Make Ahead
Peanut Butter Cookies
Popular on Food52
62 Reviews
Michael
December 17, 2018
A perfect recipe. The key to this recipe is chilling the dough before rolling in to balls. The cookies are firm on the outside and soft on the inside.
SophieL
April 24, 2017
These were so easy and so good - just the right sweetness and not salty at all. I used Espresso Nib Peanut Butter made by Eliot's Adult Nut Butters and the cookies were being gobbled up while the third sheet pan was still in the oven. I also have a jar of Honey Chipotle Peanut Butter and will try this recipe with that (maybe reduce the sugar a little bit). Recipe made exactly 4 doz cookies, using my smallest scoop. The dough was too soft, though, for the cross-hatch marks to keep its shape. Nobody had any problems with that!
adnam
November 22, 2016
I really love this recipe--just made it for the second time this week. A few tips to those who are concerned about bake time: If you make the cookies any larger than called for (heaping teaspoons), you'll come away with fewer cookies which will need 5-10 mins longer in the oven--I did this on my first run, not realizing the size I should have been looking for when shaping the balls. As I learned today on my second bake, if you size the dough as the recipe instructs it DOES really only take 10-12 minutes to get the perfect texture. Don't worry if you pull them out and they seem totally squishy: They firm up within 5 minutes of cooling. If you leave them in the oven too long, you may get a brittle cookie after it cools. Either way, though, the taste is wonderful, so you really can't go wrong.
One other thing I'll say is you can forego the salt entirely if your peanut butter has some salt in it already. That should take care of what some people are saying about the dough coming out too salty. I left out the salt both times on my bakes and they came out perfectly.
One other thing I'll say is you can forego the salt entirely if your peanut butter has some salt in it already. That should take care of what some people are saying about the dough coming out too salty. I left out the salt both times on my bakes and they came out perfectly.
matsume
February 25, 2016
Just finished making these cookies for my son's school fair. I had to make them in 3 separate batches. First batch, I baked them for 15 minutes as I had read everybody's reviews about timing plus they didn't look browned and they were soft to the touch. But after cooling down, they came out too crunchy and almost salty. The second and third batch, I bake for exactly 10 minutes and although they were still very soft and very light in colour, once cooled, they were perfectly crisp on the outside but chewy and soft on the inside. They also tasted nuttier and sweeter ( who new!). This was all done with a conventional oven without the fan at 170 C. Trust the recipe ladies, they really are yummy! Oh, I did end up changing the sugar to ¾ brown sugar and ¼ white.
nikki
August 20, 2015
mine turned out quite salty even when i added the correct amount of salt... not sure went wrong
Bonny S.
March 17, 2015
Thank you Merrill for this recipe and also the Crispy Crunchy Oatmeal cookie. My Granddaughter is a missionary and she will love both of these. I send her care packages all the time. I was looking for some new recipes and these fit the bill just great.
krystine
February 24, 2015
Perfect lunchbox cookies. Even though I'm not eating them out of a lunchbox haha
kumalavula
January 30, 2015
things like this don't have with any type of frequency in my kitchen but something went wrong with these. it's puzzling since so many people have comments don how great they were but the dough was sticky even after being chilled and the cookies that came out of the oven smelled great but were so flat and brittle.
i did end up baking them a little longer than the prescribed 10 min because they were nowhere near done but my inner baker tells me something just isn't right.
i did end up baking them a little longer than the prescribed 10 min because they were nowhere near done but my inner baker tells me something just isn't right.
Merrill S.
January 30, 2015
Hmm, not sure what to say. They shouldn't be super-flat, and while they're crumbly I wouldn't call them brittle. What kind of peanut butter did you use?
Monica
June 7, 2017
You cooked them too long. They'll set up once they cool, if you cook them past the intended time, you'll get a brittle cookie.
Veronica
January 22, 2015
I made theses cookies today and they are very good! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
richard P.
