My family loves my soft peanut butter cookies and my Nutella peanut butter cookies, so I decided to create a chocolate version of this fave. That was easy to do by just substituting some of the flour with cocoa powder. Nice and soft and full of chocolate peanut buttery flavor, yum!
Why we love these
I love this dough. It’s such an easy recipe and comes together nicely. This recipe adds just enough chocolate to the peanut butter to make them awesome.
You’ll also love my Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies. With a subtle hint of cinnamon and chocolate combined, you’ll be in cookie heaven!
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Ingredients for this recipe
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
- 1/2 cup shortening or butter flavored shortening (you can substitute butter but the texture may be a little different)
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa (measure by scoop and sweep, do NOT pack into cup)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. Please scroll down to simply print out the recipe!
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended.
- Add egg. Beat just until blended.
- Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto ungreased insulated baking sheet.
- Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
- Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to Wire cooling racks to cool completely.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- You can substitute butter for the shortening, but the texture may be a little different.
- I have used both regular shortening and butter flavored shortening, both with great results.
- Just like with flour, you have to be careful when measuring cocoa. If you pack it into the measuring cup or scoop it out of the container using the measuring cup, it will be way more than the recipe intends, causing your dough to be too dry.
I hope you love these as much as we do!
What others are saying about these cookies
Absolutely phenomenal recipe! These cookies are wonderful and as a baker myself, the dough is the easiest cookie dough I have ever worked with. Follow the recipe as it is posted and you will not fail! I have made these cookies twice now in just one week’s time! So thankful I found it!
~ Janice
This cookie recipe was perfect! First peanut butter cookies I ever made! Love that cocoa was included to give them a kick of chocolate with the peanut butter. They turned out perfectly! Super yummy! 💗
~ Kristina
I just finished a batch of these. I substituted the shortening for butter. After I put the dough on the cookie sheets, I put the pans in the freezer for about 15 minutes. I love a soft cookie and these have a great soft texture.
~Laura
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Filled Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening or butter flavored shortening
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa DO NOT pack into measuring cup, scoop and sweep only
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
Things You'll Need
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.
- Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.
- Drop by heaping tablespoonsful (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.
Video
Expert Tips & FAQs
- You can substitute butter for the shortening, but the texture may be a little different.
- Just like with flour, you have to be careful when measuring cocoa. If you pack it into the measuring cup or scoop it out of the container using the measuring cup, it will be way more than the recipe intends, causing your dough to be too dry.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on Apr 6, 2011.
Amanda Formaro
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Candace says
Followed the recipe and tips . Cookies are delicious! Recipe is a definite keeper!
Jen says
So fudgy and delicious! We added 1 cup of
Chocolate chips too! Give these a go, you won’t regret it!
Jackie Cornatzer says
THANK YOU ! They turned out AWESOME ! I made the size of my cookies a little bit larger than the recipe sujested and baked them a little longer. My husband and I loved them. This is definitely a keeper. I can’t wait to share this with my two sisters.
Shannon says
For those that had dry cookies, it could be the measurements are off, but if they aren’t, you can try 1 of the following:
-Add 1 egg yolk for added moisture.
-Add 1 tablespoon of fat, such as butter or oil for added moisture.
– Try swapping out just 1 or 2 tablespoons of the white sugar for light or dark brown sugar. Brown sugar contains molasses which will add moisture.
As a side note, store your cookies with a slice of bread and your cookies will remain soft for a longer period of time. The cookies will draw the moisture from the bread just like when storing bread with brown sugar, however be conservative because TOO much bread will turn your cookies to mush.
LLA says
I liked the texture but for our tastes I’ll cut back on the salt next time to maybe 1/2 tsp, but otherwise I thought they were good!
Isabelle says
These were delicious!!!! I added in some M&Ms to some of the cookies and they were great! The cookies had a stronger chocolate flavor than peanut butter and they were a little dry, but the taste was still good! I definitely recommend, but maybe add a little extra peanut butter.
Amanda Formaro says
Glad you enjoyed them and love the M&M addition. They will dry out if you cook them too long, that’s because of the cocoa powder. If you make them again, take them out a minute or 2 sooner :)
Sabrina says
My husband loves peanut butter cookies but I was craving chocolate. Found this recipe and it’s so good! He took one bite and asked me to make another batch already. It’s a winner.
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome, so glad you guys loved them, thank you!
Kate says
This recipe is perfect as written. The cookie were delicious. I made a double batch. The dough was easy to work with. The grandkids had fun making the balls and the the crisscross with a fork.
Amanda Formaro says
Hooray, thanks so much Kate! I’m so glad you guys loved them :)
Ali says
Awesome. Made these last night and had to review!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you liked them, thank you Ali!
Cece says
So rich and yummy. So quick and easy. Also had everything on hand. I am saving this recipe
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you loved them, thank you!
Patricia Long says
I followed it step by step and many different things went wrong due to the dough being too flaky.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Patricia. It sounds like your measurements must have been off somewhere. You have to be careful when measuring cocoa, and I’m guessing that might have been the issue. If you pack it into the measuring cup or scoop it out of the container using the measuring cup, it will be way more than the recipe intends.
Kathy says
Best. Cookies. Ever!!
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome, thanks Kathy!!
Sarah R says
Simply delicious. They’re like brownies! I raise pigs and always have rendered fat for cooking/baking and this recioe makes me want to try it in all my cookies instead of butter. Thank you!
Kjerstin says
I liked these, but the cocoa was much stronger than the peanut flavor, like the ratio was off. I added Peanut butter frosting on the top and it helped a lot
Amanda Formaro says
You have to be careful when measuring cocoa. If you pack it into the measuring cup or scoop it out of the container using the measuring cup, it will be way more than the recipe intends. It sounds like, based off of your description, that you had too much cocoa.
Betsy says
The flavor was spot on, however, taste dry in your mouth. Thinking maybe add in another egg? I measure by spooning ingredients into cup. The cocoa may be sucking up some of the moisture? Would love to make again, but with tweaks to create more moisture.
Any suggestions?