With a chocolate heart candy nestled on top, these super soft sweetheart peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are the February version of peanut butter blossoms!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos, a video, and more helpful success tips.
Just like a good go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies, a top-notch peanut butter cookie recipe is a must. Because peanut butter can often leave cookies dry and crumbly, I’ve worked hard to test and succeed with a recipe for the softest peanut butter cookies. Many readers say they taste like the inside of a peanut butter cup!
Naturally, I’ve taken that foundation recipe and created a few different variations. Because if it works, it works! My peanut butter M&M cookies, peanut butter jam thumbprints, and today’s peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are just a few of the spinoffs I’ve created with my trusty peanut butter cookie dough.
I know you and your sweetheart will love these festive cookies!
One reader, Jennie, commented: “Just a quick comment. I have made these cookies for many years. I use your recipes so often and the valentine chocolate hearts caught my attention. I thought my recipes were pretty good but yours is a ‘WOW’! Even my husband commented on these. So, I’ll just delete all other peanut butter cookie recipes now… I have found the best. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Amy, commented:“These are delicious and so soft. Traditional peanut butter cookies crumble after a day but these are completely delicious. Thank you for adjusting the old standard and making these so amazing. ★★★★★“
And another reader, Melanie, commented: “Another winner Sally! The cookie part is irresistible! Everyone commented on how beautiful they were too! I’m going to try it with different candies for year-round. Heck I may leave the candy out and just eat the cookie! ★★★★★”
Why Everyone Loves These Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Soft, thick, and positively packed with peanut butter flavor
- A peanut butter version of my popular sparkle sweetheart cookies
- Only 1 hour of cookie dough chilling
- Great with any variety of chocolate hearts, plain or filled
- Simple + straightforward recipe uses the same base dough as my flagship peanut butter cookies
- Fun to serve alongside white chocolate red velvet cookies, Valentine’s Day cookies, or any of these Valentine’s Day dessert recipes
Start With My Best Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
We use the same dough here as my soft and thick peanut butter cookies. (Note that those have 1 extra Tablespoon of flour to help hold the shape when flattening with a fork.)
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour as the base of these peanut butter cookies. You may look at the recipe and wonder why there’s so little flour. Did you know that nut butters act as a binder and can actually replace some or all flour in cookie recipes? See these flourless almond butter cookies and flourless monster cookies. Using more flour will dry out the cookies, so stick with the recipe below.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise.
- Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both salt and vanilla extract for flavor.
- Sugars: Use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. Both for sweetness, and brown sugar for extra softness.
- Egg: One egg binds everything together; the cookies would fall apart without it.
- Butter: Butter adds flavor and structure. Make sure you have proper room-temperature butter before beginning. And if you need a refresher, I have a helpful video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is the most important ingredient for peanut butter cookies. For best results, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy—the same I recommend for my peanut butter balls and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
- Chocolate Heart Candies: I love these cookies with Reese’s peanut butter creme hearts, which provide a soft, meltaway texture in addition to extra peanut butter flavor. But you can use any chocolate heart candy you like here, such as Dove or Hershey’s chocolate hearts; just keep in mind those have a firmer texture.
These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help
You can find the full written recipe below, but let me walk you through these steps. These cookies are quick and simple—a welcome recipe during a busy holiday season.
Make the dough. You’ll combine the dry and wet ingredients separately, and then together. Expect a very soft cookie dough:
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour to help solidify it, which helps guarantee your peanut butter sweetheart cookies will hold shape in the oven. Cold dough is also easier to portion and roll. After the dough chills, roll into balls about 1 heaping Tablespoon in size (about 25g each).
It’s optional, but for a little sparkle, roll each cookie dough ball in a little granulated sugar:
Success Tip: Prevent Melting Chocolate Hearts
I mean, these peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies will obviously melt your heart, but maybe you don’t want the chocolate heart to melt too? 😉
The first thing I recommend to prevent the chocolate from melting and losing their heart shape is to let the cookies cool for 5 minutes after baking, before you add the chocolate hearts on top.
After very gently pressing the chocolate hearts into the tops of your peanut butter cookies, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will ensure the chocolate hearts keep their shapes and don’t turn into melty chocolate blobs.
