Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
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These chewy peanut butter cookies are perfectly soft in the middles with slightly crisp edges. This quick and easy recipe takes 20 minutes, there’s no chill time, and you only need 9 simple ingredients!
I absolutely LOVE peanut butter. I probably eat it every day in some form or another and whenever I make chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies they are gone within 24 hours.
But here’s the thing: most traditional peanut butter cookies that I’ve tried are dry and crumbly, and I’m more of a gooey soft cookie kind of person.
These dairy free peanut butter cookies provide all the nostalgia of the traditional recipes, but with the soft chewy texture of a chocolate chip cookie.
Why These Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies Work
- These dairy free peanut butter cookies are baked at a low temperature to allow them time to spread out instead of being puffy.
- Peanut butter has a tendency to make cookies dry and chalky. This recipe uses just the right ratio of butter to peanut butter and a low amount of flour to create a soft middle.
- This recipe only requires just 9 basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
STEP TWO: Use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer to beat the butter and peanut butter together until nice and smooth.
STEP THREE: Beat in both sugars until light and fluffy, then add in the egg and vanilla and mix again.
STEP FOUR: Slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
STEP FIVE: Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form 1.5 tbsp-sized balls of dough and place them on the baking sheets.
STEP SIX: Bake one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes. The edges will look set but the middles will look quite soft. Leave the cookies on a baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Expert Tips
- Properly weighing your flour is CRUCIAL for soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. Even half of a tablespoon under or over the amount stated in the recipe will completely change the texture of the cookies. I texted this recipe 6 times – trust me!!! Either measure your flour using a food scale or use the proper scoop and level method.
- When mixing the dry ingredients with the wet, stop mixing right away when those last specks of flour have disappeared. Over-mixing the dough will lead to tough cookies.
- When the cookies are done, the edges will look set, but not golden brown. The middles will look really soft – don’t worry, the cookies will set on the baking sheets for 10 minutes once you take them out of the oven. Taking the cookies out at this stage is the key to soft cookies!
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, they might look a bit puffy so give the baking sheet a gentle but firm tap on the edge of the counter to flatten them a little bit.
Storage Instructions
These cookies should be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze the baked cookies in a freezer bag for later.
To thaw them, just remove from the freezer and leave them at room temperature until they’re ready to eat!
More Peanut Butter Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (105) butter (vegan or regular, softened)
- ½ cup (130 g) creamy/smooth peanut butter (SEE NOTES)
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (150 g) all-purpose flour (SEE NOTES)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. NOTE: The video says 325℉ – this is incorrect.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat peanut butter and butter together until smooth.
- Add in the granulated and brown sugars and beat until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix until just combined. It is important not to over-mix the dough!
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form 1.5 tbsp-sized balls of dough and bake one tray at a time for 8-13 minutes. The middles will look soft and the edges should look set, but not golden brown (if the edges are brown the cookies are already over-done!).
- When removing the cookies from the oven, gently but firmly bang the pan on the edge of the counter a couple times if they look too puffy. Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Equipment
Video
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
The cookies turned out amazing!
I used pistachio paste then about an extra tablespoon of each sugar added to account for the paste having none instead but there are not many recipes out there that use pistachio paste over whole and this one seemed most suitable to repurpose, it turned out great even with the substitution. I added white chocolate chips and a little ground cardamom too.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for your review!
Sounds very Dubai chocolate trend inspired!
These are really great cookies: the edges are almost like a shortbread, which melts in the mouth, the middle is lovely and soft- making a perfectly balanced cookies. I followed the recipe to a tee except I substituted the egg for 1/4 cup of homemade applesauce, which gave it a subtle flavour of cinnamon, a perfect balance of flavours. Thank you!
These are the best things I’ve ever put into my mouth OMG
We love this recipe. I’m making my second batch now. They don’t last long around here. Next I’m making some to freeze for winter snack attacks :). Thank you for the recipe. In my oven it takes 12 minutes to turn out perfect.
It’s my new favorite! Light texture and soft cookie. Not like the typical crunchy PB cookies. I added chocolate chips. My guests and family all give this a 5 STARS!
So delighted to hear this! Thank you for reviewing!
love this recipe! its easy and very tasty, my family is in love with these!
The cookies taste great and are really chewy just like I like them. I am just not 100% sure if they are baked through. I formed six cookie balls from the dough and left them in the oven for about 12 minutes. The edges are only the slightest bit browned in some parts.
How much, in grams, is recommended for each cookie dough ball? Thank you.
I’m not sure the weight of these as I usually use a cookie scoop. 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie is what I do.
I weighed everything out precisely, The texture of these cookies are amazing. I do taste the baking soda though. My daughter and I made two single batches just to make sure we weren’t off, they both turned out exactly the same. Nice easy recipe.
I’m so glad to hear the texture turned out great and that you and your daughter had fun baking together! It’s possible your baking soda is a bit old or wasn’t fully incorporated– you could try sifting the dry ingredients together before mixing and that might help!
I tried this and it is really easy to do. It worked perfectly well. I loved it
I have tried numerous 4 and 5 star recipes for peanut butter cookies. This is the perfect PBC if you have the patience to measure out your ingredients and let them stand for 10 minutes on the sheet after removing from the oven. This cookie recipe takes the cake.
This is so kind! Thank you so much for your review!
Can you make these cheesecake stuffed by just following your other recipes for the cheesecake filling, etc?! They would be so good!
I haven’t tried it myself but I imagine you could! I would recommend chilling the stuffed dough before baking though.
You say to weigh the flour, but don’t give the weight.
You can find metric measurements to weigh the flour on the recipe card, just click the metric tab next to the Ingredients heading and it’ll switch to grams from US customary!
I made this with the extra roasted peanut butter and they are the best PB cookies, ever!
Love this idea! Thank you for your review!
Amazing recipe! Some of the best peanut butter cookies ever! Made some for friends and they’ve requested more.❤️
Adjustments I made:
* Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour
* Miyoko’s Dairy-Free Unsalted Butter
*Swapped brown sugar and granulated sugar quantities
So yummy!
This is the first time I tried a soft peanut butter cookie recipe. My husband loved them. He was so impressed that they didn’t crumble.
Thank you so much for posting your recipe Gabby!
Happy to hear your husband loved them! Thank you for your review 🩵
your welcome! I’m making the recipe again & remembered I had commented last time so decided to look for it.
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour?
Yes, but it will change the texture slightly.
Such a great recipe. A lot of Pb cookies are a little too dry and these were chewy and mouthwatering. I love to add some pb chips and finely chopped honey roasted peanuts to the mix. I call them peanut butter supreme cookies. I find the batter is better with creamy peanut butter but if you crave that little crunch the honey roasted peanuts and pb chips are great rolled on the top before baking for presentation.
So good, I want to make this recipe all of the time! 😍😍😍 (Caden, 7yo)
Thanks Caden!