These soft, thick, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies may be the only peanut butter cookie recipe you ever use again. Some readers say the cookies taste like the inside of a peanut butter cup—YUM! You need just 9 ingredients and the dough can be adapted in many ways to make different variations like peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter jam thumbprints.
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Why hello there, peanut butter cookie lovers. You’ve come to the right place! This may look familiar, as I have shared a number of peanut butter cookie recipes over the years. But believe me when I say this one is the one to keep in the front of your recipe folder.
This go-to, flagship peanut butter cookies recipe is the same dough used to make these popular peanut butter blossoms among the other 6+ variations listed below. The recipe stands the test of time and even after publishing dozens of other peanut butter recipes online and in my cookbooks… THIS IS THE BEST ONE.
One reader, Joyce, commented: “I’ve been looking for the recipe like my mother used when I was growing up. Soft and chewy in the middle, crispy on the edges, and the perfect peanut butter taste. Takes me back to when I was 9 years old and learning how to make these standing on a chair. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Faith, commented: “Seriously the BEST peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had! So delicious. The recipe was very easy to follow while still including helpful tips and directions. Thank you! ★★★★★“
And another reader, Rita, commented: “I’ve been baking for my family for 50 years. This is the absolute best cookie recipe we have ever tried. Thanks, Sally. Outstanding! ★★★★★“
Why You’ll Love These Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Pillow-soft centers with slightly crisp exterior and crumbly edge
- No-fuss recipe with 9 ingredients
- Super simple to make
- Marked with a traditional criss-cross on top
- Major peanut butter flavor
- Versatile cookie dough—add mix-ins or turn the dough into pb&j thumbprints
Grab These 9 Ingredients:
You can find the full printable recipe below, but first let me tell you some of the keys to recipe success, starting with the ingredients.
Ingredient Success Tips
- A shockingly small amount of flour. You may look at the recipe below and wonder why there’s so little flour… has Sally completely lost her mind?! Ha! Well, peanut butter and other nut butters act as a binder and can actually replace some or all flour in recipes including these flourless almond butter cookies. Using more flour will dry out the cookies, so stick with the recipe below.
- More peanut butter than other recipes. Most recipes I’ve tried call for around 1/2 cup of peanut butter with similar amounts of other ingredients. We’re using more.
- Use creamy peanut butter instead of crunchy. Just like when making peanut butter snickerdoodles, big giant monster cookies, or white chocolate peanut butter cookies, creamy peanut butter is ideal because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. Crunchy peanut butter is typically thicker and, well, less creamy! For a soft cookie that stays mostly intact, use creamy peanut butter.
- A combination of brown sugar + white granulated sugar. Like when you make chocolate chip cookies, it’s ideal to use more brown sugar than white granulated sugar in this dough. Brown sugar lends a softer, moister, and thicker cookie, while white granulated sugar helps the cookies spread. Use both, but use more brown.
Can I Use Natural Peanut Butter in Peanut Butter Cookies?
Yes, you can use natural peanut butter in this dough! Over the past decade, I’ve made these exact cookies with processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy as well as natural-style where the ingredients are only peanuts and salt. Here are my notes:
- Processed: The cookies truly taste perfect with great texture. They spread less and aren’t as crumbly.
- Natural-Style: The cookies spread a bit more and are somewhat sandier/crumblier.
But, most importantly, both cookies have fantastic peanut butter flavor. Keeping the above notes in mind, you can use either kind, just like you can in flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
Another Success Tip: Chill the Cookie Dough
Chilling the cookie dough in the refrigerator before baking the cookies is crucial to this recipe’s success. The dough is incredibly creamy, almost like peanut butter frosting, and you’ll have a heck of a time trying to roll and bake such a soft dough. Set aside 1–2 hours for chilling, or do yourself a favor and make the dough the night before.
Expect a VERY creamy cookie dough:
After chilling, the cookie dough solidifies and it’s easier to roll into balls:
After chilling, roll the dough into balls and then generously roll in granulated sugar. Sugar gives these cookies a sparkly sweet exterior with a touch of crunch before giving way to soft, melt-in-your-mouth bliss. Don’t forget the classic criss-cross on top of each cookie, just press with a fork!
Another success tip: After flattening the balls with a fork, use your fingers to reshape the edges into thicker/taller discs, because the thicker the disc, the thicker the baked cookie.
Welcome to the Peanut Butter Cookie Headquarters
Today’s cookies have been my go-to for a decade. If you want to compare, here are 2 other peanut butter cookie doughs and how they differ:
- Crisp/Old-Fashioned Version: Crispier with less peanut butter punch.