December 6, 2014
I love anything with Peanut Butter... I cannot decide if I like this cookie better or the "All I want for Christmas Peanut Butter cookie by Mrs Wheelbarrow! Thank you for this recipe and all the others you have on this site! Just wonderful.
Elena
July 24, 2014
These were sooo good! I literally JUST took 'em out of the oven, and the cookies were still warm and a little gooey! Perfect!
Claire
July 23, 2014
I made these last night, they cooked perfectly in ten minutes and have a very soft cakey (but not gooey) texture. Only thing I did differently was that I added a little almond extract... which I think they would have been better without. Great, easy recipe!
Ceege
May 21, 2014
Here's a hing for those of you sending to troops overseas. Save Pringle cans. Wash out, rinse and dry with a clean cloth (you will have to use a knife handle to get the bottom.) I like to dry at least overnight. You may have to experiment a bit to get the right size cookie for the cans. Gently pack the cold cookies in cans. The cans can be placed in a box (be sure the box is tightly packed. Cookies will arrive in one piece instead of crumbs. We make many cookies at our church for our servicemen/women. We actually cover the cans with a pretty piece of wrapping paper (use two sided tape to hold paper in place)....paper accordingly to the holiday you are sending....valentines, christmas, etc. (Our boxes hold 4 cans of cookies and we send multiple types of cookies. Oh and by the way, this recipe is fabulous.
Bonny S.
March 17, 2015
I send cookies to my Granddaughter who is a missionary this will work really well for those cookies. I usually pack the box with popcorn but this will save me a lot of time.
mandy
January 24, 2014
These cookies were simply amazing! I only got 1 and a half dozen from the recipe though instead of the four dozen that it says. These cookies are seriously so delicious, easy and quick!
MrsPrincess07
December 23, 2013
Thanks for the review, it was a life saver! I made a recipe about 15 minutes ago from The Joy of Cooking and the texture and smell alone was enough to throw it out. Not having made PB Cookies in over 10 yrs I forgot how they came together. Your recipe is much different and the dough came together perfectly. I have them rolled in a ziplock bag waiting to be baked tomorrow before the Challah and Turkey!
soandso
September 23, 2013
My mother's recipe which was my favorite is almost identical to this one of yours, but mine uses a cup of peanut butter. Once you realize how nutty a cookie can be, all others pale in comparison. Makes all others taste like something's missing! Try a whole cup, and don't be stingy! You won't regret it!
ElisaLouk
May 16, 2013
I commented on these earlier, but last night I mixed it up a bit and used PB&Co's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and added white chocolate chips. They were a little more moist than the original recipe, and you have to watch the baking time (7 min max for me with chilled dough) but they were super yum!
rinkatink
May 3, 2013
These really are perfect. I've made flourless peanut butter cookies before, but find them a bit too creamy/delicate/cakey; I really prefer this recipe that doesn't nix the flour out. They're not typically heavy like most PB cookies but certainly peanut-buttery, which I really enjoy.
I find that I have to bake these quite a bit longer than prescribed, about 15 minutes to get that perfect golden and equal chewy/crunchy ratio, but will add an extra two if I prefer the batch to be a bit crisper.
Thank you for this recipe!
I find that I have to bake these quite a bit longer than prescribed, about 15 minutes to get that perfect golden and equal chewy/crunchy ratio, but will add an extra two if I prefer the batch to be a bit crisper.
Thank you for this recipe!
Nancy M.
May 1, 2013
I was looking for the perfect peanut butter cookie so I made these the last time they were posted here. They are absolutely awesome.
BavarianCook
February 15, 2013
Had to write one more time - tomorrow I will bake the 4th batch of these in 2 weeks, if that tells you anything. The last time I used a slightly larger spoon to scoop the dough with and kept the baking time the same (10 min), making them wonderfully chewy and soft. I also added a few chocolate chips in the last batch. This is such a great recipe! Thank you!
Jacqueline O.
