There’s nothing better than biting into one of these Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies —thick, puffy, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. These cookies are made with creamy peanut butter and a simple pantry-friendly dough that comes together in minutes. Best of all, it's a no-chill recipe, so you can go from craving to cookie in under 20 minutes. Get ready to fall in love with a cookie.
Growing up, I only knew peanut butter cookies as dry and crunchy — often found in a cookie tin weeks past their prime. But that changed the moment I tried a soft, chewy version from the bakery. It was thick, tender, and full of peanut butter flavor. I knew I had to recreate it at home. This version is everything those tin-can cookies weren’t: buttery, tender, soft for days, and totally hard to resist.
Why You'll Love these Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Ultra soft and chewy texture. These cookies are thick and pillowy with the perfect balance of softness and chew. Each bite practically melts in your mouth with peanut buttery goodness.
- Quick and easy. No chilling required! Just mix, scoop, and bake. From start to finish, these cookies are ready in under 20 minutes (10 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to bake), making them perfect for last-minute cravings.
- Stays soft for days. Thanks to brown sugar and peanut butter, these cookies stay fresh and soft for several days — perfect for lunch boxes, gifting, or batch baking.
- One bowl recipe. Minimal cleanup and simple ingredients make this a go-to recipe you’ll return to again and again. It’s ideal for beginner bakers and busy days.
- Classic nostalgic flavor. With rich peanut butter, sweet vanilla, and buttery notes, these cookies deliver the classic flavor we all know and love—better than any store-bought version.
Ingredients in Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter cookies are made almost entirely with pantry staples, which means I always have everything on hand — no last-minute grocery trips needed! Here is what you will need (full quantities in recipe card below):
- creamy peanut butter – smooth, unsweetened peanut butter is best. Avoid natural peanut butter, which can cause the dough to be oily or separate. You can substitute for chunky peanut butter too but it will give a different texture.
- butter – unsalted and softened. If using salted butter, reduce added salt by ¼ teaspoon.
- granulated sugar – provides sweetness and contributes to the crisp edge.
- brown sugar – helps keep the cookies soft and adds depth with its molasses flavor.
- egg – binds the ingredients and gives structure to the cookie.
- vanilla extract – enhances the peanut butter flavor and adds warmth.
- all-purpose flour – the foundation of the dough. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- baking soda – gives the cookies a light rise and slightly chewy center.
- salt – balances the sweetness and enhances flavor. Reduce if using salted butter.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, large half sheet baking pan and a silicone mat.
How to Make the Best Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter and sugars using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), until soft and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix until fully combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add dry to wet. Add these dry ingredients to your large bowl slowly, continuously mixing using your mixer.
- Scoop the cookies. Scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of dough and roll into 1-inch balls and then flatten into a disc (this helps prevent it from cracking). If it cracks, smooth out the cracks with your hands.
- Shape cookies. Place on a half sheet baking pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Use a fork to press down on each disc of dough to create a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 350 F oven, or as soon as tops begin to slightly crack. To keep them soft and chewy, be careful to not overbake.
- Cool. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Recipe Variations
- Add chocolate chips. Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic duo. Stir in ½ cup of semisweet or milk chocolate chips (or chunks) for an extra indulgent treat. See our Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies.
- Add mix ins. Similarly, other types of mix ins work well too. Try peanut butter chips, nuts, crushed pretzels, or mini M&Ms.
- Make them smaller. Use a teaspoon-sized scoop to make bite-sized peanut butter cookies. Reduce bake time by 1-2 minutes.
- Create peanut butter thumbprints. Gently press a thumb into the center of each dough ball before baking, then fill with jam or melted chocolate after cooling. See our Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies for more instructions.
- Make it gluten-free. Substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. The texture will be nearly identical.
- Add a sugar coating. Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar before baking for a lightly crisp, sweet exterior.
How to Serve
The Best Peanut Butter Cookies are a delicious as is or with a sprinkle of sea salt and/or a drizzle of melted chocolate. They are great served with:
- A glass of cold milk
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream for cookie sandwiches
- Crumbled over yogurt or oatmeal
- Paired with coffee or tea as an afternoon snack
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use room temperature ingredients. This helps the dough mix evenly and gives a smoother texture for the cookies.
- Do not overmix. Once the dry ingredients are added, mix just until combined to avoid dense cookies.
- Use a cookie scoop. For even baking and uniform size, scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop.
- Don’t overbake. The cookies should look slightly underbaked when you remove them, as they’ll continue to set on the baking sheet.
- Cool on the pan. Let cookies rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Add a slice of bread to the container to help retain moisture. This keeps the cookies soft and really works!
