These Peanut Butter Cookies are so easy and delicious. The perfect amount of peanut butter makes them tasty and so hard to resist. Everyone will love these not just the kids!
How to make the Cookies
In a large bowl cream the butter, peanut butter, vanilla and sugars, then add the egg and beat to combine. In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and mix to combine, the dough will be sticky. Move the dough to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
Roll the dough into balls, place on the prepared cookie sheet and gently flatten making a criss cross pattern with a fork on each cookie. Chill the cookies while the oven is pre-heating. Bake, let cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Why does the cookie dough need to be refrigerated?
I always recommended refrigerating the dough for at least an hour. Although the longer you refrigerate the dough the deeper the flavour intensifies. Of course if you don’t have time to bake them the dough will hold in the fridge for up to 2 days.
How to tell when the cookies are done?
Peanut butter cookies are done when the top of the cookie is light brown, they will still be soft to the touch when the are taken out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool. Let them rest 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
What kind of Peanut Butter is best?
I like to use smooth peanut butter in my cookies, but crunchy will definitely work also, of course the cookies will have bits of finely chopped peanuts in them. You could also experiment with Natural Peanut Butter, but check for the salt content, if it’s without salt, you may need to add a bit more in the recipe, probably a pinch or 2 would do.
What kind of flour is best?
Since this is the type of cookie that we don’t want to spread too much, it’s best to use a higher protein flour, anywhere for 11.5 -12.50. Low protein flour will cause your cookies to spread no matter what, even if you chill the dough.
How to Store them
Before storing the cookies they should be completely cooled. Store them in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper, adding a slice of bread will keep them fresher.
They can be stored at room temperature for up to five days. These cookies should not be stored in the refrigerator as they will become staler faster (although I have to confess I love cold cookies, therefore for me they never have time to get stale)!
You could even leave the dough in the fridge over night and whip them up in the morning!
How to freeze the cookies
You can freeze them either baked or unbaked. If you are freezing the baked cookies then make sure they are completely cooled. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. To freeze the unbaked cookies, place the cookies (shaped) on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and freeze until firm about an hour.
Then place the slices in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let the slices thaw for about 15-20 minutes then continue with the baking instructions. Properly stored the baked or unbaked cookies will last for about 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
More Cookies to enjoy!
So if you are looking for a simple and easy cookie to make I hope you try these Easy Peanut Butter Cookies and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups +2 tablespoons all purpose flour (if needed add 2 more tablespoons) (163-195 gram)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup butter softened* (105 grams)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter (plain or crunchy) (150 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed) (90 grams)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
*If using unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl cream the butter, peanut butter, vanilla and sugars, then add the egg and beat to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and mix to just to combine, (the dough will be sticky, although if it is extremely sticky 1-2 tablespoons of flour). This can be done either by hand or with the flat beaters. Move the dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or even over night.
- Roll the dough into golfball size balls, place them on parchment paper lined cookie sheets about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) apart, gently flatten making a criss cross pattern with a fork (dipped in flour) on each cookie. Chill the cookies for at least 15-20 minutes while the oven is pre-heating.
- Pre-Heat oven to 350F (180C).
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes, let the cookies cool 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
Maria Z says
You’ve got 2 chill times, each for an hour. One with the dough covered in a bowl, then again once cookies are formed. So is this a total of 2 hours chill ?
Rosemary says
Hi Maria, sorry I corrected it, it should be chill 15-20 minutes while the oven is pre-heating. Thanks for letting me know. Take care!
Cheryl says
Dough seemed slightly crumbly and the main difference in this recipe from Joy of Cooking was less peanut butter. I think I would prefer more peanut butter and that would probably make it easier to handle. Directions are excellent and I like all the tips for freezing especially since I rarely want to bake an entire batch of cookies. I will make this again with minor adjustments. I did refer to multiple recipes since I haven’t made peanut butter cookies for years. My dough didn’t seem that sticky and I didn’t add extra flour. I wonder whether weighing my flour will give better results. Next time I will try my older recipe and see which one I prefer. Normally I use crunchy peanut butter and used smooth this time. I will do the same thing next time and perhaps post if it’s better with the extra peanut butter.
Rosemary says
Hi Cheryl, thanks, the type of flour can also make a difference with retaining water which makes the dough more or less sticky. Adding more peanut butter if it’s too crumbly will definitely help. Let me know if you remake it. Take care!