Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic. Soft & chewy, these peanut butter cookies have quickly become our favorite sweet treat.
My family can’t keep their hands off these easy peanut butter cookies. This peanut butter cookie recipe is not your traditional crunchy peanut butter cookie, but there isn’t a better recipe. Trust me, we’ve tried them all.
Now, I have made this recipe in two different ways: one with baking soda and the other with baking powder. This was all an accident, and while I originally posted the recipe with the baking soda, after making it over a hundred times, we all agreed that the best cookie results from baking powder. But if you make the same “mistake” I did, these cookies will still knock it out of the park.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
From trusty pots and pans to handy gadgets, I’ve curated a list of products I use and love.
What peanut butter cookie recipe is the best?
While I love making homemade peanut butter cookies with just 3 ingredients, they are not as soft and chewy as these. I love three-ingredient peanut butter cookies, but I am just not as satisfied.
These cookies go right in line with my love for creamy peanut butter. Peanut butter is my go-to snack anytime I am hungry.
Whether it’s by the spoonful, with pretzels, on a sandwich or paired with some Nutella, I really could eat peanut butter in any way, shape, or form. Because I have a sweet tooth, cookies are among my favorite foods. This makes soft peanut butter cookies an obvious hit.
Should I use crunchy or creamy peanut butter to make peanut butter cookies?
While I typically love creamy peanut butter for cookies, there are moments—like when I eat my morning breakfast toast with bananas—when I reach for the crunchy peanut butter.
We are a house divided between creamy and crunchy peanut butter. My son, Aiden, and I are more in the middle and could eat either. My husband and daughter, Jersey, love crunchy, and my other three kids, Jojo, Cannon, and Madden, will only eat creamy. If I accidentally pack them crunchy, the sandwich will still be in their lunchbox when they get home, making you wonder what they ate for lunch.
We also have extreme opinions on whether soft or crunchy peanut butter cookies are the best.
I tend to lean towards chewy, soft cookies. The best cookie recipe I’ve ever had is my Best Ever Monster Cookies. But most classic peanut butter cookie recipes I’ve had are too crunchy, leaving a crumbly mess. So, I have been on a mission to find the best peanut butter cookie recipe, and finally… finally… I found it.
Everyone except for Aiden, peanut butter cookies are best when soft and chewy. Aiden loves a good crunchy cookie you can dip in milk. However, he won’t decline these Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies.
What could you add to peanut butter cookies?
Why do peanut butter cookies have fork marks?
When peanut butter is added to the batter, it densifies it. Putting fork marks in the dough makes it easier for the cookie to bake evenly. This will help keep them soft, so don’t forget this step.
How long do cookies last?
These cookies are kept in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
If desired, freeze the cookies in an airtight freezer bag. They can last for 1-2 months.
If you love cookies, try these:
I can’t wait for you to get your hands on a dozen or two of these. They are easy and simply the Best Soft Peanut Butter Cookies you’ll try.
Pin to Pinterest.
Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter use Jif or Skippy type peanut butter
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper, if desired.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat together until smooth & creamy best if using a stand mixer or hand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix until well combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until well combined.
- Use a cookie dough scoop, or spoon the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in white granulated sugar if you desire and place onto baking sheet.
- Using a fork, press down on each ball of dough to flatten, creating a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
- These keep well for a couple of days in an airtight container.
If you make ahead and freeze do u put them in the oven from frozen or thaw first?
I have never commented on a post I have tried but I have to tell you these were the best PB Cookies I have ever made. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
I think those of us that are having trouble with dry cookies may be using a natural peanut butter instead of a Kraft/Jif brand. I didn’t have peanut butter so I made my own from blended peanuts and they turned out quite dry. Yes, my butter was soft!
After the first batch came out crumbly I added oil to the remaining batter and they turned out nicely.
I used mostly natural peanut butter and mine were crumbly as well. I was able to scoop them tightly into a ball and use a cookie press. They don’t hold together great but they taste amazing! Will try JIF or Skippy next time!
I tried to make these and they were crumbled-the dough wouldn’t hold. What’d I do wrong?
Made these cookies today and family says they don’t have much of a peanut butter taste! They’re easy too make and I had to bake for 13 minutes.
Yummy, it looks so yummy and I would like to taste them. I will definitely try to this at home.I am checking regularly this page because there is many good recipe available hope I see more. thanks
http://kitchentuts.com/
Just made a batch this evening. My wife and I absolutely loved them. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I made these last night because when I read the recipe and reviews, it sounded like somethings I had to try. These are the best fluffy and moist peanut butter cookies I have ever tasted. Great reviews at work. This will be the only recipe I will follow ever. I wanted to add some chocolate to it the next time but at work they said to leave it the way it is. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Thanks Penny!!
I made these tonight and followed the recipe exactly. Perfection! My family said they were the best peanut butter cookies EVER! Thank you! Printing the recipe now!
So great to hear! Glad you enjoyed them as much as we do.
Lots of comments saying they are dry. Mine were too unfortunately – but they tasted great. I made a double batch! Ruined the first by sprinkling them with salt instead of sugar… oops!
They are dry because there isn’t enough fat in the recipie. If you notice there is no oil in the recipie, they would fix it! Thanks for sharing!!!
Just wondering how many cookies this makes. I want to bring them to a cookie exchange, but I’d need 3 dozen cookies…
OMG amazing!
These were perfect. I used regular Jif because that is what I had lying around. They were not dry, not too sweet, and nicely peanut buttery. My daughter had been begging me to make peanut butter cookies all week – and I hadn’t made any in maybe 10 years. I tried this recipe because it seemed to have a lower than average ratio of sugar to other ingredients and we actually don’t enjoy overly sweet cookies. They were moist and wonderful. I brought them to Christmas dinner and they were the most popular dessert! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I started making this recipe before thanksgiving and I’ve now made so many batches, I lost count. My husband and daughter LOVE them. Our family and friends love them. They are so easy to make. I’ve frozen them and made them a month later and they are wonderful. Best recipe. Hands down. And the vanilla ratio is perfect. I have also made a variation where I add a small Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or Hershey’s Kiss after they have baked. Big hit! 5 stars!
can the peanut butter be homemade, and if so , do you have any awesome homemade peanut butter recipes/hacks/etc?
Haley – I haven’t tried with homemade peanut butter. If you do just make sure it isn’t overly dry. I haven’t made homemade but I do buy it from the store like that for sandwiches. If I were to try a recipe it would be this one: https://pinchofyum.com/5-minute-homemade-peanut-butter.
Let me know if you try it this way. xo San
Man, these are my favorite type of cookie!
Me too! Enjoy!
You can never go wrong with a good peanut butter cookie!
Those look perfect, yummy!
All I can say is wow these are the best peanut butter cookies I have ever made! Thank you so very much for this great recipe…The Taste just blows you away and I did a few little simple decorations on mine for a Valentine’s Day theme. I do want to say I had to adjust the time maybe it’s my oven but if I did them for 10 minutes each and they turned out great.
Wishing I had a batch right now.