How to Freeze
You can freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough. For baked cookies, cool completely and store in a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. For cookie dough, scoop onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and bake directly from frozen (adding 1-2 minutes to bake time).
FAQ
It’s not recommended. Natural peanut butter tends to separate and can result in oily or crumbly cookies. For best results, use commercial creamy peanut butter, which maintains consistency in the dough and yields more reliable results.
Yes! This recipe scales up easily. Just double all the ingredients and use two baking sheets. You may need to rotate pans halfway through baking to ensure even browning and consistent texture.
Nope! These cookies bake beautifully without any chill time, which makes them perfect for quick baking sessions. However, if your kitchen is particularly warm, a short chill can help control spreading.
You need to be careful not to overcook. Even cooking an extra 5 minutes will cause these cookies to get dry. If they look a little undercooked at the 8-10 minute mark, the residual heat from the pan will continue to bake them.
This can happen if the butter is too soft or melted. Try chilling the dough for 15 minutes or adding a tablespoon more flour to firm it up. Also check your oven temperature to ensure it isn’t running hot.
More Cookie Recipes with Peanut Butter
- 50 Best Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Buckeyes
- Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies
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Recipe
The Best Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
There’s nothing better than biting into one of these Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies —thick, puffy, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. These cookies are made with creamy peanut butter and a simple pantry-friendly dough that comes together in minutes. Best of all, it's a no-chill recipe, so you can go from craving to cookie in under 20 minutes. Get ready to fall in love with a cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter and sugars using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), until soft and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add these dry ingredients to your large bowl slowly, continuously mixing using your mixer.
- Scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of dough and roll into 1-inch balls, and then flatten into a disc (this helps prevent it from cracking). If it cracks, smooth out the cracks with you hands. Place the cookies on a half sheet baking pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Use a fork to press down on each ball of dough to create a criss-cross pattern and slightly flatten it more.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or as soon as tops begin to slightly crack. To keep them soft and chewy, be careful to not overbake. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
How to store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Add a slice of bread to the container to help retain moisture. This keeps the cookies soft and really works!
How to freeze: You can freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough. For baked cookies, cool completely and store in a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. For cookie dough, scoop onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and bake directly from frozen (adding 1-2 minutes to bake time).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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Kar Giver says
Absolutely PERFECT. Wouldn't change a thing and am here to make these AGAIN (first repeat of many!).
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks, Kar! So glad you loved the recipe (again!) 😀
Julia Hess says
Let me just say, it did not take 18 minutes, more like 35 mins although i'm not an experienced baker at all . but the cookies were amazing! I loved how simple it was to make! thank you for the great recipe
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
So glad you liked the recipe! Good to know about the time, I may need to update the estimated prep time to include all types of bakers 🙂
Kar Giver says
I cannot find how to add a top level comment so please forgive me for replying in this thread, but I've made this MARVELOUS cookies 3 times (and plan to only use this for peanut butter cookies), but about updating the recipe, I have a light hand measuring flour (I fluff it first), and all three times I've used only about 1 cup of flour. More than that causes it to be crumbly; I can't roll it into a ball and press it.
That being said, these are the absolute best peanut butter cookies I've ever had! And so easy to make! Thank you!!!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks for the feedback 🙂 So glad you like the recipe!
Kar Giver says
Recipes usually take me twice as long as they say they will take from cookies to coq au vin.
Diane G says
It doesn't say to bake the cookies 18 minutes, it says 8-10 and 35 minutes is far too long to bake a cookie....
Mike T. says
I used the recipe as a foundation/start of a random idea and substituted the peanut butter for cookie butter/spectuloss.
Thank you for the recipe - it helped me figure out where to begin. I got a lot of positive feedback on the texture of the cookie and it was due to your recipe!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
That's awesome! So glad I could help 🙂
Chris says
Has anyone tried adding honey to this recipe? Thanks!
Jena says
Every single time I make these I get compliments on how soft and delicious they are. I follow the recipe exactly but roll the dough in sugar simply because that was the way my family always did it. Let me tell you though, these are not the kind of dry, crumbly peanut butter cookies most of us have become accustomed to. The amount of peanut butter makes all the difference, and you will never feel tempted to try another recipe again!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
That's amazing to hear! So glad you love our recipe! 😀
Glo says
Which is better dark brown it light brown sugar? Thanks.
Chelsie says
I'm so HAPPY with this recipe, tonight is my 3rd time using it!!! Peanut butter cookies are my favorite.
A lot of recipes call for 1\2 cup of 3\4 cup of peanut butter; I love extra peanut butter and your recipe calls for 1 cup! Love it and thankyou ! 🙂