The refrigerator will also work, but the freezer is most effective. If you don’t have enough room in your refrigerator or freezer for a baking sheet, carefully transfer the cookies to a smaller tray or plate and then freeze.
For best taste and texture, use a creamy, processed peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. They’ll spread less and won’t be as crumbly. I don’t recommend crunchy peanut butter—the cookies will be sandier/crumblier, will spread more, and will taste a bit dry. Natural peanut butter is OK in a pinch, but the cookies crack and crumble more.
You have a few options. For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for a nut-free spread such as sunflower seed butter, or cookie butter spread. Or you can try my sparkle sweetheart cookies recipe instead, which uses a cream cheese sugar cookie dough. You could also take red velvet blossoms and use a chocolate heart candy in place of the Hershey’s Kiss.
Yes! For a little extra sweetness and some sparkle, roll the dough balls in sugar or colored sanding sprinkles before you bake them.
I love these cookies with Reese’s peanut butter creme hearts, which provide a soft, meltaway texture in addition to extra peanut butter flavor. But you can use any chocolate heart candy you like here, such as Dove or Hershey’s chocolate hearts; just keep in mind those will have a harder texture to bite into, especially if you use dark chocolate hearts instead of milk chocolate.
More Valentine’s Day Treats:
- Valentine’s Day Cupid Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
- Date Night Chocolate Fudge Cakes for 2
- Sparkle Sweetheart Cookies
- Small Chocolate Cake (6 Inch) or Chocolate Cake
- Raspberry Sugar Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
And see this list of 36+ Valentine’s Day dessert recipes for even more inspiration!
Print
Peanut Butter Valentine’s Day Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 26-28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With a chocolate heart candy nestled on top, these super soft sweetheart peanut butter Valentine’s Day cookies are the February version of peanut butter blossoms!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (about 190g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 26–28 chocolate heart candies, unwrapped (like these or these)
- optional: additional 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed until creamy. Switch to medium-high speed and beat in the brown sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside. Also, make sure there’s room in your freezer because the baked cookies will need to be placed inside to prevent the chocolates from melting.
- Roll & bake: Scoop and roll cookie dough, about 1 heaping Tablespoon (around 25g) of dough each. If desired, roll each ball in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Arrange cookie dough balls on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11–13 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Set the chocolate: Gently press a chocolate heart candy into the center of each, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a large plate or a few smaller plates (gently—they’re soft). Place the plate(s) of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate in the cookie.
- Remove from the freezer and serve. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats | Cooling Rack | Chocolate Hearts or Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts
- Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. For this particular recipe, it’s best to use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. If you decide to use natural peanut butter, make sure it’s at room temperature and is well stirred, and expect a slightly crumblier cookie.
- Can I use almond butter or other nut butter? Yes, you can use almond butter or another nut butter in this cookie recipe; however, expect a crumblier cookie. I have not tested this recipe with Nutella.
- Can I make a nut-free version? You have a few options. For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap the peanut butter for a nut-free spread such as sunflower seed butter, or cookie butter spread. Or you can try my sparkle sweetheart cookies recipe instead, which uses a cream cheese sugar cookie dough. You could also take red velvet blossoms and use a chocolate heart candy in place of the Hershey’s Kiss.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally! I love your site. Great recipes! I made these yesterday and the sugar cookie hearts, both for my husband. Each batch of cookies came out perfect. Thanks for the clear and easy to follow directions, made things easier for this novice baker!
I baked these today for an early Valentine’s Day dinner with my family. Oh so delicious! I know everyone will love them tonight! Thank you for such wonderful recipes!
Hi Sally! Thanks for sharing another great recipe 🙂 I am so excited to make these for my husband for Valentine’s Day! Quick question- do you think I could make the dough a day or two ahead of time and leave it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to bake them?
Sure can! You can leave this cookie dough in the fridge (covered tightly) for 2-4 days. Just let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling/shaping.
Another winner Sally! The cookie part is irresistible! Everyone commented on how beautiful they were too! I’m going to try it with different candies for year-round. Heck I may leave the candy out and just eat the cookie!
