Last updated: November 9, 2026.
Peanut butter cookies are the cookie-jar classic: soft and chewy in the middle, crisp at the edges, with that unmistakable fork crosshatch on top. This best peanut butter cookies recipe is the one-bowl version — creamy peanut butter, brown sugar for chew, and a dough that comes together in minutes.
If you have never made peanut butter cookies from scratch, this is the version to start with. There is no creaming for ages, no chilling required (though 30 minutes in the fridge makes them even chewier — allow extra time if you chill the dough), and the crosshatch is just a fork pressed twice. In under half an hour you get two dozen cookies that disappear fast.
Peanut butter cookies belong in our dessert recipes collection — the everyday cookie that works for lunchboxes, bake sales and late-night cravings alike. If you are still choosing what to bake, our baking dessert recipes hub has the full list of ideas.
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft and chewy, not dry. Brown sugar and an extra yolk keep the centers soft for days.
- Big peanut butter flavour. A full cup of creamy peanut butter in the dough — the flavour is the point.
- The classic crosshatch. That fork pattern is not decoration: it flattens the dough so it bakes evenly.
- One bowl, no mixer needed. Stir it by hand in minutes, bake in two batches.
- Freezer-friendly. Freeze the dough balls and bake fresh cookies whenever you want them.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 115 g (1/2 cup / 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g (1 cup) brown sugar, packed
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 240 g (1 cup) creamy peanut butter — [where to buy]
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To Finish
- 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar, for rolling (optional)
Equipment
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- Baking sheets (2)
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer (or a wooden spoon)
- Cookie scoop (optional, for even cookies) — [where to buy]
- Fork (for the crosshatch)
- Wire cooling rack
- Measuring cups and spoons
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
Step 1 — Heat the Oven and Prepare the Sheets
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2 — Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 3 — Cream the Butter, Sugars and Peanut Butter
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter until smooth, then beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla.
Step 4 — Add the Dry Ingredients
Add the flour mixture and stir on low (or by hand) just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
Step 5 — Roll the Dough Balls
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar if you like a sparkly, crisp edge. Place on the prepared sheets, 5 cm (2 inches) apart.
Step 6 — Press the Crosshatch
Press each ball flat with a fork: press once, then again at a right angle, to make the classic crosshatch pattern. The cookies should be about 1 cm thick.
Step 7 — Bake
Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers still look soft. The cookies will firm up as they cool — do not wait for them to look done in the oven.
Step 8 — Cool and Serve
Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature, or still slightly warm with a glass of milk.
Tips for Soft, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Use regular creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter (the kind that separates) makes dry, crumbly cookies. Use a standard creamy brand that stays mixed.
- Do not overbake. Pull the cookies when the centers still look soft and slightly puffy — they set as they cool. Overbaked peanut butter cookies turn hard.
- Chill for extra chew. Thirty minutes in the fridge firms the dough, so the cookies spread less and stay thicker and chewier.
- The extra yolk matters. One whole egg plus one yolk (instead of two whole eggs) adds richness and chew without extra moisture.
- Press firmly with the fork. A shallow crosshatch disappears in the oven. Press the dough to about 1 cm thick so the pattern survives baking.
- Measure the flour right. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off. Too much flour is the fastest way to dry cookies.
Storage, Make-Ahead and Freezing
- Leftovers: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. A slice of bread in the container keeps them soft.
- Make ahead: the dough keeps, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Roll and bake when ready.
- Freezing: freeze the rolled dough balls on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes. Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months.
- Dough balls: freeze the sugar-rolled balls so they are ready to press and bake straight from the freezer.
Variations
- Peanut butter chocolate chip. Fold in 170 g (1 cup) of chocolate chips with the flour. For a cookie built around chocolate chips, see the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (Soft, Chewy & Easy).
- Flourless version. Skip the flour, baking soda and butter: mix 240 g peanut butter, 200 g sugar, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla, then roll, crosshatch and bake 10–12 minutes.
- Chocolate-dipped. Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate and let set on parchment.
- Crunchy peanut butter. Use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy for texture in every bite.
- Peanut butter blossoms. Press an unwrapped chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie right out of the oven instead of the crosshatch.
