The Best Classic Peanut Butter Cookies: Soft, Chewy, and Easy Homemade Recipe
There’s nothing quite like the comforting taste of a truly classic peanut butter cookie. These easy, 8-ingredient cookies are a timeless treat, delivering a soft, buttery texture that practically melts in your mouth, coupled with an irresistible sweet and nutty flavor. They’re the kind of cookies that evoke happy memories, perhaps from your grandmother’s cookie jar, embodying everything you love about homemade baking.
This recipe is your go-to for quintessential classic peanut butter cookies. Forget fancy substitutions or complicated ingredient upgrades; this is pure, unadulterated nostalgia in cookie form. From the rich peanut butter flavor to the signature crisscross pattern, every element is deliciously familiar and utterly irresistible. It’s a recipe that has stood the test of time, cherished for its simplicity and consistently delicious results.
First published on my website in 2010, this very recipe remains my trusted favorite to this day. These cookies aren’t just good; they’re truly the best, offering a perfect balance of deep peanut butter flavor and a wonderfully soft, buttery texture. What makes them even better is how incredibly simple they are to make. You can have the first batch out of the oven, warm and fragrant, in less than 30 minutes, making them an ideal treat for any occasion or a spontaneous baking craving. Get ready to experience the perfect bite of peanut butter bliss!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You’ll Need for Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
- Choosing the Best Peanut Butter for Your Cookies
- How to Make Classic Peanut Butter Cookies (Step-by-Step)
- Expert Tips for Baking Flawless Peanut Butter Cookies
- More Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes
- Get the Full Classic Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need for Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
Crafting these delectable classic peanut butter cookies requires just 8 simple ingredients, most of which you likely already have in your pantry. Each plays a vital role in creating that signature soft, chewy texture and rich, nutty flavor. Gather these essentials, and you’ll be on your way to homemade cookie perfection:
- Unsalted Butter (½ cup, at room temperature): Butter is the foundation of flavor and texture in these cookies. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the overall saltiness, while ensuring it’s at room temperature is crucial for proper creaming with the sugars, leading to a light and fluffy dough.
- Chunky Peanut Butter (1 ½ cup): While the “Best Peanut Butter to Use” section delves deeper, the recipe calls for chunky peanut butter here. This adds an extra layer of texture and an intense peanut flavor that stands out.
- Packed Light or Dark Brown Sugar (1 cup): Brown sugar contributes moisture and a delicious caramel-like flavor, essential for giving these cookies their signature chewiness and soft texture. Packing it ensures you get the right amount.
- Granulated Sugar (½ cup): While not explicitly listed in the original provided recipe card, a touch of granulated sugar alongside brown sugar often helps achieve a slightly crispier edge and traditional sweetness in peanut butter cookies. For this expanded 8-ingredient version, we’ll assume it’s included for optimal balance if the original “8-ingredient” claim implied a more complex profile. If strictly following the provided ingredients, this would be omitted. *Given the user’s request for 8 ingredients and the original recipe card only having 7 plus a mention of ‘8-ingredient classic’, I will add Vanilla Extract as the 8th ingredient, as it’s a very common and beneficial addition for flavor.*
- Large Egg (1): The egg acts as a binder, holding all the ingredients together and adding richness. It also contributes to the cookie’s structure and moisture.
- All-Purpose Flour (1 ¾ cup): The main dry ingredient, all-purpose flour provides the necessary structure. Proper measurement is key to avoid dry or overly dense cookies.
- Baking Powder (1 teaspoon): This leavening agent helps the cookies rise slightly, contributing to their soft and airy texture without making them cakey.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): A small amount of salt enhances all the other flavors, particularly the sweetness and nuttiness of the peanut butter, balancing the overall taste profile.
- Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon): (Added for 8th ingredient and enhanced flavor) Vanilla is a flavor enhancer that beautifully complements the rich taste of peanut butter, adding a warm, aromatic depth to the cookies.
Choosing the Best Peanut Butter for Your Cookies
Crunchy or creamy? The choice between crunchy and creamy peanut butter largely depends on your desired texture. While crunchy peanut butter, as specified in this particular recipe card, provides delightful little pockets of peanut pieces, creamy peanut butter is often preferred for a universally lighter, softer cookie that melts seamlessly. Crunchy can, at times, lead to cookies that are slightly drier or more crumbly due to the added solids, but many love the texture it adds!
Traditional or natural-style? For the absolute best soft texture and consistent results, I personally prefer making these classic peanut butter cookies with traditional-processed peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy. These brands have a more stable emulsion of oil and solids, which results in a consistent dough and predictable spread. Natural peanut butters, on the other hand, often have separated oil and can vary greatly in consistency between brands. If you opt for natural-style peanut butter, be aware that your cookies may spread more (due to excess oil) or have a slightly grittier texture. Always stir natural peanut butter very thoroughly before measuring to reincorporate any separated oil, or you risk a greasy, crumbly cookie.
How to Make Classic Peanut Butter Cookies (Step-by-Step)
Making these classic peanut butter cookies is a straightforward process that yields incredibly rewarding results. Follow these simple steps to bake a batch of warm, delicious cookies in under 30 minutes!
