Peanut Butter Cookies
This soft chewy peanut butter cookies recipe makes tender, nutty cookies with lightly crisp edges and rich peanut butter flavor. They are easy to mix, quick to bake, and perfect for everyday desserts, lunch boxes, and cookie trays.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories:
Ingredients
- 1 cup Creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup Unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Light brown sugar
- 1 Large egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups All purpose flour
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Extra granulated sugar optional for rolling
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This helps the cookies release easily and keeps the bottoms from browning too quickly. Set the baking sheet aside while the dough is mixed. If using more than one baking sheet, line both so the cookie dough can be spaced properly.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup creamy peanut butter, ½ cup softened unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup packed light brown sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until the mixture looks smooth, fluffy, and slightly lighter in color. This step helps create a softer cookie texture. If mixing by hand, stir firmly for 3 to 4 minutes until well blended.
- Add 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat for 30 to 45 seconds until the mixture looks creamy and fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula so no streaks of peanut butter or butter remain.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¼ cups all purpose flour, ¾ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. The mixture should look evenly blended before it goes into the wet ingredients. This helps the baking soda and baking powder spread evenly through the dough.
- Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears. Do not overmix, because too much mixing can make the cookies tough. The dough should look soft, thick, and slightly tacky. If it feels very sticky, chill it before scooping rather than adding too much flour.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes. Chilling helps the dough firm up, improves the flavor, and keeps the cookies from spreading too much. The dough should feel scoopable but not overly soft when ready.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough chills or just before shaping. Let the oven fully heat before baking. A properly heated oven helps the cookies bake evenly and develop lightly crisp edges.
- Scoop the dough into 1½ tbsp portions and roll each portion into a ball. Roll the dough balls in 2 tbsp extra granulated sugar if desired. Place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. The sugar coating gives the cookies a lightly sparkly finish and a delicate crisp edge.
- Use a fork to gently press each dough ball down, then turn the fork and press again in the opposite direction to create a crisscross pattern. Do not flatten the cookies too much. They should be about ½ inch thick so the centers stay soft.
- Bake at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should look set, while the centers may still look slightly soft. Do not wait for the cookies to look fully firm in the oven, because they will continue setting as they cool. For softer cookies, bake closer to 9 minutes. For slightly crispier edges, bake closer to 11 minutes.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. They will be delicate when hot, so this short cooling time helps them firm up. Transfer them to a wire rack and cool for another 10 minutes. The finished cookies should smell nutty and sweet, with soft centers and lightly crisp edges.