Classic Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
There is a reason this recipe has been a staple in American kitchens for decades. These Classic Soft Peanut Butter Cookies are pure nostalgia. They boast crisp, sugar-coated edges, an incredibly tender, chewy center, and an intense roasted peanut flavor that begs to be dunked into a cold glass of milk.
Love this? You should also try our Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect Texture: Unlike some recipes that yield dry, crumbly hockey pucks, the addition of brown sugar in this recipe guarantees a cookie that stays soft and chewy for days.
- No Chilling Required: When you are craving a cookie, you want it now! This dough is sturdy enough to be rolled and baked immediately without needing an hour in the fridge.
- The Classic Criss-Cross: Rolling the dough in sugar and pressing it with a fork creates those iconic, slightly caramelized ridges that trap the perfect amount of sweetness.
The Secret to Baking with Peanut Butter
When it comes to baking classic cookies, do not use natural peanut butter! While natural peanut butter (where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt) is great for toast, the oil separates dramatically at room temperature. If you use it in baking, your cookies will spread into thin, greasy puddles on the baking sheet. You must use a standard, commercial creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) that contains stabilizers. Those stabilizers are exactly what gives the cookie its thick, chewy, bakery-style structure!
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the softened butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and completely smooth (about 2 minutes).
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating well until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Place the extra 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a small shallow bowl.
- Scoop the dough into 1.5-inch balls (about 1.5 tablespoons of dough each). Roll each ball between your hands until smooth, then roll it generously in the granulated sugar.
- Place the sugar-coated balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Use the tines of a fork to press a criss-cross pattern into the top of each cookie, flattening them slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just barely golden brown. The centers will look very soft and slightly underbaked.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
