Best Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
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To all the peanut butter lovers out there, this peanut butter chip cookie recipe was created just for you. It’s like peanut butter cookie heaven.
Packed with peanut butter chips, these cookies are thick and golden on the outside yet soft and gooey on the inside.
With pantry staples and a few tricks in this recipe, these cookies are made to perfection with an effortless touch.
Peanut butter chip cookies are another classic aside from chocolate chip cookies, another delicious recipe you can check out!
When I was a kid, peanut butter cookies were my favorite, so these cookies take me back to my childhood, except this recipe adds a twist with its peanut butter chips.
The peanut butter chips elevate these cookies and make them much better than the classic ones.
These cookies are slightly golden on the outside and have a bold, creamy sweetness on the inside. They also have a hint of the savoriness that peanut butter is famous for. I like to top them with some flaky sea salt at the end too for a sweet and salty finish.
This recipe is unbelievably simple to make yourself or with your friends and family.
Can’t get enough peanut butter? (Honestly, me either!) Check out my Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Muffins, Buckeye Cookies, Peanut Butter Blondies, and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats for more deliciousness!
- Chewy and a bit crispy on the outside
- Velvety and moist on the inside
- Simple to make
- Reminiscent of childhood
- Peanut buttery, of course
Ingredient Notes
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
- All-Purpose Flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and be sure it’s leveled. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup because you could end up with 50% more than you need.
- Cake flour: Finer, softer and lighter than All-Purpose Flour to give cookies a delicate texture. I find using a mix of both cake flour and All-Purpose results in the perfect cookie. You will need about 100g for this recipe or 3/4 cup.
- Corn Starch: This sounds strange, but cornstarch is the secret ingredient that gives the cookies a more tender and chewy texture that we all die for.
- Baking powder: Leavening agent for the cookie.
- Baking soda: Another leavening agent that is four times stronger than baking powder.
- Salt: Don’t ever forget the salt! Salt is so great in baking because it intensifies the body’s ability to taste the sweetness of the sugar. Yum! We want that.
- Butter: Cold, unsalted butter is used in this recipe. Not melted or frozen or room temperature. Cold butter straight from the fridge.
- Milk: (optional) Just a touch of milk in the cookie dough batter helps keep these cookies moist and hydrates the starches in the flour.
- Granulated white sugar: Helps spread and hold the cookies together when baking because the peanut butter already gives a very smooth, soft texture so we want to avoid making peanut butter crumbs!
- Light or dark brown sugar: Either sugar works deliciously on this recipe! I use more brown sugar than white to give the cookies a moist, soft and chewy texture.
- Peanut Butter, creamy: Behold, the core ingredient of this recipe! The creamy texture gives the cookies a smooth delicate center for us to bite into!
- Eggs: Cold eggs, straight from the fridge.
- Pure Vanilla extract: Used as an enhancement to give the optimal taste of this cookie.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter chips: To double up on the delicious peanut butter-y, nutty flavor!
These cookies are a breeze to make, I know you’ll love them!
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Cream it up!
Using the paddle attachment, cream the sugars, butter, and peanut butter.
Add eggs & vanilla (and secret ingredient!)
Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and a splash of whole milk. The milk helps hydrate the cookie dough and keeps these cookies ultra soft & yummy!
Add in dry ingredients
Mix just until combined.
Add in the peanut butter chips
Stir in the peanut butter chips, or you can add in chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or just leave them out completely.
Roll in sugar
Scoop cookie dough, roll into balls, and roll in granulated sugar.
Make patterns
Use a fork to make a criss cross pattern on each cookie, then bake!
YUM!
Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with any remaining granulated sugar and flaky sea salt for that sweet & salty vibe!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Instead of peanut butter chips, use (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark) chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to get the best of both flavors!
- If you don’t have cake flour, just use more all-purpose flour.
- Spoon and level: Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and the back of a knife to level off the top of it. You’ll need ~115g for this recipe, or 3/4 cup of both all-purpose flour and cake flour.
- Use cold butter and cold eggs straight from the refrigerator.
- Use a silicone mat or parchment paper instead of baking spray on the sheet pan.
Note!
The cookies straight out of the oven are VERY soft. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely so they don’t crumble in your hands!
Can I use crunchy peanut butter? (or almond butter?)
Yes! Almond butter has a similar texture as peanut butter so you will still get the same smooth creamy texture to fulfill your sweet desires. Crunchy peanut butter is another way to go if you want to add extra crunch to your cookies!
Yes! The last thing we want to do is to waste these yummy cookies. These peanut butter chip cookies can be stored in a plastic baggie or a reusable freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To thaw, I like to leave them out on the counter for 30-60 minutes or to speed things up, you can pop them in the microwave for up to 30 seconds. And voila, your cookies are ready to eat!