Nutrition
One serving (1 of 24 cookies) has about 185 calories, 23 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 13 g sugar, 2 g fiber and 180 mg sodium. Nutrition information is an estimate only.
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Ingredients
McCormick All Natural Pure Vanilla Extract, 16 fl oz
pure vanilla extract
King Arthur Organic All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb
all-purpose flour
Baking Equipment
Nordic Ware Naturals 3-Piece Baking Sheet Set
half sheet, jelly roll and quarter sheet
Hiware 3-Tier Collapsible Cooling Rack, Stainless Steel
3-tier cooling rack
Kitchen Tools
Reynolds Kitchens Unbleached Parchment Paper Roll, 45 Sq Ft
unbleached parchment paper roll
Pyrex Sculpted Glass Mixing Bowls Set with Plastic Lids, 3-Pack
glass mixing bowls with lids
Substitutions
If you are missing an ingredient, these swaps keep the recipe working.
- Creamy peanut butter. Use crunchy peanut butter instead for texture in every bite.
- Rolling sugar. Skip it – the cookies are just as good without the sugary outside.
- Flour, baking soda and butter. Skip all three for a flourless version – mix 240 g of peanut butter, 200 g of sugar, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, then roll, crosshatch and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Chocolate chips. Fold in 170 g (1 cup) of chocolate chips with the flour for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Common Mistakes
These are the mistakes that cause the most problems with this recipe.
- Natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter (the kind that separates) makes dry, crumbly cookies – use a regular creamy brand.
- Overbaking. Pull the cookies when the centers still look soft and slightly puffy – they set as they cool, and overbaked peanut butter cookies turn hard.
- Skipping the chill. The chill is optional, but thirty minutes in the fridge firms the dough, so the cookies spread less and stay thicker and chewier.
- A shallow crosshatch. A shallow crosshatch disappears in the oven – press the dough to about 1 cm thick so the pattern survives baking.
- Scooping the flour. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off – too much flour is the fastest way to dry cookies.
FAQ
Why are my peanut butter cookies dry?
The usual causes are too much flour, overbaking, or natural peanut butter. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and levelling it off, pull the cookies when the centers still look soft, and use regular creamy peanut butter — the kind that stays mixed — not the natural kind that separates. The extra egg yolk in this recipe also helps keep them soft.
Do I need to chill peanut butter cookie dough?
No — this recipe bakes well without chilling. But 30 minutes in the fridge makes the cookies thicker and chewier, because the cold dough spreads less in the oven. If your kitchen is warm, chill the dough for 15 minutes so the cookies hold their shape. Either way, the crosshatch still works.
Why do peanut butter cookies have a crosshatch?
The crosshatch is practical, not just traditional. Peanut butter dough is dense and does not spread much on its own, so pressing it flat with a fork helps it bake evenly. The pattern also marks the cookie as peanut butter at a glance — it is the signature of the recipe. Press firmly: a shallow pattern disappears in the oven.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 24 servings.
Times, servings and nutrition values are standard guidance and may vary.
Best Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven and prepare the sheets. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugars and peanut butter. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter until smooth, then beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and stir on low (or by hand) just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
- Roll the dough balls. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar if you like a sparkly, crisp edge. Place on the prepared sheets, 5 cm (2 inches) apart.
- Press the crosshatch. Press each ball flat with a fork: press once, then again at a right angle, to make the classic crosshatch pattern. The cookies should be about 1 cm thick.
- Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers still look soft. The cookies will firm up as they cool — do not wait for them to look done in the oven.
- Cool and serve. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature, or still slightly warm with a glass of milk.
Notes
More Recipes to Try
More from Desert Dishes — try these next:
- Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe — soft, chewy cookies loaded with chocolate chips.
- Best Sugar Cookies Recipe — soft, thick sugar cookies, perfect for decorating.
- Easy Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (Chewy & Buttery) — chewy, buttery no-bake squares made in 15 minutes.
- Best Banana Bread Recipe (Moist, Easy & Homemade) — moist, easy banana bread made with ripe bananas, with walnuts or chocolate chips.
- Best Brownie Recipe — seriously fudgy homemade brownies with crackly tops.
