Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies | Foodelicacy (2024)

Everybody needs a crazy good peanut butter chocolate chip cookie! Thick, chunky, chewy and moist, these peanut butter choc chip cookies are always a huge hit. This cookie dough is super easy and comes together in a snap so you can satisfy your cookie cravings in a jiffy.

You just never know when you’ll need to pull out a great cookie recipe at a moment’s notice, and this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, my friends, checks off all the boxes.

When it comes to desserts, there’s no denying that peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. This classic flavor combination always hits the perfect sweet-salty spot.

But these cookies don’t just deliver BIG on flavor.

Thick and crisp at the edges, moist and chewy in between and loaded with delicious chocolate chunks, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are surely one of life’s most enjoyable treats.

Note: This post has been updated with a recipe video, new tips and pics, and detailed step-by-step instructions with accompanying process shots. The original recipe remains unchanged as it’s a top reader favorite which consistently receives 5-star ratings and reviews.

Easy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

Like most cookies, this classic peanut butter cookie recipe is super easy to make and comes together in a snap. Just make sure you give the cookie dough sufficient chilling time so the cookies bake up thick with minimal spread.

Also, you need to slightly under-bake these cookies. This way, the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies get toasty and crisp at the edges, but stay moist and chewy in their centers –perfect cookies with a delicious cookie texture.

But wait, what if you’re not a fan of peanut butter? Well, you can’t go wrong with making classic chocolate chip cookies because no sweet-toothed human on earth can resist them, right?

If you’re aiming for a chocolate chip cookie that’s a little more healthy-ish, these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies make a hearty and nutritious cookie that’s way too good to pass up.

But once I had these pb cookies, I just can’t get enough – they’re my new favorite cookies! After all, they are an all-time reader favorite for a reason.

Ingredients to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

So here’s the best part! This is an easy cookie recipe and uses just a handful of common pantry ingredients you likely already have.

To make these classic peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, you will need:

• plain flour (all purpose flour). Use regular all purpose flour. This recipe can also be used to make delicious gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies by substituting a gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for all purpose flour, without the need to add a binding agent like xantham gum (I cover this in more detail in the section on Variations below).
• baking soda. Leavens the cookie dough so the cookies get a good rise and spread. In addition, baking soda helps cookies brown more evenly and improves both it’s flavor and texture.
• salt. Improves the flavor of other ingredients, without which the cookies would end up tasting flat or overly sugary. Salt also makes cookies chewier because it strengthens the protein in the cookie dough. Note: Omit the salt if you are baking with salted butter.
• unsalted butter. I like to use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt, but you can use salted butter as well. Remember to omit the additional salt in the recipe.
• brown sugar. The high moisture content of brown sugar is what makes these cookies moist! Use light brown or dark brown sugar, you won’t need granulated sugar for this recipe. I prefer light brown sugar because the cookies will bake to a pale golden colour. Dark brown sugar will make dark-coloured cookies and impart a richer molasses flavor to your cookies if that’s what you prefer.
• egg. Binds the cookie dough together and enhances its chewiness.
• smooth peanut butter. Use smooth or creamy peanut butter (my favorite brands are Kraft, Skippy and Jif). These ones will give your cookies a rich peanut butter flavor. Do not use organic or natural peanut butter as these affect the flavor and texture of the baked cookies in unexpected ways.
• vanilla extract. I recommend using a good vanilla extract for best flavor. My favorite one is Nielsen-Massey’s.
• semi-sweet chocolate chips. Use mini or regular chocolate chips, preferably semi-sweet. I personally do not recommend using milk chocolate chips as its sweetness can overwhelm the cookie dough, making the baked cookies taste almost sugary. Semi-sweet chocolate chips lend a better balance. I like baking withGhirardelli’sorHershey’s.Note: You can also use a mixture of dark chocolate chunks, roughly chopped, together with chocolate chipsto make 2 cups.

Step-by-step Instructions

Note:The ingredients and instructions are written in detail in the recipe card at the end of this post– if you want to skip the step-by-step photos and go straight to the recipe card, scroll down to the bottom or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.

1. Prep: Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375° F). Line a baking sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. Dry ingredients: Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

3. Wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer or with handheld beaters, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the egg until well incorporated, about 45 seconds. Next, beat in the peanut butter and vanilla extract to mix well, about 30 seconds.

   What to look out for: When creaming the butter and sugar, the mixture will turn pale in colour similar to milk coffee. Once the mixture feels light and fluffy when you scrape it down with a silicon spatula, beat in the egg. The mixture will curdle at first. Do not worry, keep beating until the mixture smoothens out, then beat in the peanut butter and vanilla extract.