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 cup cake flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp. corn starch
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed (8 Tbsp.)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. milk (optional)
- 1 (10 oz.) bag peanut butter chips (I use Reese's brand) ~2 cups
Rolling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Whisk the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 3/4 cup cake flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tsp. corn starch, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt
- Cream the butter, sugars, and peanut butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for ~2-3 minutes or until creamy and smooth.1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed (8 Tbsp.), 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark), 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy
- Then add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and milk. Blend until mixed. If any of the mixture gets stuck on the paddle attachment or sides of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to knock it off.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 Tbsp. milk (optional)
- Keep the mixer on low speed and gradually add in the dry ingredients. I add in about ¼ cup at a time.
- Add in the peanut butter chips until incorporated and then turn off the machine.1 (10 oz.) bag peanut butter chips (I use Reese's brand) ~2 cups
- Note: you can bake the cookies straight away, or you can chill the cookie dough at this point for a few hours or up to 3 days.
- Scoop the cookies with a cookie scoop. I make these cookies about 2-3 Tbsp. in size, but you can make them smaller if you want; adjust baking time as needed. Roll each cookie dough into a dough ball and roll in granulated sugar.1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Place 6-8 cookies on one cookie sheet at a time. Use a fork to create the criss cross pattern on each cookie. If the edges crack a little when you press down, you can form it back together.
- Bake the cookies for ~9-11 minutes Start Timer or until the tops are golden brown. Ovens vary so keep an eye on them. The secret is to pull them out before you think they are done.
- Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then use a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack carefully. The cookies are very soft right out of the oven. Sprinkle the tops with any remaining granulated sugar and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Enjoy!flaky sea salt (optional)
Video
Notes
- Store the cookies at room temperature in a baggie or air-tight container for 5-7 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- This recipe was updated in July 2024. The original recipe said to make 8, 5 oz. large cookies and bake for ~13 minutes at 400°F. After testing several times, I felt a smaller cookie at a lower temperature was more appropriate. Feel free to change the cookie size based on your preference, and oven temperatures vary so find what works best for you and your oven.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
These are, by far, the BEST peanut butter cookies ever!! They are so thick and so full of peanut butter goodness. This is the only PB cookie recipe I will make from now on.
Hi Cindy!! Thank you SO much, so glad you love them!!
These cookies are delicious! I followed the recipe as written, but tripled it and baked each batch for 11 minutes. The cookies are the perfect balance of soft, just still chewing and have wonderful flavor! Definitely a keeper recipe!
These cookies are delicious! I followed the recipe as written, but tripled it and baked each batch for 11 minutes. The cookies are the perfect balance of soft, yet still chewy and have wonderful flavor! Definitely a keeper recipe!
I made these with Reece’s chips and creamy peanut butter, was sooooo good everyone loved them . I made them once and gonna make them again and try chocolate chips cause I don’t have peanut chips and trying crunchy peanut butter. I love all the recipes I have used. Chocolate chip monster cookies, sheet pan brownies and small pan brownies,peanut butter cookies, seems I’ve made others but don’t remember right now lol
These are delicious! I added cookies to the dough so it dried out a bit. What can I add for a little more moisture that won’t change the cookie too much?
Thank you so much! Maybe a splash of milk?
Can i prepare the dough in advance? For how long can i put it in the fridge?
Yes up to 3 days 🙂
Made this recipe for the first time…
Absolutely amazing and delicious at the same time! I doubled the recipe, did a test cookie, and it was yummy! If you’re going to double the recipe make sure you have a big mixing bowl.😉😉
Enjoy!
I’ve made these cookies once and they turned out delicious! I want to do them again. I wonder if I could use twice as much peanut butter instead of regular butter? If I added 2 cups of peanut butter, would the consistency and taste remain the same?
Thank you so much! I am unsure how that would turn out but if you try it out let us know how it goes 🙂
How about clearly identifying how much of each of the ingredients are needed – when you list an ingredient like corn starch how about specifying 1 tablespoon or whatever measure is needed – I’m not searching through the whole article to see if you eventually list how much – the recipe is useless without measurements –
Hey Giles. I actually do tell you how much of each ingredient is needed… The recipe card is at the bottom of the post. There is a nifty “jump to recipe” button I’ve added for you at the very top of the page so you can jump to the recipe. HOPE THIS HELPS!!! 🙂
Hello! First time baking these cookies. Followed the recipe exactly. First batch burnt on the bottom at 13 minutes at 400 degrees.
2nd batch. Only rolled tops in sugar. Baked on parchment paper At 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Came out perfect.
Hi! Thank you so much for making this recipe. So sorry they burnt at the bottom. Glad the second round was a success! 🙂
I made 2 different versions of these. First batch I put both peanut butter and chocolate chips in. Fantastic. The se one batch, I cut Reeses p.b.cups into chunks and added instead instead of any chips. Divine!!!