This recipe for Classic Peanut Butter Cookies is simply the best for soft, chewy, and delicious cookies – straight out of great-grandma’s recipe tin. Best of all – these are an easy, NO-CHILL recipe!
This cookie recipe is so packed with peanut butter flavor. They are so delicious, making them a favorite among children and adults alike!
You just can’t go wrong with a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie. These have a light outer coating of granulated sugar that gives them the perfect crisp on the outside while having the most delicate crumble on the inside.
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I spent some time over the past few months going through old boxes of heirlooms we have collected from family over the years. I was thrilled to find another one of my great-grandmother’s recipe tins.
There were so many recipes that I remembered from my childhood – I knew I had to make one of her great recipes that same day.
chewy peanut butter cookies
The family voted on her Classic Peanut Butter Cookies since I knew that the recipe had been passed down to her from her great grandmother – making it AT LEAST 5 generations old.
After a couple of batches keeping the recipe as written – I made a couple of tweaks to subsequent batches until I finally ended up with this one that I know you’ll love. It is peanut butter perfection!
These classic, chewy peanut butter cookies are just what you need for your next cookie swap, potluck, or party!
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Here are some commonly asked questions
How to store these peanut butter cookies
The ideal storage place for these is in an airtight container at room temperature. You may also wrap each cookie individually in plastic wrap or a zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to a month.
Tips for the best Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Roll the dough in sugar before baking to give a sweet crust to the outside.
- Underbake to keep them soft.
- Try adding white chocolate chips, Rolo’s, mini Butterfingers, or mini Snicker’s
- Swap out the creamy peanut butter with crunchy.
- Decorate with Peanut Butter Frosting.
- Don’t use natural peanut butter – you need the oils and fats in a standard peanut butter.
Do I need to chill the dough?
For this particular cookie recipe, it isn’t necessary. However, if you love your peanut butter cookies to be really thick and round, you can chill the dough for an hour or two to help slow the spread of the dough as it bakes. But in my opinion – these are perfect as they are.
recipe for peanut butter cookies
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies
- creamy peanut butter
- butter – melted
- granulated sugar
- firmly packed brown sugar
- large egg
- powdered vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- table salt
Can this recipe be doubled?
You can, and we do it often. The dough will work just fine when doubled. We encourage you to make a double batch when making these cookies to give as gifts.
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How to Make Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine melted butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla powder in a large mixing bowl. Beat well until fully combined and creamy.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt – stir to combine.
- Portion out and roll the dough to form a ball.
- Roll the ball in a small bowl of the remaining granulated sugar and then place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Flatten with a fork – making a crosshatch pattern.
- Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges begin to become slightly darker brown.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet before serving.
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.
I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.
These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.
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Can the cookies be made ahead of time?
They may be baked ahead of time. Let the baked cookies cool to room temperature if you’d like to make them ahead of time. Then store them in an airtight container for up to three days before serving.
Don’t miss these great peanut butter recipes!
Can these baked cookies be frozen?
Yes – the baked cookies will keep when frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap each cookie individually with plastic wrap and then place them all in an airtight container before freezing.
old fashioned peanut butter cookies
Can the dough be frozen for later?
Yes – this dough can be frozen and baked later. If you would like to roll the dough prior to freezing, make sure to freeze the dough balls in a single flat layer. Once frozen they can be transferred to a zip-top bag for space-saving.
To bake – increase the baking time by 1 minute – no need to thaw the dough before baking.
Can I use regular vanilla extract instead of vanilla powder?
Yes – that will work just fine. I just really love the added vanilla flavor you get when using the powder vs a regular extract. The powder is more concentrated so you have to use a lot less to get the same flavor impact.
peanut butter cookies from scratch
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.
However – if you fluff your flour with a spoon, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack the flour – that should work for this recipe.
Can these be made with crunchy peanut butter?
Yes – if you like a little crunch in the peanut butter – using the crunchy variety is the way to go. They might not be quite as soft overall- but still quite tasty.
Why fork marks in peanut butter cookies?
Peanut butter cookie dough is denser than other cookie doughs. The hash marks in the cookie dough balls actually flatten the cookies during baking, ensuring more uniform cooking. Cookies that aren’t pressed won’t cook evenly.
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Products I love when making peanut butter cookies…
This super soft and chewy cookie recipe is EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made peanut butter cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love them. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this simple cookie recipe.
If you love this easy peanut butter cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other cookies too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅔ cup butter – melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar + ½ cup for rolling
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp powdered vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine melted butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla powder in a large mixing bowl. Beat well until fully combined and creamy.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt – stir to combine.
- Portion out and roll the dough to form a ball.
- Roll the ball in a small bowl of the remaining granulated sugar and then place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Flatten with a fork – making a crosshatch pattern.
- Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges begin to become slightly darker brown.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet before serving.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Katie Neve says
This is a delicious recipe. My family enjoyed the texture and crunch that came with the granulated sugar coating too (great idea!). Delicious warm and cooled! As always the quantities in the recipe are family sized which is something I love about Kleinworth Co recipes; we had plenty for snacks after preschool and to share with the grandparents next door. Thanks Gina!
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh, you just made my day! I’m so thrilled that you tried them and that you love the family-sized quantities too. We tend to make things big here (I guess I get that from my grandmother who always cooked for an army even if she only had a couple of people to feed) Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elena says
Can you use 1 cup of all-purpose flour?
Gina Kleinworth says
You will need 1-1/3 cup of all-purpose flour. I don’t recommend reducing the dry ingredients as the cookies will not hold together.
Elena says
No fork mark?
Gina Kleinworth says
The pictures clearly show the fork mark – which is called for in step 7.