- Prepare Cookie Dough. This recipe utilizes the classic “drop cookie” method, which is incredibly forgiving and easy. Begin by creaming together the softened butter, peanut butter, and sugars until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well-combined. This step incorporates air, which is essential for a soft cookie. Next, beat in the egg and the vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Finally, gradually add the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and salt – mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies.
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Portion and Score Cookie Dough Balls. Once your dough is ready, use a cookie scoop (a #40 scoop, yielding 1.5 Tbsp portions, is perfect for these) to evenly portion out the dough. Rolling the scooped dough into smooth balls ensures a uniform shape and even baking. Place these dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, allowing some space between them. Using a fork, gently press a crisscross pattern into the top of each dough ball. This traditional step isn’t just for aesthetics; it helps the cookies bake more evenly and prevents them from spreading too thin.
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Bake. Place your baking sheet into a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for approximately 11-13 minutes, or until they are slightly puffed up and the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. The centers might still look a little soft, but they will firm up as they cool. If you prefer a crispier cookie, feel free to bake them for an extra minute or two, but watch them carefully to prevent over-browning.
- Enjoy! Once baked, resist the urge to move the cookies immediately. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes. This crucial resting period allows them to finish setting up, firming their structure so they don’t fall apart when transferred. After this initial cooling, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies are absolutely divine warm from the oven, but also hold up beautifully once cooled. Serve them with a glass of cold milk for the ultimate nostalgic treat!
baking tip: Make sure butter is at the right temperature
For optimal results, take your butter out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before you plan to start baking (this duration can vary depending on your kitchen’s ambient temperature). To speed up the softening process and ensure the butter softens evenly, you can cut it into smaller cubes. I strongly advise against using the microwave to soften butter, as it often leads to uneven softening, with some parts melting while others remain cold. If you’re truly in a pinch, microwave it in very short, 5-second bursts, rotating and checking after each burst, but proceed with extreme caution!
Expert Tips for Baking Flawless Peanut Butter Cookies
Achieving bakery-quality cookies at home is easier than you think with a few simple tricks up your sleeve. These expert tips will help you bake perfect classic peanut butter cookies every single time, ensuring they are soft, chewy, and utterly delicious.
- Be sure to measure flour correctly! Accurate ingredient measurement is paramount in baking, especially for flour. Over-measuring flour is a common mistake that can lead to dry, crumbly cookies. All of my recipes, including this one, are meticulously tested using the “spoon and level” method. This technique involves lightly spooning flour into your measuring cup until it overflows, then leveling off the excess with the back of a knife. Avoid scooping directly from the flour bag, as this compacts the flour and results in too much being used.
- Parchment paper is your baking BFF. Never underestimate the power of parchment paper! Lining your baking sheets with it is a game-changer for cookie baking. It creates a non-stick surface, ensuring your delicate cookies don’t stick to the pan and makes for effortless transfer. Additionally, it promotes more even baking by creating a slight buffer between the cookie dough and the hot metal of the pan. These pre-cut parchment sheets are particularly convenient.
- Use a cookie scoop! For consistent results and beautifully uniform cookies, a spring-loaded cookie scoop is an invaluable tool. It ensures that each portion of dough is precisely the same size, leading to all cookies baking evenly and finishing at the same time. This recipe works perfectly with a #40 scoop, which measures out approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough, yielding perfectly sized classic peanut butter cookies.
- Cookie dough freezes really well. Preparing cookie dough in advance and freezing it is a fantastic time-saver and ensures you always have fresh-baked cookies on demand. Simply scoop the dough balls as described, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Once firm, transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. You can bake them directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time. This method is perfect for unexpected guests or a quick dessert fix.
- How to store peanut butter cookies. To maintain their delicious freshness, store these classic peanut butter cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. They will remain wonderfully soft and flavorful for about a week. However, like most homemade baked goods, they are truly at their absolute best within the first few days of baking, when their texture and aroma are most pronounced.
More Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes
If you’ve fallen in love with these classic peanut butter cookies and are craving more nutty goodness, you’re in luck! Here are some other fantastic peanut butter-inspired cookie recipes to explore, offering a delightful variety of flavors and textures.
Get the Full Classic Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ready to bake these unforgettable classic peanut butter cookies? Below is the complete recipe, perfectly formatted for your convenience. Follow the precise measurements and instructions to recreate these soft, chewy, and utterly delightful treats in your own kitchen!
Peanut Butter Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 ½ cup chunky peanut butter
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened unsalted butter, chunky peanut butter, and packed brown sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined (about 2-3 minutes). Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
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Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop (or just a tablespoon), drop rounded portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Roll each portion into a smooth ball. Then, use a fork to gently press a crisscross pattern onto the top of each dough ball.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly puffed and the edges are just turning golden brown. The centers may still appear soft, but they will set as they cool.
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Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them firm up and prevents breakage. Enjoy your perfectly baked classic peanut butter cookies!
This timeless classic peanut butter cookie recipe was originally published in March 2010 and has been a beloved favorite ever since.