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, room temperature
- 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 (188 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt, (do NOT add this if you use salted butter)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- 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 incorporated.
- Use a #30 cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp of cookie dough) to scoop the dough into balls. If you want smooth (instead of crinkle) tops, roll each dough ball slightly with your hands first, then place it onto the prepared baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart (no more than 9 per tray). Otherwise, just scoop and release the dough balls directly onto the prepared pans.
- 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 or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 4-7 days.
Video
Notes
- TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH: Scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You will need to bake the cookies roughly 3-5 minutes longer, if baking from frozen.
- TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES: Freeze baked cookies in single layers divided by parchment paper, wrapped well or in a freezer bag, for up to 3-4 weeks. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
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These are delicious cookies, they’re the perfect texture. My only complaint is that I followed the instructions and didn’t add any salt because I used salted butter. They were too sweet and really needed the extra salt for balance. I always bake with salted butter, and always use the regular amount of salt, so I should have trusted my gut. Otherwise they’re perfect cookies.
Everyone’s salt tolerance is different, so it makes sense that if you usually use salted butter that you would prefer a saltier cookie. Glad you still liked them!