- Very Peanut Butter Cookies: Bigger and crumblier with EXTRA peanut butter flavor. It’s practically today’s recipe, only doubled. This is the same dough we use for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
The following recipes use today’s dough. (Note that the plain cookies have an extra Tablespoon of flour to retain shape because we’re flattening with a fork.)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies (pictured)
- Peanut Butter Blossoms (pictured)
- PB Cookie Cups on page 138 in Sally’s Cookie Addiction
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Reese’s Cup Stuffed Cookies
So whether you’re looking for a classic criss-cross cookie or want to add some flair, this soft-baked peanut butter cookie is the ideal base recipe for many variations.
Print
Soft & Thick Peanut Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are the softest, thickest peanut butter cookies! You need just 9 ingredients for the base recipe, and it can be adapted in so many ways to make different variations (see post above). Do not skip chilling the dough.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (170g) 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, plus 1/2 cup (100g) for rolling
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (about 185g) creamy peanut butter (see note)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- 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 3 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 dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1–2 hours, and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll & coat the dough: Place remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of sugar into a bowl. Roll chilled cookie dough into balls, about 1 scant Tablespoon (5/8 ounce or 18g) of dough each. Roll each ball in the sugar and arrange on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use a fork to make a criss-cross indent on top of each. To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, after indenting the cookies, use your fingers to reshape into a thicker disc (since indenting the balls flattened them out).
- Bake for 11–12 minutes or until the edges appear set and are very lightly browned. The centers will still look very soft.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer 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 3 days. 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. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for more success tips.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Stand Mixer or Handheld) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter. If using natural peanut butter, make sure it’s at room temperature, stirred well, and expect a slightly crumblier cookie. 3/4 cup of peanut butter weighs anywhere between 185–195g.
- Can I use almond butter? Yes, you can use almond butter in this cookie recipe; however, expect a crumblier cookie. You may enjoy these flourless almond butter cookies more, though!
- Can I add chocolate chips or other add-ins? Yes, in step 3 after the dry and wet ingredients come together, you can fold in 1 cup add-ins like chocolate chips (180g), peanut butter chips (180g), or chopped salted or unsalted peanuts (150g). Skip indenting the cookies with a fork.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I wanted a soft, not crunchy cookie and these delivered! For the exact recipe I got 38 cookies, but they’re delicious warm and cooled, really appreciate the grams and Celsius as well as the American measurements so I don’t have to run the recipe through a converter. Simple, fast, made the dough yesterday evening, chilled it overnight and bake today. 10/10 Easy delicious cookies!
I want to make these for a birthday party this weekend. Does the recipe double well or should I make it in 2 batches?
Hi Emily, these cookies should double well, so long as your mixer can handle the added volume. Hope they’re a hit!
I haven’t tried recipe yet, but definitely will in near future! Recipe sounds and looks delicious,
Hi Sally! I have a couple questions. I made these peanut butter cookies the other day… after chilling the cookie dough and rolling into balls, the dough stuck to the fork when I tried to make lines in the cookies, so my lines didn’t look very good. Should I have refrigerated them again to make the dough stiffer before adding the criss-cross?
For my second question: I reshaped the cookies and put them in the freezer overnight, to make sure they were nice and cold so they wouldn’t spread when I baked them, but they still spread a lot, even though I followed all the tips to make sure they wouldn’t spread.
Being allergic to nuts, I did use cookie butter in this recipe instead of peanut butter; could that have affected anything?
Please let me know your advice. Thanks so much for all your help!
Hi Taylor, thanks so much for giving these cookies a try! We’re happy to help troubleshoot. It sounds like your flour may have been under measured a bit, causing the dough to be excessively sticky and to spread too much. Be sure to spoon and level (or use a food scale) to ensure just the right amount of flour. That will allow it to soak up the wet ingredients and help the cookies keep their shape better. If you still have difficulty making the fork markings, you can stick the shaped cookie dough balls back into the fridge for a few minutes–they may have gotten too warm when shaping them into balls. Cookie butter typically works well as a replacement for peanut butter, but it’s possible that the specific brand you used was a bit thinner as well. Hope these tips are helpful for next time!
Hi! I follow your recipes exclusively for all my baking. The Nutella cookies are my favorite. My daughter however loves peanut butter and I’m going to make these for her. Can I use whole wheat flour in place of all purpose flour? Thank you!
Hi Padmaja, whole wheat flour would yield dry cookies. Best to stick with all purpose for this recipe!
In the oven right now
Will update after they cool!
Very good, my grandchildren loved them.
