Whether you love crispy cookies or soft, this recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies can be made both ways with just one change in the ingredients!
You can also split the batter and make half soft and half crispy if you have family members who like different cookie textures.
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These peanut butter cookies can also be made in different sizes from small to extra large like a bakery-style cookie.
Suggested Kitchen Tools for Cookies
- Stand Mixer or Electric Handheld Mixer
- Cookie Trays
- Cooling Rack
- Spatula
Ingredients & Substitutions
Each ingredient in this cookie recipe plays an important role in the outcome, so any changes may result in a different outcome.
Dry Mixture
Flour
When making cookies, usually the best type of flour to use is all-purpose or plain flour.
Cake flour can be substituted, but the texture of the cookie is going to be more cake-like and softer. If you like thick soft cake-like cookies, you may enjoy making cookies with cake flour.
Bread flour has more gluten in it and, if used when making cookies, the cookies will be chewy in texture. The flavor remains the same.
Salt
Salt is optional in this recipe, but it does bring out the peanut butter flavor and I encourage you to use it. I use sea salt or kosher salt, if you are using table salt cut the amount in half.
Baking Soda
Baking soda in cookies will keep the texture crisper, but must be balanced with an acid or the flavor will have a metallic and salty flavor.
In this recipe, the brown sugar is the acidic ingredient that balances the baking soda. If you reduce the amount of brown sugar in the recipe, your cookies may not taste as good.
Baking Powder
The baking powder in this recipe is ONLY used if you want softer cookies. You still use the baking soda, but you add in the baking powder to change the texture of the cookie from crispy to soft.
Wet Ingredients
Butter
I always use salted butter because that is what I have on hand, but you can use unsalted butter if that is what you have on hand.
The butter should be at room temperature so it blends easily with the sugar.
Sugar
This recipe uses both brown sugar and white sugar and that is important for the texture.
I use more brown sugar than white sugar so the cookies stay crispier and don't spread as much. This creates a perfectly round cookie that has just the right amount of lift without spreading too much.
More white sugar will create a fluffier cookie batter that puffs up more, but will also be a drier cookie.
The brown sugar keeps the cookies moist and they don't spread as much or become as puffy. The ratio of brown and white sugar as written in the recipe will give you the correct balance of sugars for you to be able to use the baking powder for softer cookies or omit it for crispy cookies.
Peanut Butter
I recommend using commercial store-bought peanut butter like Peter Pan or Jif when making cookies.
The all-natural or homemade peanut butter tends to be too oily and will change the texture of the cookies.
I use creamy peanut butter, but you can also use chunky peanut butter if you want peanuts in your cookies.
Egg
One large egg is used in this recipe. I have not made the recipe using anything in its place, so I am not sure how the outcome will be if you use a substitute for the egg.
Vanilla Extract or Paste
I use my homemade vanilla paste in this recipe, but you can use the same amount of vanilla extract.
You can also omit the vanilla if you prefer.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookie Batter
Mise En Place (Prep)
Take your butter and eggs out of the refrigerator several hours before making the cookies so both come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃
Gather your baking pans and other supplies.
Making the Cookie Batter
Either using the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer, add the butter and sugar and blend on medium speed until it's light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
While the butter and sugar are blending, mix the large egg and the vanilla paste or extract in a small bowl until combined.
Add the egg and vanilla mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and mix on low until incorporated.
Add in the peanut butter and mix on medium speed until it is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a medium-sized bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the baking powder IF you are making the softer version of peanut butter cookies.
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low or medium until incorporated.
Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
There are a few different ways to form the cookies and you can make different sizes and follow the baking instructions below based on the size you make.
I use a (affiliate link)1 Tablespoon scoop from Pampered Chef to make cookies that are about 3" in diameter. This recipe will yield about 30 small cookies.
You can roll the cookie batter into a ball and then in white sugar before placing on your cookie tray, but I usually just scoop the batter out, dip my fork into the sugar mixture, and then make the crisscross pattern on top.
Place the cookies about 3" apart on the cookie tray. I like to bake my cookies one tray at a time in the center of the oven. You can bake multiple trays at once, but you may need to move the trays around during the bake time if they aren't baking evenly.
Quick Tip
If you are using a dark colored cookie tray, reduce your bake time by 1-2 minutes.
Baking Peanut Butter Cookies
Place the tray of cookies into the preheated oven and bake according to the size of the cookie.
Baking Times
- 1 Tablespoon Scoop: 8-10 minutes at 350℉/175℃
- 2 Tablespoon Scoop 11-13 minutes at 350℉/175℃
- 3 Tablespoon Scoop 13-15 minutes at 350℉/175℃
When they are done, they will look a little puffy at first and will be just starting to darken. Don't let them become too dark in the oven because they will continue to cook as they cool.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Repeat with the remaining cookie batter. Serve and Enjoy!
Other Variations of Peanut Butter Cookies
You can certainly add things to the basic recipe to make variations of a basic peanut butter cookie. Here are some suggestions.
- Use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy for chunky cookies
- Add in about ¾ cup of peanut butter chips for a peanut butter chip cookie
- Use different candy like toffee pieces, mini M&M's, chopped-up peanut butter cups, or chocolate chips as additions to the cookie batter. I recommend using no more than 1 cup of add-ins.
Storing Peanut Butter Cookies
How to Store Leftover Peanut Butter Cookies
Room Temperature
Once your peanut butter cookies have cooled completely, put them into airtight bags or containers and they will stay fresh for 5-7 days at room temperature.
Freezer
For longer storage, I recommend placing the cooled cookies into freezer bags and storing them in the freezer.
They will last 6-12 months in the freezer when packaged correctly.
Quick Tip
You can eat frozen peanut butter cookies directly from the freezer. They do not have to thaw first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Natural or homemade peanut butter tends to be thinner and has more oil in it, so, while you can use it, the texture of the cookies may not be the same.
I recommend using commercial peanut butter like Jif or Peter Pan for the best outcome when making cookies.
You can double the recipe by doubling all of the ingredients. The bake time will remain the same based on the size of the cookies.
As long as they are allowed to cool completely and stored in an airtight container, they will last 5-7 days at room temperature.
You can freeze them for longer storage.
More Cookie Recipes
Cookies are one of the easier desserts to make and they come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¾ cups light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- extra white sugar to roll cookies in optional
Optional Ingredient for SOFT cookies
- ½ teaspoon baking powder For soft cookies only
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. 3-5 minutes.¼ cup butter, ¼ cup white sugar, ¾ cups light brown sugar
- Lightly whip the egg and vanilla in a small bowl and add to the mixer bowl with peanut butter. Mix on medium low speed until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste, ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and the salt. Mix well. ***For Soft Cookies, add the baking powder with the baking soda.1¼ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- Add ½ of dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and blend on low speed just until incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.
- Scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of the cookie batter and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in sugar and place about 3" apart on a cookie tray. Press the ball down using a fork and then rotate to press again with the fork to make a crisscross pattern. Repeat until cookie tray is full.extra white sugar to roll cookies in
- Bake in preheated oven at 350℉ for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. This recipe makes about 30 cookies when using a 1 Tablespoon scoop.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
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