Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (use a standard brand like Jif, not natural)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt, for topping

Brown the Butter and Mix the Dough

First, preheat your oven to 375F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter and melt it in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan, until the milk solids turn a deep brown and the butter smells nutty. Immediately pour this into a large bowl. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons of cold butter to the hot brown butter and stir until it’s completely melted.

To the bowl with the butter, add both sugars and whisk vigorously until well combined. Whisk in the peanut butter until smooth, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the chopped peanuts and chocolate chips.

Shape and Bake the Cookies

Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon sized balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Dip a fork in water to prevent sticking, then gently press the tines onto each dough ball. Press again at a 90-degree angle to create the classic cross-hatch pattern.

Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and golden brown. The centers will look slightly underdone.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pin Print

Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies

These are the peanut butter cookies I grew up with. The two keys to making them great are browning half the butter for a deep, nutty flavor and using a mix of brown and white sugar for the perfect chewy texture. The cross-hatch pattern isn’t just for looks; it helps the dense dough bake evenly.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 47 minutes minutes

Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 sticks, divided
• 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter use a standard brand like Jif, not natural
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Flaky sea salt for topping

Method

• Brown 1 stick butter in light-colored saucepan over medium heat until deep brown and nutty.
• Pour into large bowl and stir in remaining cold butter until melted.
• Whisk in both sugars, then peanut butter until smooth.
• Add eggs and vanilla, whisk to combine.
• Mix flour, baking soda, and kosher salt separately, then fold into wet ingredients.
• Fold in chopped peanuts and chocolate chips.
• Scoop 2-tablespoon dough balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
• Create crosshatch pattern with fork dipped in water.
• Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden but centers slightly underdone.
• Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire rack.

Notes

Use standard creamy peanut butter (like Jif), not natural style.