Name: Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Ingredients: 1 cup creamy peanut butter; 1 cup white granulated sugar; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 1 cup butter (2 sticks), (room temperature); 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

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Pulling a pan of fresh homemade Peanut Butter Cookies with their comforting, buttery-rich aroma from the oven is like holding a batch of childhood memories! Simple, classic and everything you remember, you’re going to love this easy recipe that delivers soft peanut butter cookies with their signature crisscross design.

A plateful of soft, homemade peanut butter cookies with a classic crisscross design.

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There’s nothing that creates memories like a plate of homemade cookies. And who doesn’t remember eating soft, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies after school or for dessert?

Thank goodness those days aren’t over with this easy recipe!

Buttery-rich peanut butter cookies and milk make a great after school snack or dessert.

Why You’ll Love These Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

They are easy to make with basic ingredient you probably already have!
This peanut butter cookie recipe has loads of peanut butter flavor from a FULL CUP of peanut butter.
The addition of brown sugar means a little extra moistness in the recipe.
They taste just like you remember… maybe even better!
These cookies are perfect for freezing and storing, but they are really at their best when shared with friends or neighbors.

I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in this section along with helpful tips!

Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.

creamy peanut butter
light brown sugar
granulated sugar
butter
eggs
vanilla extract
baking soda
baking powder
flour

What Kind of Peanut Butter Should I Use?

I recommend a creamy, processed peanut butter (like Jif) for best results. The smooth, consistent texture makes the best cookies.

Can I Use Natural Peanut Butter?

Natural peanut butter can be used to make peanut butter cookies as long as you know:

Natural peanut butter will make a drier cookie than a name-brand processed peanut butter. The difference in sugar content doesn’t make much difference, but do make sure your natural peanut butter is salted.
Natural peanut butter also needs to be mixed very well and consistently throughout if you’re going to make cookies with it. I recommend taking it out of the jar, mixing it with a mixer or emulsifier to make sure it is consistently mixed.

How to Make Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

After chilling the cookie dough, roll it into balls, in sugar and make the crisscross shape with a fork.

Mix the dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients. With an electric mixer, mix together peanut butter, sugars and butter. Add vanilla and then eggs, one at a time.

Combine and Roll Into Balls. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet, and then use a tablespoon to scoop out the cookie dough and roll into 1 inch dough balls. (If the dough is creamy and very soft, refrigerate 30 minutes before rolling into balls.)

Make the Hashmarks. Gently press the tines of a fork onto the top of the dough balls to make the signature criss cross pattern.

Bake. Bake for 7-8 minutes, just until the edges become golden brown. Remove from oven. Cookies must cool for several minutes in order to set. Enjoy!

Pro tip: Cookies set as they cool. Cookies will fall apart if moved before set.

You can make sure your peanut butter cookies don't fall apart by allowing them to cool 5 minutes before moving them from the baking sheet to the cooling rack.

Tips For Making The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Use real butter. Margarine does not deliver the same results.
Room temperature butter and eggs make the best baked goods.
When mixing the butter and sugars together, mix just until creamy. Over mixing the butter will result in flat cookies.
Spoon your flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping from the bag or container. Scooping with the measuring cup will pack the flour and will result in ¼-1/3 cup too much flour in your recipe.
Bake these cookies just until they begin to turn golden around the edges. Cookies will continue to cook and set as they cool. Over baking will make crisp cookies instead of soft cookies.

Variations

Dip your peanut butter cookies in melted milk or dark chocolate for magical chocolate-dipped peanut butter cookies!
Add in ½-2/3 cup of chopped unsalted peanuts for extra peanut-ty goodness!

The fork marks in peanut butter cookies help to ensure the cookies bake completely and evenly.

Storing or Freezing Peanut Butter Cookies

Stored in an air tight container or zip top bag, homemade peanut butter cookies will last up to 1 week.

These cookies can be frozen too. Layer cookies in a freezer safe container or bag with parchment paper in between to keep cookies from freezing together. Let sit out to come to room temperature before serving.