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stack of peanut butter cookies with a cut open one on top
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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.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 265kcal

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

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