Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies + Video
These Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are slightly crisp on the outside, tender and soft on the inside, plus you just scoop and bake them! No rolling in sugar and pressing with a fork required!
I have been working hard to bring you the best classic cookie recipes, or at least what I consider the best. It started off on Wednesday with my Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, and now we are moving on to these Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies. If you like a crisp, crunchy, “forked” peanut butter cookie, then you might want to go somewhere else. If you like a peanut butter cookie that is soft on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside, without having to roll the dough in sugar or fork the tops, then you’ve come to the right place!
Baking Tips
As with all cookies, it’s best to:
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- – Use quality ingredients – a good butter can make a huge difference!
- – Use a cookie scoop (warm hands make cookies spread).
- – Start with a little less flour, bake a test cookie, then add more flour if needed. (We don’t want flat cookies, or dry cookies.)
- – Consider your environment: altitude, weather, if your oven is calibrated correctly, etc. and make adjustments as necessary.
*Read my Soft Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies post for in-depth tips and techniques for baking great cookies!
The best part about these cookies is that they are what I call, “scoop and bake cookies.” I LOVE SCOOP AND BAKE COOKIES! Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all kinds of cookies: cut-out cookies, sugar coated cookies, etc., but sometimes, a cookie is just as good, scooped and baked plain. Plus, it’s less work! These peanut butter cookies are just that kind of cookie. Scoop, bake, enjoy!
I also love the little wrinkles the cookie scoop leaves behind on the top. It’s almost like a crackle cookie. 😀 Y’all are going to love these Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies!!! Grab your glass of milk and enjoy!
Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- ½ cup (132 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture all at once and mix until just incorporated.
- Scoop dough onto silicone lined baking sheets. Bake at 350˚F for 10 to 12 minutes or until just set. Allow cookies to cool slightly on the tray before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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These are some of the easiest cookies I’ve ever made, and their taste certainly didn’t suffer because of it! Prep time was 20 minutes, bake time clocked in at 25 and my family adores them! They turned out just like the Pinterest pictures (which isn’t usually the case) and I would make these again for sure! Thank you for such a great, simple recipe!
That’s the best news! I’m so glad it was a success for you! Thanks for your comment Olivia!
I needed a chewy peanut butter cookie recipe for my dad’s birthday and these were so so good and so easy to make (and came out great in an electric oven I had never used before!) ! I could memorize this one. Thanks for making such a delicious cookie!
That’s great! So glad you enjoyed them so much!
I Love Love Love this recipe. I’m the type of person that reads reviews so i know what I’m dealing with and these didn’t disappoint. I tried making a different recipe one time and they came out with a sandy texture however these were perfect. A little crisp but chewy. I also added 2tbs of crunch peanut butter and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips but they still would have been perfect without them… PS: I hate that fork and sugar method
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe with your minor alterations. I’ve definitely added chocolate chips every now and then too. 🙂
Omg best peanut butter cookies ever. They almost taste like subway peanut butter cookies thanks so much for sharing.
I’m so glad you like them Zena! Thanks for your comment!
Hi,
Really want to try this. Just wondering if you think this would work for a layer in a giant cookie layer cake?
I bet it would. Press the cookie dough flat and bake for about 12-15 minutes.
Amazing thank you, can’t wait!! 😊
Hi,
I have made these cookies numerous times and love them!
I have a family member that wants peanut butter cookies for a diabetic, donyou think these would work with Splenda? Do you think I would need to adjust anything?
This is my favorite recipe and wanted to use it
Thanks in advance Chantell
I haven’t tried it myself, but it’s supposed to work okay. Here is some info from the Splenda website: “One cup of Splenda granulated sweetener or 24 individual Splenda packets is equal to 1 cup of sugar. When using Splenda sugar or brown sugar blends, 1/2 cup is equal to 1 cup of sugar.”
Thank you so much
Yeah I seen that on their website
I will give it a try 🙂
Obsessed with these cookies!! Im super picky when it comes to peanut butter cookies and these are hands down the BEST! Love the slightly crisp outside and the soft chewey inside…YUM!!! This will be my forever recipe! Thanks 🙂
I’m the same way. I love a crisp outside and soft, chewy inside! So glad you like my recipe! Thanks for your comment Rebecca!
These cookies are a hit with my family 🙂 it’s my go to recipe!!
I’m so glad! Thanks for your comment Liz!
I’ve made this recipe three times now and just can’t seem to get the cookie in the picture. I’ve read all the comments and replies. My cookies will not flatten. I’ve stirred the flour to “put air in it”, used a little less flour and I’ve tried using half the baking soda. I even tried with melted butter. I end up smashing them down halfway through baking, but that chewy texture (from the picture) is not achieved. I don’t have a Kitchenaid, only a hand mixer. The dough is always too dry. Should I try again mixing it by hand? What else should I be doing? Help! I’m desperate to achieve this cookie. Thanks for sharing and in advance for all your help!
Hi Monica,
The dough shouldn’t be dry at all. You can try doing 1 cup of flour instead of 1 1/2. You must use butter, not margarine or shortening, but it sounds like you are using real butter. What brand of peanut butter are you using? I use Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. If you use an all natural peanut butter, it may not work. Maybe try smaller balls of cookie dough as well. The hand mixer should be just fine, I don’t think that’s the problem. I’m so sorry you’re having problems! I hope one of these suggestions helps!
I’ve been searching for the perfect peanut butter cookie recipe for YEARS, and now I’ve found it! The texture, flavour and size are ideal (for me and my family’s preference, anyway). Thank you for sharing and for ending my search.
That’s great news Ash! Thanks for your comment! I’m so glad the search is over!