were easy and super delicious! Your instructions are impeccable along with your tips! However, the most notable thing I can say is that my husband and brother LOVED them! The reactions from my 2 “in-house food critics” convinced me to make a decision. I’m making another batch for my daughter and the Tulsa Womens Ice hockey team this Sunday! Aside: my daughter is 48 yrs old. Ice hockey. Adult women. All very brave in my eyes, and very deserving of Sally’s Peanut Butter Cookies..
Thanks, Sally
Love these peanut buttery cookies!
Best peanut butter cookies ever. I never use to like peanut butter cookies until I made these. My first batch were a bit crumbly and reading through questions I found a splash of milk helps. The next batches I added 2 milk jug caps full of milk which made them smooth and fixed them being crumbly.
I use fresh ground peanut butter which works great. I make these and more of your cookie recipes for friends and families birthdays.
THANKS
These are delicious..The only comment I have is if you could covert the amount of peanut butter into ounces or indicate the number of 15oz jars of PB needed. I bought 1, 15oz jar and it was not enough. Luckily I had some extra crunchy on hand and used it. These are 5 star!
I recently visited a local farmer’s market with family and we all bought cookies from one of the baking vendors. After eating my peanut butter cookie, I couldn’t wait to once again do a search of your recipes. And there I found it, the ingredient list along with the steps for crafting the perfect peanut butter cookies. They were deliciously amazing and will become a staple at our house. Thanks for the recipe and the baking and cooling tips in steps 6 and 7. (You, your team, and your recipes continue to help keep baking one of my favorite things to do.)
The best peanut butter cookies ever! I brought a batch to a luncheon at my church. They were gone in minutes!
Two comments: It would be helpful if you noted the number of 15oz jars of peanut butter needed for this recipe. I used Skippy and I needed 1.5, 15oz jars of PB. I purchased 1 jar and it was not enough. TG I had a jar of Skippy crunchy in the fridge to make up for the difference. Table salt or Kosher or Sea salt??
This recipe was a hit at our friend’s gathering! I made these and the infamous chocolate chip cookies. Everyone usually devours the chocolate chip ones but the PB stole the show this time. They were easy to put together and made SO many cookies. I ended up having more dough than time to bake them all. I accidentally left a pan in the oven for TWICE as long as I was supposed to because I lost track of time and somehow-miraculously- they were still beautiful.
Do I bake each tray separately? Thanks
Hi Lena! If you bake both trays at the same time, be sure to rotate the pans half way through. Otherwise, baking one at a time is preferable for even baking.
These are perfection! I did not chill the dough, and it worked just fine–no spreading.
Cann I use gluten free flour?
Hi Carol, we haven’t tested these cookies with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you give it a try!
This is about the 5th time I’ve made these cookies, they are always a hit! I do add chocolate chips to mine to kick it up a little, but the plain ones are wonderful too. They must be watched to ensure perfection, or they can easily burn. Another winning recipe, compliments of Sally!
Followed the recipe to a “T”, I even used a scale to weigh my ingredients, and they came out really crumbly. What happened?
Hi John, were the cookies over baked by chance? Even just an extra minute or two can dry out cookies quite a bit, especially when it comes to peanut butter cookies. And did you use creamy processed peanut butter? Natural style and crunchy peanut butter can also make the cookies dry and crumbly. Thanks for giving these cookies a try!