This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
These easy peanut butter cookies have an amazing brownie-like texture: both chewy and soft. The peanut butter flavor is perfectly balanced without being overpowering.
These are truly the best peanut butter cookies I've ever tried! It's not only my opinion - everybody around me loves them too and asks for a recipe! I've posted about these cookies last year, and here I am writing about them again!
There is just the right amount of peanut butter in these easy peanut butter cookies: not too much and not too little. You can use a regular peanut butter, such as JiF, and you can use natural one too. You can use regular crunchy one and natural crunchy peanut butter. I've tried them all, and the recipe works well! If you use natural peanut butter, the cookie will come out just a little bit dryer but the difference is really hardly noticable, if you make sure to sift or aerate your flour (see the note below, under recipe instructions) - it's very important not to overpack the flour in a measuring cup so that the cookie does not come out dry!
You can definitely taste a peanut butter in this cookie, and yet it's not like you're eating overly rich peanut butter cookies. That's how I like peanut butter cookies, which is why this is the best peanut butter cookie recipe for me!
The seemingly unimportant step of rolling these cookies in granulated sugar right before putting them in the oven is the reason why these cookies look so pretty (almost like sugar cookies), why they are light in color and have beautiful cracks on top. Coating these peanut butter cookies in sugar before baking serves two purposes: 1) The cookies acquire lighter, much more attractive color when sugar coated. If you don't roll these cookies in sugar, they will come out much darker, almost looking like dark peanut butter. Rolled in sugar, the peanut butte cookies come out looking like sugar cookies! 2) Rolling cookies in sugar gives them a nice soft crunch on the outside of the cookie.
For cookies to have that nicely rounded, puffed up shape, roll them in balls between the palms of your hands and then roll each cookie ball in sugar. If the peanut butter cookie dough is too soft for you to work with, let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling.
The result are some of the best peanut butter cookies you'll ever make! Amazingly yummy cookies that are popular with kids and adults alike! They have a moist, almost brownie-like texture and only get better as the days pass by. Keep them in air-tight container and they will last you for up to 2 weeks - that is, if you're disciplined enough not to eat them all the first day!
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (can use natural one too)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (not melted - just let the butter from refrigerator sit on the counter for about an hour or so)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour sifted or aerated (see important note below!)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
Important note about properly measuring flour using measuring cups:
- The proper way to measure flour using measuring cups is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than what the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry dough!
How to make peanut butter cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add an egg and vanilla, and continue beating until creamy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder. Gradually add dry ingredients from step 2 to wet ingredients in step 1, beating on low speed.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil. Place granulated sugar on a plate. Roll spoonfuls of cookie dough into balls, rolling each ball between your hands. Roll balls in sugar to coat them completely.
- Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 12 minutes, until cookies just brown around the edges and crackle on top. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I tried these and loved them! They looked and tasted exactly as you described. Thank you!
Cindy, thank you! I am glad you liked them. Thanks for stopping by!
I have a ginger cream molasses cookie that I roll in turbinado sugar before baking; they look beautiful coming out of the oven. Do you think rolling the peanut butter balls in this sugar would work? I can't imagine it wouldn't, but thought I would check first. Looking forward to making these for my family! Thank you.
Hi Pam, I've never used turbinado sugar even though thanks to you I just read that it's a much better sugar for you, health-wise. 🙂 It seems like this sugar is often used as topping for cookies, so I don't see why it wouldn't work here
Is there any way to make these gluten free? Can I substitute almond flour?
Yes, you can substitute almond flour. I've made the gluten free version of these before by increasing the amount of peanut butter, increasing 1 egg to 2 eggs, without adding any almond flour or any other flour to replace regular flour. They tasted almost the same, except they were a bit tougher in texture.
Can I substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose flour? Or would you recommend eliminating flour all together and using your directions in the above post? Thank you so much! I can't wait to try these.
Oh my god these look so thick and delicious. Simply melt in the mouth!
Thank you, Laura! 🙂
YUMMY! I made these tonight. Followed your recipe pretty much to the letter - cookies turned out very similar. Blogged about them. Will definitely make again! Nice blog you have here 🙂
Eileen, I just went over to your site - the cookies came out great! I am glad you liked them!
