This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (2024)

This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (1) Jessica

4.4 from 1323 votes

298 comments

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

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If you’re looking for the best chewy peanut butter cookies, with super soft, chewy centers and crisp edges, this easy recipe is for you! Packed with tons of peanut butter flavor and ready in just 30 minutes, get ready to meet your new favorite cookie.

This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (2)

Table of Contents

  • Why You Will Love This Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
  • Ingredients Needed for Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
  • How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Baker’s Notes
  • How To Store Old Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
  • More Must Make Peanut Butter Desserts
  • Get the Recipe

Why You Will Love This Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Everyone loves a classic, and this recipe for old-fashioned chewy peanut butter cookies truly fits the bill. Here’s why you will make these cookies over and over again:

  • Easy: Made with simple baking ingredients you probably already have on hand, these chewy peanut butter cookies will be out of the oven in less than half an hour!
  • Crisp and Chewy: Crunchy edges, chewy centers, and sweet peanut butter flavor with just a hint of salt make these cookies simply the best.
  • Nostalgia: These classic flavors scream childhood favorite and the simplicity of this recipe insures it’s the only old fashioned peanut butter cookie recipe you’ll need.
  • Versatile: This simple, wholesome recipe can be used as the base of many peanut butter cookie dough recipes.

For my fellow peanut butter lovers, try these giant peanut butter cup cookies with a full size Reese’s peanut butter cup in the center! These soft Reese’s Pieces peanut butter cookies and peanut butter oatmeal cookies are other reader favorites.

This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (3)

Ingredients Needed for Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

You don’t need any special ingredients and this easy peanut butter cookie recipe takesless than 30 minutesfrom start to finish. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.

  • Flour: Easy, inexpensive, all-purpose flour is all you need.
  • Leavening Agent: Baking soda creates the perfect crispy edges.
  • Salt
  • Peanut Butter: Regular, classic, creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter creates the perfect soft texture.
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature.
  • Sugars: A combination of granulated white sugar and light or dark brown sugar.
  • Egg
  • Vanilla
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (4)

How To Make Peanut Butter Cookies

These old fashioned chewy peanut butter cookies are easy and quick to prepare with no fancy preparation needed! For full detailed directions see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (5)
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (6)
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (7)
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (8)
  • Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • Wet Ingredients: Beat the peanut butter, butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
  • Combine: Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
  • Scoop & Bake: Scoop about a tablespoon of dough and place onto baking sheets with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
  • Finish Cooling: Cool on the pan for around 5 minutes. Slide parchment onto a wire baking rack to cool completely.
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (9)

Baker’s Notes

  • Peanut Butter: Regular, inexpensive, creamy or chunky peanut butter will provide the best texture. Natural peanut butter is usually a looser texture with more oil and it will cause the cookies to spread too much.
  • Time: Do not overbake this classic peanut butter cookie recipe! When the edges turn slightly brown, remove from the oven. They will firm up on the baking sheet as the cool.
  • Feeling Fancy? Press a chocolate kiss in the middle of the dough ball for the perfect peanut butter blossom cookie.
  • PB & J Cookies: Use your thumb and press a hollow in the center of the dough. Fill with your favorite flavor of jam. This is a beautiful addition to any cookie platter!
  • Cookie Sandwiches: Place a scoop of your favorite ice cream between two cookies. Roll the outside in sprinkles, chopped peanuts, or mini chocolate chips. Then wrap and freeze until ready to serve. Or sandwich the cookies together with peanut butter frosting in the center like in my peanut butter sandwich cookies.
  • Fresh Cookies Daily: Scooped dough freezes beautifully. Thaw and bake fresh cookies whenever the mood strikes you.
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (10)
This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (11)

How To Store Old Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies stay soft and chewy for days! Here’s all the options for storing them:

  • Store: Once the cookies are fully cooled, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. To keep cookies extra soft, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread every few days as it becomes stale.
  • Freeze Cookies: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight freezer safe container or zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months.
  • Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan until solid to the touch. Transfer dough to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen dough in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Or bake from frozen, just add an extra 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.

More Must Make Peanut Butter Desserts

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

Giant Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
  • No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
  • No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
  • Peanut Butter Pretzel Crockpot Candy

This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (16)

4.4 from 1323 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Yield: 20 Cookies

The Best Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

If you’re looking for the BEST Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, with super soft chewy centers and tons of peanut butter flavor, this easy cookie recipe is the one for you!

