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Scooping on peanut butter cookie off a baking tray.
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Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you love thick, soft, bakery-style cookies, you have to try these Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies! Inspired by the famous Levain Bakery cookies, these cookies are crisp and golden on the outside, soft and gooey in the center, and packed with melty pools of dark chocolate in every bite.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword giantcookies, peanut butter dark chocolate chip cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cooling Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 giant cookies
Calories 720kcal
Author Tawnie Graham of Kroll's Korner

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif, not a natural PB for best results
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks + 1 large egg room temperature
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2½ cups dark chocolate chips
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Cream butter, peanut butter & sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cold cubed butter, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until well combined and slightly fluffy.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    Side-by-side of creaming the butter, peanut butter and sugars together.
  • Add eggs & vanilla: Mix in the egg, yolks, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
    2 large egg yolks + 1 large egg, 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    Side-by-side image of adding eggs and vanilla to wet ingredients and mixing until combined.
  • Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
    3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt
    Side-by-side image of whisking dry ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl.
  • Combine ingredients: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix. The dough should be thick and slightly tacky.
    Side-by-side image of adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients in mixing bowl.
  • Add chocolate chips: Fold in the dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
    2½ cups dark chocolate chips
    Side-by-side of folding in dark chocolate chips to cookie dough.
  • Portion the dough: Grab the dough and place it on the baking sheet. I like to keep the cookies looking rustic, so I don’t roll in a ball; to make them bakery style, I keep them in tall mounds and use my fingertips to pinch them a little. Trust me, it makes the perfect-looking cookie just like my Kroll’s Kookies!
    Side-by-side image of grabbing six mounds of cookie dough and placing on parchment-lined baking tray.
  • Bake: Bake for 10–13 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden and centers look soft and slightly underbaked. The cookies will continue to set as they cool. Start Timer
    Six peanut butter dark chocolate chip cookies baked on parchment-lined baking tray.
  • Cool & set: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The centers will firm up into that signature thick, gooey Levain texture.
    Side-by-side image of garnishing baked cookies with flaky sea salt.

Notes

  • Keep butter cold: The cold butter helps create that thick, bakery-style texture with no chilling required. To keep the butter cold, I like to get all of my ingredients ready to go, then once it’s time to start the mixer, take the butter out and cube it up. You can also cube your butter beforehand, then place it back in the fridge until you’re ready to add your mixer.
  • Do not over-bake: the centers should still look soft when removed from the oven since the cookies will continue to cook on the hot baking sheets once you pull them out of the oven and let them cool for 10-15 minutes.
  • Make each cookie GIANT: Using a food scale is helpful for measuring out 3-4oz. of cookie dough. I like to almost pinch the dough with my fingertips to give the cookies a rustic bakery-style look. Do not flatten them or use a cookie scoop to scoop out onto your cookie sheet. If you want to make the cookies smaller, that’s fine too. Just remember to adjust baking time as needed.
  • For extra indulgence: Press a few chocolate chunks on top right out of the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
  • To store: Store these cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1giant cookie | Calories: 720kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 536IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 3mg