Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
SERVES: 12 | PREP TIME: 12 MIN | COOK TIME: 8 MIN
I’m a soft cookie kinda of gal.
I’ve mentioned this before, but if you were to hand me a crunchy cookie I would refuse it no problem (with the exception of shortbread, because well, that’s how they’re supposed to be!). There’s nothing like a warm gooey, soft cookie and this peanut butter cookie recipe delivers on all of that. Perfect for today, because it’s national peanut butter cookie day!
If you’re a regular cookie baker, you could probably make this recipe with your eyes closed. It’s that easy. If you’re just breaking into the cookie baking game, this one’s your girl. You need to know all of one technique- creaming the sugars- and it’s just a matter of running the standing mixer for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is super light and fluffy.
I love this recipe because it’s wayyyy less messy than a chocolate chip cookie (hello, I have a 2.5 year old and melty chocolate finds its way EVERYWHERE), but delivers the same comforting satisfaction a classic cc cookie lends. Plus, my toddler would eat peanut butter every meal if I let her, she loves it that much. In fact, most of the time I just hand her the jar of peanut butter and let her go to town. So these cookies are a luxury departure, and thus a total win.
Recipe Notes
One tip, other than creaming the sugars as I mentioned above, is to not overpack the flour. Especially because I don’t have you weighing the ingredients. Using a scoop or a large spoon, lightly add the flour to your measuring cups, rather than dunking the measuring cups into the flour which can lead to overpacking. This trick will keep you in the gooey cookie club.
Peanut Butter. I can’t recommend the Whole Foods 365 regular creamy peanut butter enough. It’s best kept in the fridge because of the oils, but it’s by far my favorite peanut butter ever. Good for baking, eating with a spoon, or spreading onto a sandwich. Perfectly textured, salty, and just yummy! Very versatile, which I cannot say about many others.
Best Ever Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
SERVES: 12
PREP TIME: 12 MIN | COOK TIME: 8 MIN
INSTRUCTIONSIn a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a standing mixture with the paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter, butter, and sugar on high for 3-5 minutes. The mixture should be light in color and almost fluffy and airy in texture.
Mix egg and vanilla into sugar until just combined. Then, add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon dough onto sheet. Tip: the less the dough gets handled the more crinkled the tops will be.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place cookies on the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the oven has come up to temp. About 10 minutes. Place the cooled cookies into the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes. Once the cookies come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle a pinch of flaked salt over top of each.
Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack before packing away in an airtight container.
INGREDIENTS1 1/4 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 365 brand creamy peanut butter
1 stick salted cultured butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Flaked salt for finishing