Prep Time15 minutes minutes

Cook Time10 minutes minutes

Total Time25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • sugar for sprinkling, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

  • Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla.

  • Gradually add in the flour mixture on low speed. Stir until dough forms.

  • Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough), drop rounded balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Leaving space for spreading. (For a sparkle look, I like to sprinkle the tops of the dough with extra granulated sugar — but it’s totally optional.)

  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned, and remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Store: Once the cookies are fully cooled, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. To keep cookies extra soft, place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread every few days as it becomes stale.

Freeze Cookies: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight freezer safe container or zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Freeze Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan until solid to the touch. Transfer dough to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen dough in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed. Or bake from frozen, just add an extra 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.

Peanut Butter: Regular, inexpensive, crunchy or creamy peanut butter will provide the best texture. Natural peanut butter is usually a looser texture with more oil and it will cause the cookies to spread too much.

Bake Time: Do not overbake this chewy peanut butter cookie recipe! When the edges turn slightly brown, remove from the oven. They will firm up on the baking sheet as the cool.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 154kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 147mg, Potassium: 61mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 160IU, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg

© Jessica – The Novice Chef

Cuisine: American

Category: Cookies

Categories:

  • 30 Min or Less
  • Christmas
  • Cookies
  • Desserts
  • Holidays
  • Recipes
  • Videos

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This Easy Recipe Makes The Best Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making cookies soft and chewy? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What makes a cookie chewy vs soft? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

What factors cause a cookie to be crisp soft and chewy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

What makes cookies consistency soft? ›

For soft cookies, use: Brown sugar, as it has a high moisture content and retains moisture better than white sugar. Also, when combined with eggs, brown sugar can prevent spreading (taller cookies tend to be softer and fluffier). Shortening instead of butter or in addition to butter.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

What ingredient makes cookies softer? ›

Brown sugar is key. Brown sugar has molasses in it which is like a more liquid ingredient. This keeps the dough kind of wet/moist when baking through. It is also used for soft cookies as the overall cookie dough wouldn't spread as much as compared to white sugar.

What are three factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

Salted butter, softened – I prefer salted butter but you can also use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough. Brown sugar – Just brown sugar because we will get the 'granulated sugar' flavor from the corn syrup. Corn syrup – The corn syrup is what makes these cookies CHEWY FOR DAYS.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

How do you make cookies soft and chewy vs hard and crisp? ›

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

Why put corn syrup in cookies? ›

So, when you mix corn syrup into your cookie batter, all of that moisture will make and keep your baked cookies deliciously tender. The texture of cookies benefits from corn syrup as well. As you combine your ingredients to make your cookie batter, corn syrup will pull some of the surrounding air into your batter.

What does brown sugar do in cookies? ›

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough. The difference is in the molasses that makes brown sugar brown: It adds moisture and slight acidity, resulting in a moist and chewy texture.

How to make baked cookies soft? ›

Microwaving them. If you cover your cookies with a wet paper towel and nuke them for a few seconds, they should soften up enough to eat.

How do you make cookies firmer? ›

Extended Baking Time: One way to achieve a crunchier texture is to bake the cookies for a longer period of time than the original recipe suggests. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning, but allow them to bake until they turn golden brown around the edges.

How long does it take to bake cookies at 375 degrees? ›

Bake at 375 degrees F until golden and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. For crispy-cakey cookies: Bake the cookies at 425 degrees F until golden and crunchy on the outside, 8 to 10 minutes. For chewy cookies: Use 1 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 cup corn syrup and omit the granulated sugar.

What determines the moistness of a cookie? ›

Water in the butter will aid in leavening the cookie during baking and any remaining water after baking will contribute to moistness in the cookie's texture. The higher butter cookie has slightly more spread than the low butter and control. The biggest difference is in the flavor and mouthfeel of the cookie.

How to make cookie dough more moist? ›

There are a few things you can do to add liquid to your cookie dough if it is too dry and crumbly. One option is to add milk, water, or another liquid until the dough is the right consistency. You can also try adding melted butter or shortening. If your dough is still too dry, you may need to add more flour.

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