Truly Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
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Chewy cookie lovers, this one is for you. After requests for a softer version of my classic peanut butter cookies, I went full cookie scientist. After dozens of (delicious) test batches, I’ve got the most tender, chewy peanut butter cookies recipe for you. Roll up your sleeves, and let’s get chewy!
In my opinion, there is no such thing as a bad cookie. Sugar combined with butter is always delicious. But when it comes to texture, some people are firmly team crispy or team chewy.
So, after a few readers commented that they wanted a chewier version of my classic peanut butter cookies, I went to work in the kitchen. Days later, and more batches than I can count, I have a truly chewy peanut butter cookie recipe to share with you.
These cookies have a slight crispy edge (as all good cookies should), and the center is soft and chewy. And there is a lot of delicious peanut flavor.
I experimented with various ingredients to find the perfect recipe for chewy peanut butter cookies until I discovered the ideal balance. Peanut butter can make cookies somewhat chalky, so my goal was to ensure they’re moist and soft enough while maintaining their chewy texture. I even tried adding water or corn syrup.
So what worked best? To create these chewy cookies, I settled on a 1:1 butter-to-peanut butter ratio (my classic recipe uses a 1:2 ratio). I also removed the cornstarch, which makes cookies soft but also slightly sandy. I also use 100% brown sugar and add an egg yolk; the extra moisture enhances the chewiness.
Key ingredients notes
This recipe only uses 9 ingredients – most of which, you probably already have on hand. Here are some notes on key ingredients to pay attention to:
- Measuring flour: If you dip the scoop into the flour, you pack more in than needed. The proper way to measure flour is using the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level the top with a knife.
- Peanut butter: I use salted, natural peanut butter.
Add-ins
While these are totally satisfying on their own, you can make them your own and customize the flavor by adding some mix-ins. Stir in some chopped peanuts, chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, or sprinkle on some flaky sea salt!
Storage and freezing
Storage: After baking, let them cool on a wire rack. They’ll be pretty soft when they come out of the oven, so this gives them time to firm up. Once they’ve cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Freezing: Make a double batch and keep some in the freezer. Follow the instructions until you form the cookie-dough balls. Then, freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. When baking, add 2 minutes to the baking time.
Truly Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt (see notes)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ½ cup unsalted peanut butter (at room temperature)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.1 ¼ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter using electric beaters for 1 minute, until creamy. Add the peanut butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until just combined.1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup unsalted peanut butter, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the dry ingredients and beat just until there are no streaks of flour – do not overmix the dough.
- Cover the dough with a piece of parchment or wax paper pressed into the top then put the bowl into your fridge for 2 hours. Do not skip this step – see notes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a large cookie or ice cream scoop (¼ cup) to portion the dough into five large balls and space them evenly on a cookie sheet. Do not roll them or press them down.
- Bake the cookies for 15-16 minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, adding it to a cool baking sheet.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Skip the cornstarch. It makes them like a sandie versus being chewy. Otherwise good flavor.
Hi Linda! You’re right … the cornstarch did make the cookies a bit sandy. I recipe tested these like crazy until I came up with peanut butter cookie that was always chewy – it’s the recipe you see in this post now. The one with the cornstarch is now my classic peanut butter cookies recipe.
I made these and they werent chewy at all. The typical crunchy ones! followed the recipe, so what did I do wrong?
Hi Kim! You didn’t do anything wrong. After your comment (and two others) saying the same thing, I tested the recipe and found it wasn’t as chewy as I would have liked. So I spent tons of time recreating it and now the recipe you see here is truly chewy. The recipe you made is now called classic peanut butter cookies.
These cookies are delicious, but what might have caused them to be not chewy AT ALL☹️? I did double the recipe, but I don’t think that would have done it…? I also added peanut butter chips – maybe I added too many? (Chocolate chips are mentioned as an add-in, but no quantity)
Hi Judy! You’re right! After I read your comment (and two others) about them not being chewy, I decided to test them again and had the same results you did. I now call the recipe you made my classic peanut butter cookies, and the recipe here is quite different and really does make chewy peanut butter cookies.
This is my first go at these cookies. I had an unwanted jar of natural unsalted PB (mis-delivered) so I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients. And for good measure I added 3 Tbs of cocoa powder as well, then dusted with sea salt when taking the baked cookies from the oven. Perfection!
This seems a tremendously flexible recipe (as the comments imply). I will definitely try adding maple syrup; perhaps raisins. Thanks for those ideas.
Amazing recipe!! I added 1 tblsp of vanilla and maple extract, as well as 1tblsp of cinnamon in the flour mixture. I added a brown sugar & cinnamon topping before they went into the oven. Top that off with a drizzle of maple syrup when completely cooled… AND THEY CAME OUT BEAUTIFULLY!! They filled the house with a spicy aroma that had us all mouth watering and wanting more.
I’ve made these cookies dozens of times. Why did the recipe change? The ingredients section is like the original recipe but when you go into the directions the ingredients are different. Luckily I’ve made these so many times that I knew how I originally made them. I’ll stick to the original, best peanut butter cookies ever!
Hi Carla! We have a new recipe card so the layout is different, but the ingredients are the same. 🙂
I just finished making these! The constancy was perfect but a tad too sweet for my taste. I would reduce the sugar!
They are a bit on the sweet side!