The PB cookies– plain– are my favorite PB cookies ever 🙂
HI!
My husband loves peanut butter and chocolate. I am planning on making this cookies for V-day. Do you have a recommendation on what type of peanut butter to use? Natural ok? Or should I use one with more sugar such as Jiff?
Thank you!
I do not suggest natural. Commercial brands like creamy Jif or Skippy are best for the texture!
This is probably a silly question, but can I make these without the chocolate and press the hashtag in them like traditional PB cookies?!
Absolutely!
These are delicious and so soft. Traditional peanut butter cookies crumble after a day but these are completely delicious. Thank you for adjusting the old standard and making these so amazing. They’re SO peanut buttery I would not add any Reese’s to them. Perfect with just a Hershey Kiss.
Ahhh, Sally it’s me AGAIN. I cannot stop with the questions, can I? ;)Anyways, Is this a thick enough dough for add ins like reeses pieces? About a cup maybe? Because peanut butter upon peanut butter sounds fantastic! 🙂
Yes, definitely! 1 cup is the perfect amount.
Hi, Sally! I love all of your recipes that I’ve tried so far, and these look fantastic! Can I add some cornstarch to make these softer, or will that affect the texture badly? If so, how much? I’ve used cornstarch in cookies before and absolutely love the texture as they remain soft for days!
Oh gosh, these peanut butter cookies are the softest cookies I’ve ever made, no need AT ALL for cornstarch. Trust me on it! If anything, you can add 1 tsp of cornstarch if you’d like.
I’m so glad I stumbled on your website!! The nutella cookies are amazing and this is the best peanut butter blossoms recipes I’ve found yet and so my search is finally over.
I’m using this recipe to make spider cookies for halloween… just using a chocolate truffle and making chocolate lines for legs. Anyways I want to freeze these after I make them today and take them out for our party on the 30th. Do you think they freeze well?
Yes, definitely! Up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
These were really good, and a great idea for Valentine’s Day! My only comment is that the recipe seemed very intent upon not baking for more than 9 minutes, but for my oven 9 minutes didn’t do the trick, except I had already put the chocolate hearts in the middle so it was too late and they came out underdone. So, great cookies, just know that 8-9 minutes may differ depending on your oven.
I’d love to do do this for Hanukkah with a chocolate coin on top–should I add the coin to the cookie right out of the oven (as written) and pop it in the fridge, or should I wait awhile, with the lower quality chocolate and the flimsy shape of the coin? I could trial-and-error it, but that’s a risky business! 🙂
By the way, I’m a huge fan and a long-time reader. All my cookie recipes come straight from you!
Hey Jennifer! I feel like it *should* be ok sticking on right out of the oven and then placed in the refrigerator, but I’m not positive. I would play around with it until you find what works best with that chocolate candy. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, i found your recipe today, my boyfriend is deployed and he loves Peanutbutter cookies. Do you think they will be good in 2 weeks when he recieves them. I think they will be great for the Christmas time overseas. Tha ks for the nice recipe
They would probably be just fine for 2 weeks in colder weather (wouldn’t ship these in humid, hot weather conditions). They’ll likely stay pretty soft.
Best PB cookie ever!
I love ❤ this recipe! My cookies
Delicious!
Just made these last night without any chocolate (just plain PB cookies) and they are amazing! So soft and chewy! Much better than a lot of the other PB cookie recipes out there that make hard cookies. Mine baked for a little longer than 9 minutes and still had that delicious slightly-underbaked texture. Yum.
Hi Sally! I’m planning on making these for my spring break trip. I want to make the dough in advance and bake them on Thursday night. How long can I chill the dough for? Thanks!
Anna
Cover tightly and chill for up to 3 days. I recommend rolling into balls and then chilling if you are chilling for more than 2-4 hours, though. Otherwise the dough will be rock hard and difficult to roll.
Thanks so much, Sally! You are the best and your recipes are always a hit!
These were very good! I just made regular peanut butter cookies w out the chocolate part. I wanted a plain yummy peanut butter cookie. And these were sooo good. Puffy and soft..mmmm. im going to have to try your other peanut butter cookies now!