February 14, 2013
Are these soft? I am desperately seeking a soft chewy peanut butter cookie
adwillis
February 15, 2013
I like to refrigerate these in ziplocks so that I'm not tempted to eat them all at once. I microwave them for about 10-12 sec to take the chill off of them and they turn out wonderfully chewy!
BavarianCook
February 7, 2013
These cookies are amazing & so quick to make. I am normally not that into peanut butter cookies but made them for a friend and tried the batter...and then proceeded to devour 3 hot out of the oven. Delish!!!! You have converted me :)
adwillis
September 23, 2012
These cookies are delicious! I used an unsweetened peanut butter for this recipe (Laura Scudder's crunchy peanut butter) and it worked wonderfully. A little dollop of vanilla ice cream on top of a cookie with a drizzle of fudge is also delicious.
AntoniaJames
June 25, 2012
Sensational!! Made these last night; family gave the recipe a very enthusiastic two thumbs up. ;o)
Muse
May 16, 2012
Would using Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter work, or is using any chunky peanut butter a no-no?
adwillis
September 23, 2012
I just made these using Laura Scudder's crunchy peanut butter and it worked wonderfully. I don't know how a different brand would taste, but using chunky peanut butter worked just fine.
Dtown B.
May 13, 2012
Not sure if it hasn't been mentioned but, replace with Nutella and add Peanut Butter chips.
You know the results!!!!
You know the results!!!!
IyamanLove
March 26, 2012
perfect recipe. Perfect cookie. little chocolate piece in a couple was nice at the end. Thank you for the recipe.
bluespike
January 10, 2012
Baked the recipe exactly as written, 2 more times since also. Such a wonderful cookie. Closed my eyes and breathed in the aroma as they were baking and felt like a kid again in the kitchen with my Mom, thank you. I've searched and tried many other recipes , this one was perfect. Just the right mix. Very glad I found the Food 52 site..........
bigasiangirl
December 31, 2011
Probably the best peanut butter cookie recipe I've ever tried. This one is a keeper! I loved the crispy ends.
KateC
December 28, 2011
My quest for a great peanut butter cookie recipe finally ended!
Made a batch yesterday and the cookies came out just perfect; crunchy and delicious. Thank you, Merril.
Made a batch yesterday and the cookies came out just perfect; crunchy and delicious. Thank you, Merril.
Floobish
December 23, 2011
These cookies are fantastic. I chilled the dough for about 2 hours and it was a breeze shaping and flattening them. Really delicious! Will have to make a double batch next timr.
cookinalong
December 18, 2011
I mailed these to my son in Afghanistan, and just wanted to let you know they've gotten the Marine Corps seal of approval! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Kunst_Liebe
December 14, 2011
I'm tasting mine right now as I type this... perfect right out of the oven.
mrslarkin
December 12, 2011
Yum! Sconegirl and I made these last night. We added 3/4 cup Heath Bar bits, 3/4 cup choco chips, and 3/4 cup crushed pretzels. Super easy and delicious recipe. Thanks, Merrill!
JMT
December 11, 2011
I make these and do a loose crosshatch "drizzle" of melted 72% cacao chocolate (Ghirardelli, my favorite!) on top after taking them out of the oven, then put them in the fridge for a short time until the chocolate cools.
Emsbutler
December 9, 2011
So, do you mean the supermarket peanut butter, like Skippy, Jif...and not the natural peanut butters made from JUST peanuts?
Merrill S.
December 9, 2011
Those would work, yes. There are also "natural" peanut butters that are smooth and creamy and have a little sugar or honey in them -- I would just avoid something with too much texture and no added sweetener.
Ghettodiamond
December 6, 2011
My mom, a couple of friends and I are getting together before Christmas to do a big holiday cookie and lemon bar bake -- I will definitely be trying this recipe (we have always used the one from an old, old edition of Betty Crocker's cooky book), probably a double or triple batch!
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