Kids and Adults Will Love These Classic Peanut Butter Cookies (2024)

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If there is a Hall of Fame for cookies, peanut butter cookies hold a place of honor, along with chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. They also happen to be my mother's favorite cookie, the one cookie she requests when I'm in a cookie making mood.

The cross-hatch pattern on top is the defining touch for a peanut butter cookie. One look and you know what the cookie is, right?

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Who Invented the Peanut Butter Cookie?

The peanut butter cookie recipe that most resembles modern peanut butter cookies, and introduced the now familiar cross-hatch pattern, first appeared in Ruth Wakefield's Toll House Tried and True Recipes in 1936. Over the years, similar recipes followed, including Betty Crocker's peanut butter cookie recipe.

Our recipe most closely follows Betty Crocker's proportions, but as in Ruth Wakefield's, we are using all butter instead of a combination of butter and shortening.

These peanut butter cookies are super easy to make, with no fancy ingredients. What's in peanut butter cookies? Just peanut butter, flour, butter, sugar, egg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

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Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Cookies

There are a few tips that will help you make the best cookies.

  • Use a name brand peanut butter like Skippy, Jif, or Peter Pan. I usually buy a natural version of peanut butter for my PB&Js, but the natural brands (the ones that separate) yield a cookie with a grittier texture, and spread too much. That said, if you have a natural brand of peanut butter that works for you, use it! I just find I get better results with the name brands.
  • Chill the dough. Chilling the dough for a few hours will help the peanut butter cookies maintain their shape, and not overly spread when cooked.
  • Dip the fork in sugar. To help keep the fork from sticking when you make a cross-hatch pattern on the cookies, dip the tines in a little granulated sugar between cookies.
  • Use a lower oven temp for chewier cookies. If you want chewy cookies, bake a little longer at a lower temperature.
5 Tips for Baking Perfect Cookies Every TimeREAD MORE:

Fun Peanut Butter Cookie Variations

  • Roll in sugar. Roll the cookie dough balls in sugar before pressing with a fork.
  • Add a Hershey's kiss. Skip the fork marks (don't press, but leave as a ball). Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar and bake as instructed. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press in a chocolate Hershey's kiss (out of the wrapper of course). Here's the full recipe.
  • Use almond butter. Swap out the peanut butter with almond butter for an easy almond butter cookie.

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How to Store and Freeze Peanut Butter Cookies

Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about 5 days before drying out.

To Store or Freeze the Cookie Dough: Refrigerate cookie dough with plastic wrap pressed against the dough for up to 3 days. To freeze cookie dough, line a sheet pan with foil and then add the balls of cookie dough. Press with a fork to make cross-hatch marks, and then freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed, adding on a few extra minutes of baking time.

More Ideas for Peanut Butter Treats

  • Peanut Butter Buckeyes
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
  • No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

The Hands-Down Best Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Chilling Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 35 mins

Servings24 servings

Yield24 cookies

You can use either smooth or crunchy conventional peanut butter for this recipe. Smooth peanut butter will give you a smoother consistency. Crunchy will give you some bits of peanuts throughout the cookie.

The oils in natural peanut butter tend to separate, causing cookies to spread and take on a gritty texture. You can use it, but conventional peanut butter is preferred for the best cookie texture.

You can chill the dough for less time than the 3 hours the recipe calls for, but it does help the cookies to keep their shape if the dough is completely chilled, which it should be by the 3 hour mark.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (112g) butter, unsalted or salted, room temperature

  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup (110g) packed brown sugar, light or dark

  • 1/2 cup (130g) peanut butter

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)

Method

  1. Make the cookie dough:

    Beat the butter until creamy, 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and white sugar, beat for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and the egg.

    In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk together the dry ingredients—the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture.

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  2. Chill the dough:

    Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

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  3. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

  4. Shape the cookies:

    Shape the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place the balls of dough about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (unlined sheets are fine, though you can use parchment paper to line them, if you like). Flatten in a crisscross pattern with a fork. (It helps to dip the fork in sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough.)

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  5. Bake the cookies:

    Bake one sheet at time on the center rack at 375°F (190°C) until light brown, about 9 to 11 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool in their baking sheets for a minute. After 1 minute, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

    Did you love the recipe? Leave a comment and give us some stars below!

