Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
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Peanut butter fiends, unite! These classic peanut butter cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and savory, letting that peanut buttery goodness shine. I always make a double batch because they vanish quickly. After plenty of (delicious) recipe testing, I’ve got all the tips to help you bake the perfect cookie every time.
This one is for my peanut butter lovers and my cookie lovers – surely, that’s everyone, right? These classic peanut butter cookies are soft, salty-sweet, and not to be left unattended until you’ve snagged a few yourself.
A few weeks ago, I made a double batch of these cookies before a few friends visited for the weekend. By Sunday afternoon, every single cookie had disappeared.
Why make a criss-cross pattern in peanut butter cookies? Due to the peanut butter, these cookies are denser than most. For this reason, they don’t spread much in the oven. The fork marks flatten them out, pressing them down so they bake evenly. Oh, and they look pretty, too!
Ingredient notes
This peanut butter cookie recipe use all the usual ingredients for cookies – plus, peanut butter! You’ll likely have everything you need in your pantry already. Some notes about key ingredients:
- Measuring flour: Often, while baking, people will scoop up the flour. However, this packs it in, and you end up actually using more flour than you need, which leads to heavy, dense cookies. The best way to measure flour is to spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then level the top with a knife.
- Salted vs unsalted: Check the butter and peanut butter you use – if they’re both salted, you may want to reduce the amount of salt you use. If they’re both unsalted, you’ll want to include it.
- Why add cornstarch: This is a texture thing! The science behind it is that cornstarch doesn’t contain gluten, unlike flour, so using a little cornstarch instead of flour = less gluten = a softer, more tender cookie (instead of a flat, crispy one).
Add-ins to try
Peanut butter cookies aren’t just delicious – they can also be an amazing base to blend in other tasty treats. Have fun with it, and try some of these add-ins:
- Chocolate: Use chocolate chips, chopped up peanut butter cups or Reese’s Pieces, or M&Ms.
- Nuts: The obvious choice is chopped peanuts, but whatever nut you have on hand will add a little crunch.
- Sweets: Bits of toffee or caramel pieces are so incredible! Or add mini marshmallows for gooey bits.
Storage and freezing
Store: Let the peanut butter cookies cool to room temperature first – if you put them in an enclosed container before that, they’ll steam themselves. Then, pop them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze: These cookies disappear fast, so I often make a larger batch, freeze some, and then bake them whenever the craving strikes. Simply make them as directed, but before you flatten them with a fork, freeze the cookie balls in a single layer on a baking sheet for around an hour. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag. You can bake them from frozen; just add two minutes to the baking time.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon EACH: baking soda, baking powder, and salt (see notes)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup unsalted peanut butter (I like salted natural peanut butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling the cookies)
- Optional: flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon EACH: baking soda, baking powder, and salt
- Using electric beaters or a stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix to combine. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat just until mixed.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 cup unsalted peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix only until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Scoop the cookie dough using a medium-sized cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) and roll into balls. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl and roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar.¼ cup granulated sugar
- Place the balls onto an unlined baking sheet. Using a fork, make a crosshatch pattern on top of the cookies, pressing the fork down gently on the cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. If you'd like, sprinkle the tops with a little salt when they come out of the oven. Let them cool for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.Optional: flaky sea salt
Notes
Nutrition
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