This EASY recipe for homemade Peanut Butter Cookies will win you over. The cookies are soft and packed with peanut butter flavor.
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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
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Unfortunately these were not good for me. They were soft, but also dry tasting. Also you can taste the texture of the sugar. I did use and electric mixer too. I feel like I’ve had better peanut butter cookies in the past.
Hi Daisy, did you make any substitutions or changes or possibly reduce the butter or peanut butter? Also, over-baking can cause them to seem dry.
If you tasted the texture of the sugar, mix longer when creaming the butter and sugar. Undermixed butter & sugar makes a difference in the outcome, it absorbs the flower differently, unevenly, making then soft & dry. Perhap try again with that in mind. Good luck. Natasha, these cookies were amazing! Replacing my old recipe with this one. Thank you!
Hi. I tried this recipe 2x (yesterday & today) and can’t get the cookie to be chewy. If anything it’s super soft and crumbly. I thought I’d measured my flour wrong, so on my 2nd time, I spoon feed my measuring cup (after I loosened the flour 1st). But the 2nd try is still crumbly, very soft. Plz help/advise. It’s no where near chewy.
Kate, I’d love to troubleshoot. What kind of peanut butter did you use? Also, could you be overbaking the cookies?
I just made these cookies and they our soft and delicious. Thank you
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hello, I do not have a stand or electric mixer. Will the end result be different if I mix it by hand with a rubber spatula? If the answer is no, please describe the technique. I appreciate your expertise.
Hi Jules, that should work fine. An electric mixer just makes it a little faster but it can always be done by hand.
I made these soft and they are absolutely delicious the next day when they been cooled. I added chocolate chips to my batch and they are so good. Thank you for sharing. The recipe was simple and easy!
Isn’t it the best! One of our favorite recipes! I’m glad you enjoyed that!
Perfect!! Love these!!
So great to hear that, Whitney! Thanks for trying this recipe.
I have just started baking and these cookies turned out delicious! Thank you for a simple and easy recipe!
You’re welcome, Tanya! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
Made these today and used chunky peanut butter! It was a hit! I love biting into pieces of peanuts in the cookie. Thank you Natasha! I have tried many of your recipes and it always comes out great!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
HI Natasha,
Can one use Xylitol for the Peanut Butter Cookies instead of sugar?
Hello Corinne, I haven’t really tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes as I’m sure a lot here would like to know as well.
Can you use salted butter.
Hello Antonina, yes you may use salted butter just omit the salt in the recipe.
Would it work to use cashew butter instead of peanut butter?
Hello Sandy, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
hey natasha,
are these cookies going to spread or do i flatten these a lot.
You do want to flatten them to about the desired thickness, Juana. They don’t spread too much.
Thankyou soo much for writing back Valentina…
Juana
I am so weird when it comes to some foods. I love to eat bananas, but can’t stand banana bread or banana pudding. I love peanut butter sandwiches, but nothing flavored with peanut butter like a cookie (except maybe Reese’s). Does anyone else have this idiosyncrasy?
BTW I now have a link to Natasha’s Kitchen on my home page. Love almost all of your recipes.
Hi Irene, I’m so glad you enjoy our recipes! Let me know if you have a favorite yet!
This is similar to other recipes I’ve tried, but adds more peanut butter — always a good thing. Alas, I’m doing something wrong…I always end up with a bowlful of crumbly bits, not any sort of ‘batter.’ I then have to form a handful of crumbs into a hand-squeezed ball whose form recrumbles at fork’s first sight.
I’m using my Kitchenaid mixer…why won’t my dry ingredients blend in? Thanks for your help!
Hi Holden, I’m curious if the dry ingredients are the culprit here. I would highly recommend reading through our post on measuring to be sure you are measuring correctly.
I think I’m measuring correctly, Natasha…I’m questioning whether there’s a flaw in my creaming technique…I always took “creaming” to mean, whip room temp butter like mad for a couple minutes, then gradually add sugar, resume whipping like mad, slowing only to incorporatethe peanut butter, the egg and vanilla then gradually adding the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and salt.
I’m assuming 1 1/3 cup flour is about 1 1/2 cups of sifted flour, yes? I end up with some really dense batter never blending with the majority of what’s in the bowl, the crumbly little balls.
Am I not creaming properly?
Thank
Holden, I apologize for the confusion, I fixed the recipe card. You’ll want to measure out the flour, then sift it.
I think it would have created less confusion if you said sift dry ingredients together. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Hi natasha I saw in facebook that someone maked the same fudgy brownies I just want to say for you.😄😄😄
Hello Natasha
I love all your recipes, but I cannot make them because I am gluten intolerant. Please add some gluten free (GF) bread, cake and food recipes.
Thank you
Thanks for your suggestion. Others also use gluten-free substitute ingredients to make some of my recipes gluten-free.
These tasted just like the cookies I grew up eating! Delicious!
Awesome! Thank you for your great feedback, Pam.
Yummy! These look so delicious and easy! I can’t wait to make these! My family is going to love them!
That’s just awesome Beth! Thank you for sharing that great review with me!
My favorite cookie! Great recipe easy to make so very delicious!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Absolutely amazing! Excellent flavor and the texture was perfect!
Hi Stephanie, I’m so happy to hear you loved the peanut butter cookie recipe!
looks nice i want to try every recipe you do i love you so much thank you for helping and listening
Hi Malak, you are so welcome. I hope you love these peanut butter cookies and every recipe you try.