Calling all peanut butter lovers, this is not a drill - these cookies are like a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar!
What if you took a classic peanut butter cookie recipe, but replaced the butter with over a pound of peanut butter, the vanilla extract with peanut extract, (part of) the flour with peanut butter powder, and added PB chips and roasted peanuts?
The result - the ultimate peanut butter cookie, for the peanut butter lover in all of us. Even better? The best peanut butter cookie recipe of 2024 is also the easiest to make!
The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie
Makes: 24 cookies (~2.5" diameter each)
Total Time: 37 Min [Active (10m) + Baking (12m) + Cooling (15m)]
Cook: Oven @ 350° F
Effort: Quick & Easy
Ingredients
Wet
465 g chunky peanut butter (can sub creamy, but no natural PB*)
55 g peanut butter powder (optional)
½ tsp peanut butter extract* (can sub 1 tsp vanilla extract)
30 mL milk (any type)
1 large egg (any temperature)
105 g light brown sugar
105 g granulated white sugar
½ tsp Himalayan pink salt (can sub ½ tsp regular iodized salt)
Dry
180 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
Mix-Ins (Optional, but Recommended)
1 bag (283 g/10 oz) Reese's peanut butter chips
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, whole or roughly chopped
Alternate ideas: chopped dark or white chocolate bars, walnuts, sliced almonds, dried fruits, cheddar cheese chunks (really)
Sugar-Salt Blend (for Cookie Tops)
1 Tbsp granulated white sugar
½ Tbsp Himalayan pink salt (for the color - can sub ½ tsp regular iodized salt)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Weigh all of the wet ingredients together in a large deep bowl. Using a large wooden spoon, cream all wet ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
Before you put your sugar and salt away, prepare your sugar-salt blend (recipe above) by adding both to a small plate and mixing to combine. Set aside. Note - you can skip this step and just use plain sugar if you prefer, but I like the complexity the salt adds.
1-bowl recipe (if equipment allows): place deep bowl back on the scale and place a sieve over the deep bowl (not touching the wet ingredients below). Zero out the kitchen scale. Weigh all dry ingredients in sieve over bowl. Once all ingredients weighed, lift the sieve and sift dry ingredients into the deep bowl.
2-bowl recipe (if equipment does not allow): If you don't have a sieve that hangs nicely in your deep bowl, just simply weigh the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix dry ingredients with fork or whisk to combine, then add to wet ingredients.
Use the large wooden spoon to mix the dry ingredients into wet mixture until almost combined (see next step). The mixture will be very stiff and will need some working to combine. If the dough is falling apart like sand and not coming together, add additional milk ½ Tbsp at a time (not too much, just enough to make the dough hold together).
When just a small amount of flour remains visible in the dough, add the mix-ins of your choosing and mix just until totally combined (no flour visible).
Scoop cookies using a ¾ oz cookie scoop (or a heaping 1 Tbsp) onto your 2 parchment-papered cookie sheets (12 cookies per sheet). These cookies don't spread too much, so can be placed fairly close (3 x 4 grid).
Dip a large fork into sugar-salt blend (or just sugar) and flatten each cookie with a cross-hatch (dip fork between each press). Or instead of a fork, you can get creative with your flattening tool and use all kinds of items from around your kitchen, including a potato masher, spatula, apple corer, strainer, drinking glass, etc. - see the various patterns on the cookies pictured above.
Bake your cookies in a preheated oven for 12 minutes. Cookies will be lightly golden brown around the edges when done.
Remove cookie sheets from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to the wire rack.*
Let cookies sit on the wire rack for at least 5 minutes before enjoying! Warning: These cookies are truly addictive - it's almost impossible to eat just one.
Once cookies are fully cooled, store leftovers (if there are any) in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
*Notes, Tips, & Tricks
Peanut butter extract is available online and at specialty bake shops. I like the one from LorAnn Oils.
Natural peanut butter and/or low fat peanut butter do not work well in this recipe. Stick to shelf-stable commercial peanut butter for these cookies.
During cooling, the most efficient way to transfer the cookies from the sheet to the wire rack is with the help of a friend - each person grabs 2 corners of the parchment and lift together to transfer the entire parchment sheet of cookies onto the wire rack.
These freeze well - line cookies up in a single layer in a gallon bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze. To eat, thaw on countertop a few hours before serving.
These also make great sandwich cookies - layer with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache and/or toasted marshmallow for a special occasion (see picture above)!
Let me know if you have any feedback or questions!
Recipe adapted from King Arthur.
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