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  • Easy Desserts
  • Comfort Food
  • Easy For Kids
  • Kid-Friendly
  • Fall
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
126Calories
7g Fat
15g Carbs
2g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g9%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 18mg6%
Sodium 104mg5%
Total Carbohydrate 15g5%
Dietary Fiber 0g2%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 16mg1%
Iron 1mg3%
Potassium 49mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Kids and Adults Will Love These Classic Peanut Butter Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What are the peanut butter cookies from Girl Scouts called? ›

That's why some of our cookies look the same but have two different names. Whether the package says Peanut Butter Patties® or Tagalongs®, or Samoas® or Caramel deLites®, the cookies are similarly delicious.

What are America's most loved cookies? ›

The chocolate chip cookie is far and away America's favorite cookie This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys the tasty treat. More than 53% of American adults prefer the cookies over the next most popular kind, peanut butter.

Why do people put lines on peanut butter cookies? ›

So it looks like that there are utilitarian reasons for the cross-hatching—to allow for even cooking—but it might have been passed along for nearly a hundred years for primarily aesthetic reasons, where the cross-hatching is more to identify the cookies as peanut butter ones, rather than to cook them well.

How to make store bought peanut butter cookies better? ›

How To Make Boxed Cookies Better
  1. Use butter instead of margarine or oil.
  2. Add powdered milk. Sprinkling about 2 to 3 tablespoons of powdered milk per cup of cookie mix may seem kind of unconventional, but it is the best hack! ...
  3. Add brown sugar. ...
  4. Add vanilla extract. ...
  5. Brown the butter. ...
  6. Include an extra egg yolk.
Jan 3, 2024

What is the most popular Girl Scout cookie? ›

The best-selling Girl Scout Cookies are: Thin Mints® Caramel deLites®/Samoas®

What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

Certain cookies — Sugar Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies — need to be flattened a bit before they bake, lest they end up emerging from the oven looking like ping-pong balls rather than typical flat, round cookies.

Why are my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies falling apart? ›

Why are my peanut butter cookies falling apart? The main reason for dry, crumbly cookies is overbaking. Every oven is slightly different so check the cookies a few minutes before the recommended baking time is up.

Do peanut butter cookies harden as they cool? ›

When they are done baking, they look like they need another minute.. but they don't! The cookies are softer and more fragile when they are still warm but firm up as they cool. So try out these fabulous peanut butter cookies and see what you think, or see what your mouth thinks! Makes approximately 3 -3.5 dozen cookies.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookies before baking? ›

Refrigerating the dough will give it more structure so the cookies spread less and hold their fork marks through baking. Cooling the dough also ensures that all of the ingredients are the same temperature: they'll bake more evenly and the flavors will meld beautifully. Heat oven to 375°F.

What is the shelf life of homemade peanut butter cookies? ›

Information. Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months.

Why are my peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly? ›

If you're wanting to use natural (no sugar added) peanut butter, the cookies will be less sweet and they will likely spread out more. Using natural peanut butter will change the structure and texture of the cookies. Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour.

What are the peanut shaped cookies called? ›

Nutter Butter
Nutter Butter biscuits
OwnerMondelez International
CountryU.S.
Introduced1969
MarketsUnited States and Canada
4 more rows

Are Peanut Butter Patties the same as Tagalongs? ›

The regional difference comes from the fact that all Girl Scout Cookies are made at two different bakeries. In some parts of the U.S., you may receive Tagalongs, while in others, you'll get Peanut Butter Patties. They have slightly different ingredients, but they're essentially the same delicious cookie.

Do-si-dos cookies vs peanut butter cookies? ›

Little Brownie Bakers produces Do-si-dos, featuring a buttery oatmeal cookie and a more robust peanut butter filling. Peanut Butter Sandwiches from ABC Bakers tend to be more subtle on the peanut butter flavor, with a crisper cookie.

What did Do-Si-Dos used to be called? ›

In the 1950s, three more cookie recipes were added: "Shortbreads"/"Scot-Teas", "Savannahs" (today called "Peanut Butter Sandwich" in the west of the US or “Do-si-dos” in the east of the US), and "Thin Mints". Six types of cookies were being sold nationwide by 1956.

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