Jenny
Happy to read that, Jennifer! Thank you so much for reporting back. Let me know any others you try next!
Hey Sally!
I am making these and my dough is super sticky! I’m not sure why or what I should do? They also don’t seem to be cracking on the tops either.
Hey Lacey! Be sure to chill the cookie dough longer if you find the dough to be sticky. It’s supposed to be slightly sticky, but you should be able to handle it well.
thank you! but i realized that i some how made the mistake of leaving out the baking soda and the flour… haha oops! i added it in and they turned out great! so delicious!
Happy New Year Sally! I hope you have a great one. 🙂
I have a question about the dough. I’m making these for my brothers girlfriend, this was her special request for the holidays. I made the dough late Tuesday night. Thinking id see her today, however things didn’t work out that way. So I was wondering will the dough still be okay til Friday or Saturday night? It’s in a airtight container. Or should I make them ASAP? Thanks a bunch!
Dani
Hey Dani – the dough should be fine. I suggest making them on Friday and then if you don’t see her until Saturday, cover the baked cookies tightly at room temperature overnight.
Thanks Sally! I did as you said and she loved them. As a matter of a fact everyone who tried them love them. I did some without the chocolate and they were still good. The peanut butter flavor was just right way better and softer than the ones I made a couple a weeks ago. This recipe is a total keeper all around.
Thanks again
Dani
If i dont have salted butter how much salt should i add to the batter?
1/4 teaspoon should be good.
Sally, I was curious if the unbaked dough balls can be frozen as with your chocolate chip cookies? I’m baking christmas cookies and would love to save time by prepping ahead of time and saving that fresh baked taste for when I actually gift these bad boys out!
Hi Rachel! Yep, the cookie dough balls may be frozen up to 2-3 months. I am all about saving time and prepping ahead, Rachel!
Thanks for sharing your cookie recipe. I made these today and they are delicious. My girls and I love that they are so soft and flavorful.
Hi Denise! That’s great to hear. I love these cookies!
3 for 3 Sally!!!!! My boyfriend says thank you 🙂
3 for 3! That’s so great to hear. 🙂 Thanks Melissa!
Great recipe! They turned out so soft and delicious. Thank you for sharing, as always! =)
That’s so great to hear. Thanks for reporting back Lauren!
Hey Sally! Quick question: do you have to use dark brown sugar or is it okay to use light brown? Thanks!
Hey Britney! Light brown sugar is OK to use.
Hi Sally! I have been keeping up with your blog for a while as a silent reader, but today was the first time that I tried one of your recipes. I just wanted to let you know that these cookies are amazing! Can’t wait to see what else you come up with!
Hey Reid! That’s so cool to hear that you’ve been a reader for awhile! So glad you made these AND that you loved them AND took the time to report back. Thank you!!
Hi! I absolutely adore your site! This may seem weird, but I’m never too certain if I have to pack the brown sugar to measure it or not, when it isn’t indicated to do so. Help?
Hey Sarah! It’s not a weird question at all. I pack the brown sugar for all of the recipes on my website unless otherwise stated. Thank you!
Made these tonight and they are indeed the SOFTEST peanut butter cookies ever. My husband says they taste just like resses peanut butter. Keep the great recipes coming!
SO glad you made them Laura! And that you took the time to report back. I love these cookies so much. And yes – they taste like the inside of a reese’s cup!
I just made these, and, as promised, they are cute and delicious. I think I baked mine too long, because they were not especially soft. Also, I scooped into a mini muffin pan – to get uniform size and shape – and baked for 8-9 minutes. And that may be where I overbaked. I find that when I make blossom cookies ‘free form’, they don’t hold a nice round shape but become abstract art and too thin. Hence the mini muffin pan. And with that, I also got almost 4 dozen cookies!
And a quick tip I picked up from some other food blog: unwrap then freeze the chocolate pieces before placing them on the hot cookies (I do this before I get all my ingredients together). That helps prevent premature melting of the chocolate piece.
Thanks Charm! I like to freeze them after I stick the chocolate on top. But I’ll try your way next time. My cookies stay perfectly round when baked and scooped with a cookie scoop or rolled into a ball. You should try them on a cookie sheet next time. Thanks Charm!