In this recipe, I will show you how to make amazing peanut butter cookies.
This recipe is easy to make and the cookies wind up being soft and chewy and oh so delicious. If I can make them, you can make them, let’s get baking!
For more delicious cookie recipes click here.
Step 1: Gather tools and ingredients
To make peanut butter cookies you will need the following ingredients and tools:
- Peanut butter – of course, you need peanut butter it is the star of this dish. I always just buy the cheap store brand kind but you can use natural peanut butter too if you like.
- Unsalted butter – leave the butter out on the counter a couple of hours before needing it so it is soft. Or put it in the microwave on defrost mode for 30 seconds to soften it up.
- Brown sugar – I normally use light brown sugar but you can use dark as well.
- White granulated sugar
- Egg – this will add a richness to the cookie dough as well as provide a bit of leavening.
- Milk – you can use whatever kind of milk that you like.
- Vanilla extract – this will provide lots of flavor to the cookies.
- All-purpose flour – in other countries it is sometimes referred to as “plain” flour. They are the same thing.
- Baking powder – the main source of leavening.
- Salt – use fine table salt and not a course salt. It will act as a flavor enhancer and help the cookie keep its shape.
Tools
- Artisan Mat (Silicone Baking Mat) – these are extremely helpful. I use mine all the time. If you aren’t familiar with them I have a review video that you can find here.
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Whisk
- Fork
- Spoon
- Bowls
Step 2: How to make peanut butter cookies
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. (190 C.) Now take the softened butter and add it to a bowl with the peanut butter, then add the white and brown sugar.
Next, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream those ingredients together, scraping the sides of the bowl after with a spatula.
Step 3: Add milk, egg and vanilla extract
Next add the milk, egg, and vanilla extract, one at a time, mixing in between and scraping the sides as needed. Make sure everything is properly and well mixed together.
You can probably get away with adding all three at once, but it doesn’t take much time to do them separately.
Step 4: Mix remaining dry ingredients together
Now mix the baking powder and salt with the all-purpose flour. Use a whisk or a fork. You can also use a sifter if you like. Then add that mixture, about a third of it at a time to the dough, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Keep doing this until all of the flour is nice and mixed in. Then clean off the beaters. When I was a kid, my favorite part of cookie making was licking the beaters clean, somehow my mom always managed to leave only a little bit left on the beaters for me, much to my chagrin and often complaints.
Step 5: Form peanut butter cookie dough into balls
Next, use a spoon or mini ice cream scoop and scoop out some dough and then roll it in your hands until it makes a ball.
Place it on your cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, then use a fork and push down the cookie.
Optionally you can also roll the ball of dough in sugar, before forming it on the cookie sheet.
Step 6: Bake those peanut butter cookies!
Now bake those peanut butter cookies at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Bigger cookies will need around 12 minutes in the oven.
Once they are done, let them cool on your cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. There you go, that was pretty easy, right? Now go out there and bake your own! 🙂
If you are a cookie lover you have got to try these homemade chocolate chip cookies, they are amazing!
Peanut Butter Cookies Video Tutorial
Now watch those steps in action by checking out the video tutorial.
Soft Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- Artisan Mat (Silicone Baking Mat)
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Whisk
- Fork
- spoon
- Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup of peanut butter (250g)
- 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter (115g)
- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed (100g)
- 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar (105g)
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp. of milk (45ml)
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract (5ml)
- 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (160g)
- 1 tsp. of baking powder (5g)
- 1/4 tsp. of salt (1g)
Instructions
- First preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. (190 C.) Now take the softened butter and add it to a bowl with the peanut butter, then add the white and brown sugar. Now using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream those ingredients together, scraping the sides of the bowl after with a spatula.
- Next add the milk, egg, and vanilla extract, one at a time, mixing in between and scraping the sides as needed. We want to make sure everything is properly and well mixed together. You can probably get away with adding all three at once, but it doesn't take much time to do them separately.
- Now we mix the baking powder and salt with the all-purpose flour. Use a whisk or a fork. You can also use a sifter if you like.
- Then mix in the flour, about a third of it at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Keep doing this until all of the flour is nice and mixed in. Then clean off the beaters. When I was a kid, my favorite part of cookie making was licking the beaters clean, some how my mom always managed to leave only a little bit left on the beaters for me.
- Next use a spoon and scoop out some dough and then roll it in your hands until it makes a ball. Place it on your cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, then use a fork and push down the cookie. Optionally you can also roll the ball of dough in sugar, before forming it on the cookie sheet.
- Now bake those cookies at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Bigger cookies will need around 12 minutes in the oven. Once they are done, let them cool on your cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. There you go, that was pretty easy right? Now go out there and bake your own! 🙂
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Do you like the recipe? Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. 🙂 If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.
Here are a few other recipes and posts you may like:
Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
Followed the recipe exactly but my dough was still super wet. Added more flour and put it in the fridge to hopefully firm up. The flavour was great but the consistency was not. If I make again, I think I’ll omit the milk. Fingers crossed they turn out after baking!
Hi Meghan, from my experience when people say they followed a recipe exactly, they actually didn’t. They think they did, but made a minor mistake here or there. I have made this recipe many many times, and it always turns out. Double-check to make sure you measured everything correctly. Are you using metric or American Standard Cups? With those ingredients if measured correctly, the dough won’t be wet at all, it will look exactly like the pictures and how it is in the video. Also, review the other comments of what other people’s experiences were.
These cookies are astounding! Absolutely soft (but not too soft!) and delicious! I could barely keep myself from gorging on them when I had my first one. This is gonna be my go-to recipe for peanut butter cookies from now on – super easy, scrumptious, and worth it. 🙂
And once again I have to give you props for including a nutrition label. It’s a life-changer for me. Thank you!
So glad you made them, Rachel!! 🙂 🙂 And you are very welcome. 🙂