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Home › Recipe

Published: Nov 16, 2022 by Sugar Geek Show · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

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The perfect chewy peanut butter cookies with the classic criss-cross on top. A rich, buttery, soft, and chewy texture makes it a favorite at every cookie swap! The best part is that the dough freezes really well, so you can bake off a few cookies at a time and keep the rest in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. Fresh-baked peanut butter cookies on demand! stack of peanut butter cookies with a cut open one on top

Pressing a criss-cross into each cookie ensures this dough will flatten out and bake evenly. This has been the traditional look of the best peanut butter cookies for more than 80 years. Personally, I don’t think the cookie tastes the same without it! You can even add chocolate chips or peanuts to the top for some extra flavor.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredientsbowls of ingredients for peanut butter cookies

Peanut Butter: Crunchy peanut butter or smooth is a personal choice, but everyone in my house voted for creamy. I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter because the separation in the jar makes it difficult to mix evenly in the dough, and we want to have a consistent perfect texture in each cookie. 

Brown Sugar: This is the key to making chewy cookies, and you can use light or dark brown sugar. The added molasses makes the best soft cookies. Using both kinds of sugar keeps the cookie soft and chewy but crisps up the exterior enough to keep it from spreading too much. 

Making Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

  1. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, whisk it briefly and set it aside.hand holding a whisk inside of a glass bowl of flour
  2. Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until it's smooth and light in color. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. large glass bowl filled with butter and sugarselectric mixer in a glass bowl of creamed butter and sugar
  3. Then, add the peanut butter and mix until it is smooth.bowl of peanut butter being added into a bowl of creamed butter and sugar
  4. Pour in the eggs one at a time and mix until they are combined.hand adding a bowl of eggs to a large bowl
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and fold them in with a spatula (or mix on low speed) until they're just combined.hand folding dry ingredients into peanut butter dough with a spatula
  6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Pro-tip: Chilling is essential to getting that chewy texture in the cookies. If you don’t chill the dough enough, your cookies will spread and become crispy in the oven.bowl of peanut butter cookie dough covered in plastic wrap
  7. Preheat your oven to 375°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  8. Scoop the cookie dough with a #2 scoop (or a ¼ measuring cup) into 2-2.5 ounce balls. This will make 24, 3" cookies.cookie scoop placing a ball of cookie dough onto a food scale
  9. Form the dough into balls with your hands and place them at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. You will need a few cookie sheets if you're making a full batch.hands rolling peanut butter dough into a ballhand placing a ball of peanut butter cookie dough onto a baking sheet
  10. Using an extra large fork, press down once in each direction to give the cookie its signature criss-cross pattern on top. This is done so the cookie bakes and spreads evenly, and it's cute. large fork pressing indents into a peanut butter cookie dough balllarge fork pressing indents into a peanut butter cookie dough ball in the opposite direction
  11. Bake the cookies at 375°F for 13-15 minutes. The baking time may vary on your oven, but cookies shouldn’t appear to be too browned when finished, just slightly golden and crisp on the edges. Take them out when they are set and look a little soft in the center. If they appear too wet in the middle give them 1-2 minutes more. Baked cookies will keep their soft texture if you store them in an airtight container.baking sheet with unbaked peanut butter cookies on topbaked peanut butter cookies piled on a cooling rack
  12. Use a large metal cookie cutter to form your warm peanut butter cookies into perfect circles. This is optional but will make them extra pretty!hand holding a metal circle cookie cutter on top of a peanut butter cookie
  13. Rest the cookies on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then place them onto a cooling rack. These chewy peanut butter cookies will last a room temperature stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies or freeze the dough to have them at any time. They're delicious when served with a glass of cold milk!hand holding a large peanut butter cookie over a glass of milk

FAQ

How do I know when my peanut butter cookies are done? 

They will be slightly golden brown and look “set” on the edges, but soft in the center. 

Why do I need to refrigerate the dough before baking? 

This gives the flour time to fully hydrate. These cookies have a lot of fat in them between the butter and the peanut butter, so they will spread easily in the oven if they are not chilled. We want to even out the baking reaction time so that it all happens at the same time resulting in a perfect cookie.

Why is my cookie crispy and not soft and chewy? 

First make sure you weigh your ingredients, if the sugar or flour is off it can change the final outcome of your cookie. Too much flour will create dry cookies. Second, it could have baked a little too long, resulting in a crunchier cookie. Third, the dough might not have been chilled for long enough. 

Related Cookie Recipes

Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies

Chewy double chocolate cookies

Snickerdoodle cookies

Red velvet-stuffed cookies

Recipe

stack of peanut butter cookies with a cut open one on top

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

These chewy peanut butter cookies are soft in the center, crispy on the edges, and have lots of peanut butter flavor. I dare you to eat one without milk! An easy recipe with simple ingredients that comes together in a snap.
Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 3 hours hours
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 265kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups brown sugar dark or light
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2 large eggs
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, whisk it briefly and set it aside.
  • Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until it's smooth and light in color. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
  • Then, add the peanut butter and mix until it is smooth.
  • Pour in the eggs one at a time and mix until they are combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and fold them in with a spatula (or mix on low speed) until they're just combined.
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Pro-tip: Chilling is essential to getting that chewy texture in the cookies. If you don’t chill the dough enough, your cookies will spread and become crispy in the oven.
  • Preheat your oven to 375°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Scoop the cookie dough with a #2 scoop (or a ¼ measuring cup) into 2-2.5 ounce balls. This will make 24, 3" cookies.
  • Form the dough into balls with your hands and place them at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. 
  • Using an extra large fork, press down once in each direction to give the cookie its signature criss-cross pattern on top. This is done so the cookie bakes and spreads evenly, and it's cute. 
  • Bake the cookies at 375°F for 13-15 minutes. The baking time may vary on your oven, but cookies shouldn’t appear to be too browned when finished, just slightly golden and crisp on the edges. Take them out when they are set and look a little soft in the center. If they appear too wet in the middle give them 1-2 minutes more. Baked cookies will keep their soft texture if you store them in an airtight container.
  • Use a large cookie cutter to form your warm peanut butter cookies into perfect circles. This is optional but will make them extra pretty!
  • Rest the cookies on the baking pan for 5 minutes, then place them onto a cooling rack.

Notes

  1. These chewy peanut butter cookies will last a room temperature stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies or freeze the dough to have them at any time. They're delicious when served with a glass of cold milk!
  2. Freeze these peanut butter cookie dough balls for up to 2 months and bake them off when you want fresh cookies.
  3. Bring your butter to room temperature before creaming it with your sugars. Sugar will push through softened butter easier than cold butter. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 259IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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