The Best Peanut Butter Cookie (USA)

There's something wonderful about homemade peanut butter cookies. With their distinctive criss-cross pattern and perfect balance of sweet and salty, these classic biscuits have been delighting families for generations. This recipe produces beautifully tender cookies with crisp edges and slightly chewy centres—exactly how a proper peanut butter cookie should be.

Peanut butter

Brown sugar

White sugar

Butter

All-purpose flour

Egg

Baking powder

Baking soda

Salt

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. Step 1: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer.
2. Step 2: Add the peanut butter to your butter-sugar mixture and blend until smooth. Crack in your egg and mix again until fully mixed.
3. Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to your wet mixture, stirring just until combined. The dough should be thick but still soft.
4. Step 4: Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them between your palms to form balls. Place them on your prepared baking tray, leaving about 5 cm between each. Using a fork, press down gently on each ball to create the classic criss-cross pattern.
5. Step 5: Bake in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden but the centres still look soft. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hint: For the best texture, be careful not to overmix the dough once you've added the flour. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tougher biscuits.

Substitutions

• Peanut butter: For those with peanut allergies, almond butter or cashew butter work brilliantly as alternatives. The texture will be slightly different, but still delicious.
• Flour - Use a good quality gluten-free flour blend to make these suitable for those with gluten sensitivities. You may need to add ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum if it's not included in your blend.
• Egg - For a vegan version, substitute the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, left to gel for 15 minutes).

Variations

• Chocolate lovers: Fold in 100g of dark or milk chocolate chips to the dough for an extra indulgent treat.
• Festive: Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg for a warming, seasonal twist perfect for Christmas.
• Extra crunch: Fold in 50g of chopped roasted peanuts to add texture contrast and intensify the nutty flavour.

Equipment

A stand mixer or electric hand mixer will make preparing the dough much easier, but you can certainly make these by hand with a wooden spoon.

I prefer to use a light-coloured metal baking tray for these cookies. Dark metal trays conduct heat more and can cause the bottoms to brown too quickly before the centres are properly set.

Storage

These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you want to keep them even longer, they can be refrigerated for up to a week.

The unbaked dough freezes too. Roll into balls, place on a baking tray, and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They'll keep for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, you can place the frozen dough balls directly on a baking tray, press with a fork, and bake as usual, adding an extra 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

Top Tip

For the most authentic peanut butter flavour, use traditional peanut butter rather than the natural "stir" varieties. The stabilisers in traditional peanut butter help maintain the cookie's structure during baking. If you do prefer to use natural peanut butter, make sure it's well-stirred and consider chilling your dough for 30 minutes before baking.

Pairing

These biscuits are lovely with:

• A cold glass of milk for dipping
• A cup of black tea or coffee for contrast
• Vanilla ice cream (sandwich a scoop between two cookies for a special treat)
• A small glass of dessert wine like Sauternes for a grown-up indulgence

📖 Recipe

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Perfect for an afternoon snack, dessert, or even paired with a hot cup of coffee, they’re a quick and easy treat that everyone seems to love.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep TimePrep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time 12 minutes minutes

ServingsServings 12 cookies

Ingredients  

• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup White Sugar
• ½ cup Butter
• 1 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Large Egg
• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoon Salt

Instructions 

Prep the Ingredients

• Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This will ensure your cookies bake evenly and don’t stick.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer. Once combined, add in the peanut butter and continue mixing until smooth. Crack in one egg and mix again until fully incorporated.

Add the Dry Ingredients

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring just until combined. The dough should be thick but still soft.

Shape and Flatten

• Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough and roll them between your palms to form a ball. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Using a fork, gently press down on each ball to create the classic criss-cross pattern on top.

Bake to Perfection

• Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the edges are lightly golden, but the centre is still soft. Be careful not to overbake — peanut butter cookies will firm up as they cool.

Notes

• Crunchy vs. Creamy Peanut Butter: Both work, but crunchy peanut butter will give you extra texture with small pieces of peanuts in every bite.
• Adjusting Sweetness: If you prefer less sweetness, you can reduce the sugar by a couple of tablespoons without affecting the overall texture.
• How to Keep Them Chewy: For soft and chewy cookies, slightly underbake them and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
• Gluten-Free/Vegan Alternatives: Swap the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend and the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water).