Name: Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 36 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 3/4 cups all purpose flour; 3/4 tsp salt; 3/4 tsp baking soda

Who doesn't love a fresh batch of homemade soft and chewy peanut butter cookies? Well if you're someone who does, we've got the perfect recipe for you!

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4.72 from 14 votes

There’s a foolproof way to bake soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. That’s to under bake them slightly. That’s it. Baking a batch of peanut butter cookies until they “look” done is deceiving and creates a crunchy result.

I have a lot of favorite cookies, like Snickerdoodles and Chocolate Chip, but these peanut butter cookies are right at the top!

How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve had this peanut butter cookie recipe in my binder since my kids were little, and my oldest is 25. Whenever my father in law would visit he would ask for these cookies. While we love making these peanut butter chocolate chunk bars, the classic peanut butter cookie is the bomb.

My entire family loves them and anyone else who happens to try them does too. They never make it off the cooling rack and into a container, they are always devoured too fast!

plate of peanut butter criss cross cookies

Smooth or Rustic?

You can make your cookies nice and neat or give them a more rustic look, either way, they taste great. For neat as a pin cookies, scoop the dough out with a cookie scoop and roll the dough lightly in the palms of your hands. For rustic, just release from the scooper and leave as is.

Shortening vs Butter

There is shortening in this recipe (I discovered several years ago this recipe originates from the back of the Crisco can). I have used both plain vegetable shortening and butter flavored shortening, however, I have never tried substituting butter. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” ;) If you would like to try with butter, I’d love to hear your results.

Baking Notes

When you bake these, start with a small batch and check them after 7 minutes. Mine are always perfect at 8 minutes. They will look a little underdone and puffy. Once you remove them from the oven and let them cool a bit, they will relax and settle.

peanut butter cookies stacked with a bottle of milk

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies

from the back of the Crisco container

I always use shortening, in fact butter-flavored shortening is my preference. I know some people have an aversion to shortening, so you can certainly substitute butter. Just please know the texture may be slightly different.
I am partial to Skippy or Jif creamy peanut butter. I have not tried these with any of the natural peanut butters or other nut butters yet.
Firmly packed light brown sugar helps develop the wonderful chewy texture in these cookies.
I’ve only used cow’s milk in this recipe, but it’s a small amount. If you decide to experiment with other milks I would love to hear about it!
You will also need pure vanilla extract and one egg. Stick with large eggs in baking, that’s the standard.
I make these cookies with regular all-purpose flour and have not tried any alternatives.
You will also need regular table salt and baking soda for this recipe.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
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, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto 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 OVER BAKE. These cookies will look slightly underdone, but that’s what makes them soft and chewy!
Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.

two cute kids eating peanut butter cookies

If you’re looking for more peanut butter cookie ideas…

Try my tweaked Nutella version of these – Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies.
Maybe you prefer a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie – super popular!
These Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies look amazing too.
If you prefer not to bake, these Peanut Butter and Corn Chip No Bake Cookies are right up your alley!

This post was originally published on this blog on May 25, 2010.