4. Combine wet and dry mixtures: Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Tip in the chocolate chips and paddle lightly on low speed until well distributed throughout the cookie dough.

   What to look out for: The cookie dough will be quite soft and sticky at this point. If you bake it right away, the cookies will spread thin in a hot oven. It’s important to CHILL the cookie dough.

5. Chill: Keep the cookie dough in its bowl, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes (much quicker). We want the cookie dough cool and firm enough to handle. I highly recommend an overnight chill to allow the cookie dough to develop a fuller, richer flavor.

6. Bake: Scoop balls of dough with a large cookie scoop or shape the dough into large cookie dough balls with your hands. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing each about 1.5 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies just start to brown at the edges and barely on the tops of the cookies. Do not over bake.

   What to look out for: As the cookies bake, they will expand and rise slowly. The cookies will spread thick (not flat and thin) and dome in the middle – this is perfectly OK.

7. Cool: Do not remove the cookies from the pan as they will be soft and will break easily. If desired, as soon as the cookies are pulled from the oven, let them sit for 1 – 2 minutes before flattening the tops slightly with an offset spatula(not too much if you want your cookies thick).

   Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes or until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack. Make the next batch of cookies and repeat until the cookie dough is used up. Once cookies are completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

Troubleshooting flat cookies

Nothing peeves me more than flat cookies. Please tell me I’m not the only one who obsesses over this, right?

This peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe has been kitchen-tested many times for reliability and consistency. The ingredient ratios as written produce the best baking outcomes – in this case, thick and chewy cookies. Having said that, having your cookies spread thin and flat can always happen.

If you’ve measured all the ingredients accurately, followed the steps exactly but still end up with flat cookies, here are a few possible reasons. Use this checklist to help you identify and trouble shoot what may have gone awry:

• using butter that’s too cold or that’s too warm after sitting out for an extended period of time.
• over-creaming the butter and sugar mixture.
• using baking soda that has expired or lost its efficacy.
• letting cookie dough sit out too long at room temperature or not chilling cookie dough long enough.
• baking at too high or low oven temperature (I recommend using anoven thermometerto check that the oven temperature is always at the recommended setting). The oven temperature influences the spread and texture of the cookies.
• forgetting to line the baking sheets with parchment paper or using baking sheets or sheet pans that are too hot.

Frequently asked questions

Make ahead and freezing instructions

• Make-ahead instructions: Make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. On baking day, pull the cookie dough from the refrigerator and bring to to room temperature on a kitchen counter. Continue with step 8 in the recipe.
• Freezing instructions: If you intend to store unbaked cookie dough for a longer period of time, it’s best to freeze the cookie dough after shaping into cookie dough balls. Place cookie dough balls into a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, pull the number of cookie dough balls you want from the freezer bag and pop them into a preheated oven, no need to thaw. Bake frozen cookies for an extra 1 – 2 minutes.
• How to freeze baked cookies:Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Make short stacks of cookies (I usually stack 3 to 4 cookies) and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Put the wrapped stacks into a freezer bag and seal tightly. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Variations

• Triple chocolate peanut butter cookies
  Replace regular chocolate chips with a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips (or dark chocolate baking chocolate chunks – pfff.. a bit off a mouthful 😆).
• Peanut butter butterscotch chip cookies
  Replace regular chocolate chips with butterscotch baking chips.
• Peanut butter salted caramel chip cookies
  Replace regular chocolate chips with caramel baking chips.
• Gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
  Replace the all purpose flour with an equal weight or quantity of gluten-free baking flour. I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour because it is a special 1-to-1 blend of gluten free flours, starches and xanthan gum, making it easy to transform most traditional baked favorites into gluten-free treats.

  If using other brands of gluten-free flour, you will need to check if the GF flour incorporates a binding /thickening agent like xantham gum. These days, many brands of gluten free flours already have gum incorporated.

  If your ‘all-purpose’ GF flour does not have a gum in it already, you will generally need to add ¼ teaspoon of xanthum gum per 1 cup (120 grams) of all purpose flour. For gluten-free cookies, err on the side of less xanthum gum rather than more as too much can result in sticky or gummy cookies.

More cookie recipes you may like:

• Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies {with VIDEO}
• Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Homemade Butter Cookies – Easy Recipe for Holiday Baking
• How to Make Soft Gingerbread Cookies
• Sugee Cookies