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These are the best Peanut Butter Cookies you will ever make! This classic recipe is my husband’s favorite because it creates a super soft, chewy cookie with crisp edges and tons of peanut butter flavor. Best of all, they are easy, fast cookies with no chill time required, perfect for peanut butter lovers.
I’ve made hundreds of peanut butter cookie recipes over the years and most of them stem from THIS classic peanut butter cookies recipe.
I’ve tested hundreds of variations to find the perfect balance of flavors, and this version has become the foundation for dozens of my other cookie recipes. The secret to their soft texture is a simple pantry addition: a splash of milk. Using a no-stir creamy peanut butter ensures they don’t become too crumbly, giving you that iconic melt-in-your-mouth feel every time.
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
Important Ingredients and Tips for Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- For the softest results, use a regular no-stir creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than natural varieties. Natural peanut butter can separate and cause the cookies to be too oily or crumbly. Crunchy peanut butter can be used as well.
- The Secret Ingredient: Adding just one tablespoon of milk to the dough is my secret for keeping these cookies super soft for days. You can use any kind of dairy or non-dairy milk to achieve this perfect texture.
- I use both white sugar and brown sugar for the best crisp edges and soft centers. Brown sugar adds moisture so these stay soft for days and granulated sugar yields crisp edges.
- Unsalted butter is preferred and should be softened to room temperature. You can substitute salted butter by reducing the added salt.
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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Dorothy’s Expert Cookie Tips
- Once the dough is all mixed together you can use a cookie scoop to make 1-tablespoon or 2-tablespoon size cookies.
- You can roll the balls of dough in white sugar before placing them on the cookie sheet for a crispier outside.
- Don’t forget to make the classic criss-cross marks with a fork to flatten the cookies. These won’t flatten that much on their own (like when you make peanut butter blossoms they stay pretty rounded) so you have to press them down with the tines of a fork. If the dough sticks to the fork when you’re making the criss-cross pattern you can dip the fork in sugar.
- Avoid overbaking! These cookies are finished when the edges are a light golden brown and the tops are no longer glossy. They will look soft when you pull them out, but they will firm up to a perfect chew as they cool on the sheet.
Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (200g) creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) milk
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup (217g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Place butter and peanut butter in a large bowl. Using a hand or a stand mixer, mix until combined then add both sugars. Cream until smooth. Mix in egg, vanilla, and milk and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Mix in baking soda and salt, then slowly mix in flour and mix just until the batter is smooth and comes together. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl during mixing.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of dough and place 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Using a fork, create a criss cross pattern on the cookies to flatten slightly. (Tip: if the dough starts sticking to the fork, dip it in a bit of granulated sugar.)
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown and the tops are no longer glossy. Cool on cookie sheets at least 10 minutes before removing.
Notes
- Any kind of milk or nondairy milk may be used
- Omit salt if using salted butter
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months
- Chunky peanut butter can be used but don’t use natural peanut butter.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Peanut Butter Cookies Step-by-Step
- Once creamed, the peanut butter, sugars, and butter should be smooth.
- The cookie dough will be nice and thick once the flour is added.
- Criss Cross marks can be made with a fork as shown.
- Bake until no longer shiny. I like to bake on parchment paper or silicone mats.
Variations & Substitutions
You can do so many things with peanut butter cookie dough!
- Make a cookie cake or cookie bars with the same dough.
- You can make M&M Peanut Butter Cookies or Rolo Stuffed Cookies.
- Make peanut butter snickers cookies or add butterscotch chips.
- Stuff them with Oreos or turn them to chocolate peanut butter cookies.
- 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies are also a favorite!
- You can use any other shelf-stable nut butters without lots of added sugar.
- Dark brown sugar can be used instead of light.
The cookies were easy to make and look beautiful but they have a very mild peanut butter flavor and tasted bland, overall we were disappointed and didn’t eat them after initially trying them. Maybe adding more peanut butter would be helpful.
Best peanut butter cookies ever. My whole family raved about them!!! Thank you for sharing
Absolutely delicious, my kids are obsessed. Just baked a batch for them and also for my brother for his Birthday.
Question though…in the photo of ingredients it shows two eggs but when you read the recipe it says one. I doubled the recipe and used two large eggs….just wanted to make sure i used the correct amount of eggs!
Yah that’s a good idea I did it with one egg and they were so dry it was like the Sahara desert 🏜️!!!!!
I’ve had so many compliments on these
Five stars for sure and I only rate recipes when I do them exactly like the recipe says because once I change it it’s no longer their recipe it’s now my recipe so I did this recipe exactly like it says and it is so good it was hard to keep my son from eating the dough before the cookies were even cooked and of course there’s nothing but crumbs left thank you for sharing this recipe it is now my new peanut butter cookie recipe for life
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