This EASY recipe for homemade Peanut Butter Cookies will win you over. The cookies are soft and packed with peanut butter flavor.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies:
This is an easy peanut butter cookie recipe anyone can bake, and so fun to make with kids. They are as classic as Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The cookies are irresistibly soft and chewy with just the right amount of peanut butter so they aren’t overly sweet.
You’ll love these cookies, they are:
- So EASY to make
- Use staple kitchen ingredients
- Can be made ahead
- Freezer friendly cookie recipe
- Easy to double the recipe
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Dry ingredients: In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients; the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sifted flour (measure the flour before sifting).
- Wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the peanut butter and egg and mix until combined.
- Cookie batter: Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture.
- Shape cookies: Form twenty-four 1″ balls. Flatten the cookies in a crisscross pattern using a fork.
- Bake 8-9 minutes at 350˚F for soft cookies, just until cookies start to turn golden at the base. Bake 10-11 for firm cookies. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Peanut Butter Cookie Variations
This is a recipe for classic peanut butter cookies. However, here are some great ideas for addons:
- Sugar: Roll cookie dough balls in coarse sugar before pressing and shaping with a fork.
- Hershey’s kiss: Shape the cookie into a thicker shape (without pressing with a fork) and bake. As soon as the cookie comes out of the oven, press in a Hershey’s kiss into the center.
- Peanut: You can substitute regular peanut for crunchy if you want nuts in your cookies.
How Long do Peanut Butter Cookies Keep?
You’ll want to enjoy the cookies within two days of baking for the best results. Once they are cooled to room temperature, transfer the cookies to an airtight container and it will help to keep cookies soft.
Can Peanut Butter Cookies be Frozen?
You can freeze the cookies before and after they are baked. Freezer-friendly cookies like Baklava and these peanut butter cookies are perfect for a make-ahead holiday cookie platter.
- Cookie dough: Freeze shaped cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Baked cookies: Once the cookies cool, transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze up to three months. Leave cookies out at room temperature to thaw and enjoy. Repeat in the microwave for a few seconds for warm cookies.
Make-Ahead Option:
This peanut butter cookie dough can be made up to three days in advance and refrigerated. Just shape and bake to enjoy.
I hope these soft peanut butter cookies become a new favorite that you are and your kids will enjoy and make over and over again.
More Cookie Recipes to try:
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies – these stay soft for days
- Almond Snowball Cookies – these melt in your mouth
- Tea Cakes – filled with walnuts and rolled in sugar
- Oatmeal Cookies– with raisins and coconut flakes
- Chocolate Meringue Cookies– with chocolate chips
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- With an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the peanut butter and egg and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour (sift flour once measured). Add to the peanut butter mixture, mix until combined.
- Form dough into 1" balls. Place the balls about 3-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten in a crisscross pattern using a fork.
- Bake 8-9 minutes until cookies just start to turn golden at the base. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool 5 minutes then transfer on a wire rack.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I guess I don’t have to worry about them lasting two days. Gone on day 1. I’ll have start hiding them I think. Nice soft flavourful cookies. Everyone loved them. Especially me!
Glad everyone loved the cookies!
The texture of the cookies is perfect. However, I thought the peanut butter flavor was vague.
Thank you for sharing that with me, LaRhesa. We believe we found the perfect balance with this recipe, to enhance the peanut butter flavor, I recommend using a high quality peanut butter or increasing the peanut butter amount to taste. I hope you give it another try soon.
These cookies are a hit every time I make them! Great recipe
I’m so glad to hear that they’re always a huge hit!
I made these for Christmas and most people I gave them to loved them! I’ll definitely save this recipe and use it again!
That’s wonderful, Sammy!
I haven’t made these yet but excited to this week. I noticed this recipe has baking soda and powder as most do not. Are these both important?
Thank you
Hi Julie, I would always recommend trying the recipe as written. Baking soda is quite a bit stronger than baking powder but they each work a little differently to get the right texture and rise in the cookies.
Simple easy and delicious. Another perfect recipe! The only thing I did different was make them a little bigger because I wanted to be done, so they had to bake a little longer. My husband loves these.
So glad to hear that, Lydia!
I put now blackberry jam in the middle and baked a couple more minutes. yummy
OVER THE TOP , BEST RECIPE I HAVE EVER TRIED. KEEP IT COMING.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Sharon!
Same results as the rest of your recipies I’ve tried. DELICIOUS! I had some left over Reese’s chips so I threw those in as well. Very tasty!
Thank you for your great comments and feedback, Kevin. Glad you enjoyed it!
I love these cookies. I made them for my grandson. I hope there are some left when he gets home from school 🙂
I’m so glad you love them! 🙂
I made this today, and they turned out well! Mine took about 10-12 minutes at 350, but they might have been a bit thicker than yours. They were also super easy to prep. Half of them went into the freezer for my yearly Christmas cookie platter 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rebecca!
Hi Natasha, made 12 cookies with half ingredients of the recipe and replacing butter with 6 Tbsp of veggie oil, also added some chocolate chips. It’s easy recipe and cookies were so good. Does bake time need to be reduced for making half of the cookie size? Thanks.
Hi Donna, thank you for sharing! The baking time should be about the same but you may want to check a couple of minutes early to make sure.
Were the cookies dry with only 6 tbsps oil? I want to try the full recipe with double the oil?
I cannot add chocolate chips.
Made these this morning for my family. These are the best peanut butter cookies I have ever tasted!! So delicious and filled with peanut butter flavor . Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!
Aaaw, I’m so happy to see this review. Thank you so much!
USe the metric system! How hard can it be?
cup this 1/2 cup that…it’s 2022 not 1922, ffs!
No need to be rude, it’s easy to use a recipe converter yourself.
Smfh
My question is always this: How hard can it be to be nice? Rude comments add nothing to the benefit of all…
Not everyone is in Canada? Some people read this from the States. There really is no need for being this rude! Plus a lot of these recipes are from Grandma’s
Could peanut butter chips be added to this recipe? If so how much?
Hi Douglas! I have not tested that to give instructions. I think it would be fine. You’ll have to experiment with it. One of my readers reported added chocolate chips successfully.
I found these cookies far too sweet for my taste and the peanut butter flavour doesn’t come through as much as i’d like. That said, I made the recipe exactly as written with no substitutions and the cookies turned out well with a great texture.
I would give 3 stars for taste and 5 stars for the directions and ease of following the recipe.