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Thick and chewy peanut butter cookies stacked on a plate with crisscross fork marks
Katie

Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Thick, soft, and loaded with peanut butter flavor, these chewy peanut butter cookies have crisp edges, tender centers, and come together in about 20 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 145
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter not natural
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 Baking sheet
  • 1 Parchment paper
  • 1 Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Wire Cooling Rack

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. The mixture should lighten in color slightly.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined and the dough looks smooth and glossy.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low until a thick cookie dough forms and no flour streaks remain.
  5. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Use a fork to gently press a crisscross pattern onto the top of each cookie. If the fork sticks, dip it in a little flour or sugar between cookies.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underbaked. Do not overbake. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Enjoy warm for the best chewy texture, or let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

Use regular shelf-stable creamy peanut butter, not natural peanut butter. Natural varieties cause the cookies to spread too much and turn crumbly.
Spoon and level your flour — scooping directly from the bag packs in too much and leads to dry, dense cookies.
Pull the cookies out when the centers still look slightly underdone. They'll continue to firm up as they cool on the hot baking sheet.
For thicker cookies, chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.
These freeze beautifully as dough balls. Freeze on a tray, transfer to a bag, and bake straight from frozen — just add 1 to 2 extra minutes.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Tuck a slice of bread in the container to keep them soft.