On the ingredients list, it says one egg, but your instructions say " Add eggs..." How many eggs are needed?
Sharon, it's 1 egg, I just corrected the instructions. 🙂
I made the recipe exactly as you have written. I use jif natural peanut butter. I had the same problem as Sarah C. They were too soft to even roll into a ball. I added more flour until it could at least some what form a ball. Stuck all over my hand so I scooped into a ball and then dropped it into the sugar to roll. Once on the pan they started to flatten on their own. I live in Texas so maybe it is the humid weather. I will have to taste them to see if I will have to try more flour next time or just deal with stickiness of the dough! They are looking good though!
Laurie, thanks for sharing your experience with these cookies. 🙂 Did you melt the butter or was it at room temperature, still holding its shape? If the cookie dough is so sticky, I would stick it in the freezer or refrigerator for about 30 minutes or more to help it solidify, and then start making cookie balls.
Just made these, in fact I doubled the recipe! They look exactly as pictured and are delicious:) I live in NE and it's a rainy damp day here and that didn't affect the cookies at all. I think that as one readers comment said, too soft, might be due to over incorporating the flour.
Thank you for such a great recipe!
J.D.
J.D. - thank you for sharing that your success with making these cookies! 🙂 I am glad that they look like on the picture. I've made these so many times, and it's one of the most easy, fool-proof recipes for me. For me, the key 1) is to use butter that is not melted but just soft (take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 1 hour) and 2) sift the flour.
hello, what can i replace the egg with?
You can replace an egg by making a slurry with chia seeds. Combine 3 tablespoons hot boiling water with 1 tablespoon chia seeds, mix and let it sit for about 10 minutes until a very thick gel-like slurry forms. You can use that to replace 1 egg.
I made these and they were by far the best peanut butter cookies I've had! But I did have the same problem Sarah C was mentioning. I used room temp, not melted, butter and room temp peanut butter. They would not stay in balls, they would flatten out when trying to roll in sugar and even flatter after they baked. Do you have any suggestions for me for next time?
Lori, thank you for stopping by! So glad you liked the cookies. I have 3 suggestions to fix this issue:
1) Add more flour to the cookie dough - 1 or 2 tablespoons, or more if the problem persists.
2) Alternatively, use "rougher" peanut butter, such as natural peanut butter or natural peanut butter with chunks - vs. creamy peanut butter.
3) Or, put the cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, before rolling the cookies into the balls.
My son and I made these this morning. We agree these are the best peanut butter cookies either of us have ever had. My only complaint is one batch does not make nearly enough! Have you doubled this recipe before? Or would it be better to make two separate batches?
Thank you, these are awesome!
Katey, I have successfully doubled the batch before! 🙂
Thank you for commenting - very happy you liked the cookies!
I would like to email you privately if that is okay. You cookies look amazing. I have been making my Mom' peanut butter cookie recipe for years and everyone says it is the best they have ever tasted! I think so too! But I would love to try your recipe here. If you'd like, please email me privately, thanks!
You are right, these are super easy and also the best peanut butter cookies recipe I've ever tried! They did not look like the photos though. The cookies were light colors, sparkling because of the sugar, soft and chewy inside, slightly crispy outside as well... But they were flat! I think it's because it was too hot. I used room temp butter and peanut butter! Still, they were super yummy!!
Thank you for your sweet comment! So sorry the cookies came out on the flat side. 🙁 Here are several suggestions to fix it:
1) Do not sift the flour. Add more flour to the cookie dough – 1 or 2 tablespoons, or more if the problem persists.
2) Alternatively, use “rougher” peanut butter, such as natural peanut butter or natural peanut butter with chunks – vs. creamy peanut butter.
3) Or, put the cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, before rolling the cookies into the balls.
It'd be great if you gave the flour measurement by weight. All this talk about the "right" way to meSure your flour, when all it actually takes is a kitchen scale.
Yes, it would be nice to have a kitchen scale. Someday I'll buy it! 🙂