Am living in Thailand for a few years and was looking for a simple peanut butter cookie recipe I could make for my Thai friends using a small electric oven. They came out perfectly – thank you so much. Soft and flavorful!
This recipe is amazing. Perfect
Peanut butter cookies! I added chocolate chips to part of the batter and that was a yummy addition too. But they are perfect as is.
Sound delicious ty.
These cookies are the greatest. Thanks for sharing.
Very good. Could be sweeter in my opinion but very fluffy.
Just making now. However, a scant tblsp does not weigh 18grams.
If using homemade peanut butter, could I add more butter to make them less crumbly? Since store bought often adds oil, I thought more liquid fat mIght help?
Hi Ashley, that would take some testing and may just lead to greasy cookies. You can use your homemade peanut butter in the recipe as written, but just expect a slightly more crumbly cookie (see recipe Notes for details).
These cookies are far from Chewy. They taste like all the other PB Cookies I have ever made. My daughter and I were exciteded to try them, only to find out they are not chewy even out of the oven. Taste is good though. Maybe more butter would help?
Hi Michelle! These peanut butter cookies are meant to be soft, not chewy. Peanut butter acts as a dry ingredient in cookie recipes, so would just dry out the dough. Thank you for giving this soft & thick peanut butter cookie recipe a try!
Too sweet for me (I always tweak cookie recipes for much less sugar)….What would you recommend to lower the sugar yet not compromise the soft texture?
Hi AJ! Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Had the same problem as many others did. Dough was very crumbly, didn’t spread at all, after they finished baking they were almost gritty. I bake ALOT, and have for many years. I always spoon my flour, as well as measure. Something is just off with this recipe. I even added a bit more peanut butter. Not sure if one egg is enough. Dough just comes out SO dry. I will say that the taste is 5 stars. They do taste delicious, if you can get past everything that is wrong with this recipe
Hi Angela! Adding extra peanut butter will actually dry out the dough, not the opposite. Thank you for your feedback!
This recipe is the best, I’ve made it multiple times for my family and they love them!
This was my first time making cookies from scratch and the recipe was A) super easy and B) fuhreaking ASTOUNDING. These things are delicious. I love this recipe. When people say something is melt in your mouth, these are what they mean. And even having to change a couple things—in particular, I don’t have a mixer or a paddle attachment, stand or otherwise, so I just had to rely on good old fashioned arm and upper body strength (of which I have disappointingly little… sigh), the cookies still came out life-alteringly good.
I love your review! Made me chuckle.
My husband’s family loves when I make these cookies! I’ve been using this recipe for several years now, it’s the perfect peanut butter cookie.
Looks tasty can I add marshmallow fluff for a fluffer nutter effect?
Hi Franb, we haven’t tested it before so we’re unsure how that would turn out. They may get a bit messy, but you can certainly give it a go. Or you might enjoy these s’more peanut butter cookies, too!
after chilling, can we add marshamllow fluff to the inside and roll into a ball or would it ruin the texture of the cookie? these are a favorite for my niece and she asked for marshmallow inside like fluffer nutters
Hi Kristina, we haven’t tested it before so we’re unsure how that would turn out. They may get a bit messy, but you can certainly give it a go. Or your niece might enjoy these s’more peanut butter cookies, too!
Is it possible to get the nutrition facts for this recipe? I love them but I think I eat too many.
We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
The
Such a delicious cookie with the perfect level of sweetness. My
husband devoured them and promptly asked for more. The
texture sealed the deal with their edges giving a subtle
resistance while the enter is chewy.
I’ll definitely make these again and again!
These were delicious! Kept their shape and tasted liked peanut butter (as opposed to straight sugar).
This is hands down the BEST EVER PB COOKIE IN THE WORLD! If you disagree you might want to hone in on your baking skills. These cookies bake up PERFECT every time… 100% without fail. Thank you for this recipe!
Worst recipe ever. Miniature cookies, no spread at all. I’m going back to Betty Crocker
Followed the recipe exactly and these came out perfectly. I used Whole Foods 365 creamy peanut butter (a “natural” peanut butter).
So I followed the recipe exactly, except for not pushing them down and they turned out very soft. They were slightly dry, but very soft. The next time I make them I think I’m going to add 1/4 cup applesauce or make it a full cup of peanut butter to help with the dryness.
Hi Summer, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which can dry out the cookies. Over baking (even by just a minute or two!) can also leave the cookies tasting a bit dry. Hope this helps for next time!
Wonderful recipe! Almost looked so perfect it seemed like a bakery item. I chilled them and rolled in large crystal sugar. The best!!