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classic peanut butter cookies stack on top of each other
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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

You can never go wrong with classic peanut butter cookies. They're full of peanut butter flavor, and you can make them as crispy or chewy as you like!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe, How Do I Make Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, How To Make Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 12 cookies
Calories 292kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment or Silpat mats.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter (1/2 cup), granulated sugar (1/2 cup), and brown sugar (1/2 cup) using a hand-held electric mixer, until well mixed.
  • Add egg (1) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and continue to beat until well mixed.
  • Add peanut butter (1 cup) and mix until well mixed.
  • Stir in flour (1 cup), salt (1/4 teaspoon), and baking soda (1/2 teaspoon) until well combined.
  • Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls then roll in extra sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets; flatten balls in a criss-cross pattern with fork dipped in sugar. 
  • Bake 12 minutes for chewy cookies or 15 minutes for crispy cookies or until edges are lightly brown and the cookies look dry on the top. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Notes

  1. Order of mixing - The order of ingredients is more important than you may think! Overmixing baking soda will lessen its leavening properties. For this reason, it is typically added near the end of the blending process.
  2. Avoid overmixing- Stop mixing the dry ingredients as soon as the last streaks of flour disappear. Overworking the dough develops gluten and makes your cookies tough. You can mix the flour in by hand to be extra careful.
  3. Peanut butter selection - While this recipe calls for smooth peanut butter, feel free to experiment with your household favorite! Some prefer a crunchy blend for an extra nutty result, and others swear by all-natural varieties with minimal additives.
  4. Rolling in extra sugar -“Rolling in sugar” just means giving the cookie dough balls a dip in a small bowl of extra sugar and rolling them once or twice around to coat. This will give your homemade peanut butter cookies the characteristic sweet, slightly crunchy exterior.
  5. Fork dipped in sugar - You may have trouble getting the sugar to stick to the fork if it is dry. Dampen the fork before coating, and the sugar should transfer to the dough when you make the crisscross pattern. The crosshatch ensures that the center of the cookie, in fact, bakes, and also generates more surface area for browning.
  6. Baking time – To keep them soft and chewy, they must be slightly underbaked when you pull them out of the oven. Their edges are of course set, but they don’t really brown. The center should be slightly raw. These cookies, even more than most, harden as they cool.
  7. Check the temperature – Remember every oven bakes at different temperatures. Even if you have a thermometer in your oven, please don’t rely on exact baking time, visually check the cookies to determine when they are done!
  8. Crunchy peanut butter cookies – If you or your family prefers cookies with a bit more crunch, simply leave them in the oven until the edges are a little darker brown and the center is not over soft. Remember that they will harden further during the cooling process, so don’t overbake!
  9. Substitutes – If you don’t want to use eggs, substitute 1/4 cup of applesauce. A pinch of baking powder will give the applesauce the additional properties it needs to stand in for the egg. To make without butter, substitute coconut oil, olive oil, or dairy-free yogurt.

Nutrition

Serving: 12cookies | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg