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!
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
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!
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.
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.
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!
Peanut Butter Cookies
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 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
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, 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 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.
Expert Tips & FAQs
Nutrition
This post was originally published on this blog on May 25, 2010.
Amanda Davis
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Leann Moore says
the cookies were amazing
Ted says
I made these today. They came out perfectly. I would have preferred a more pronounced peanut butter flavour, but, my wife loved them and that’s all that matters.
Abena Miller says
How do I get my cookies chewy….?
Amanda Formaro says
Always underbake just a little bit for chewy cookies.
Olga says
Too much salt, next time I will add less. Nice texture though.
Doug says
I would give this recipe a 5*, except I made several adjustments due to a lack of certain ingredients and not paying attention. Right off the bat not even thinking I used natural(separated ) PB only realizing it called for Skipipy. Then, I accidentally started filling the measuring cup with whole wheat flour. and was too lazy to pour it back in the bag so I just filled it with AP, Ended up with about 2/3 hw, 1/3 ap. Then I realized I was out of brown sugar (no idea how) so I used white sugar in the same amount. Straight, no maple syrup or I would have added a bit. 1tsp salt and a bulky 1tsp of baking soda. The biggest change is I had to add more (milk). I started with the 3tbsp but realized right away something was off so I added a half-cup. It felt and looked perfect but I still added another 2-3 tblsp near the end to get that shiny look I’m used to. Just eyeballing, which I’m good at, I netted 16-18 cookies, not 36. I baked at 375 for 10 mins, check temp, rotated my cookie sheet and went another 10, I wanted about 205-210 F inside, so I checked a couple of times so they wouldn’t burn. Once removed, they were just a little crunchy, but I let them sit uncovered for 10. These things were delicious to me, all the flavours you would expect. I would have probably preferred brown sugar but given how many mistakes I made I was impressed. BTW, I re-created my mistakes twice before writing this and both times I got a large, slightly crunchy exterior and a soft chewy interior. I can’t wait to make the original recipe. My favourite part of this for me, and something about baking that is cool, is that something good came out of a few simple mistakes. Give this a try with whole wheat, I this made for the particularly fluffy inside! 😁
Kevin Forrester says
Good recipe, a bit sweet for my taste, but will try with less sugar next. Chewy and delicious. I’m looking for a crumbly shortbread texture peanut butter cookie – like the ones I remember from school. Do you have one?.
Dan says
Just too much SALT. Everything else turned out fine. I will use about ½tsp less next time. Should do the trick.
Timothy says
Really great recipe! The texture and flavor were awesome! However, my dough became quite crumbly and dry, so I had to add quite a bit of extra milk and had to knead the dough by hand. I noticed the shortening you used in the video was white instead of a buttery color, which I used? Does it have to do with this?
Michelle M. says
I have tried so many peanut butter cookie recipe’s. Where shortening is ever an ingredient, I break out the lard
(pig fat). That is one reason why this recipe is delicious, but I’ve used lard before.
So Perhaps what makes Amanda’s recipe better than the rest is the milk, lack of white sugar or no baking powder?
All I know is that I just made my best batch ever of Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and I am 58 yrs old. This recipe is my new go to. !
Verlean Kendrick says
My cookies were delicious! Thank you! Question: to do the criss cross on the dough how do I keep it from sticking to the fork?
Amanda Formaro says
Dip the fork in water, flick off the excess and press onto cookie! :)
Michelle M. says
I use an old skool’ , metal, potato masher to imprint my peanut butter cookies,; the kind with all of the little squares. If it sticks a little, which is rare, I just press the dough that pushes through the masher gently, until it releases.
Colleen says
I dip my fork in sugar. Works great and leaves just a tiny bit of granulated sugar behind.
Ed says
Came out perfectly except one question that I would ask regarding all PB cookies….. is there anything you can add to give the cookies a more pronounced peanut butter flavor?
Amanda Formaro says
You could swap out some of the cocoa with peanut butter powder. :)
Marie says
Actually yes, they make powdered peanut butter, I’ve bought it at Walmart & it can be used in just about anything, I’ve used it in my pancake mix..
Matthew Buschi says
Kinda dry, did I miss something?
Amanda Formaro says
Dry peanut butter cookies are usually the result of not measuring the flour correctly and getting too much. When measuring flour, place the measuring cup on a sheet of waxed paper, fluff flour with a spoon and sprinkle it into the measuring cup until it is overflowing. Do not disturb the measuring cup by tapping it or it will cause excess flour to pack into the cup. Sweep the excess flour off the top with a straight edge (like an icing spatula or flat side of knife). Never scoop flour out of bag using the measuring cup or you will get too much.
K.R. Foster says
This person doesn’t know how to make decent PB cookies. Way too salty and too sweet. Couldn’t hold it up without your thumb falling through the cookie. Not everything on the internet is good!
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds like you didn’t follow the directions. If you try to lift the cookies before they cool, they will fall apart. They need to cool completely.
Bree says
So you dont need white sugar
Amanda Formaro says
Nope, just brown sugar
Lindsay says
These cookies are so delicious! Perfect texture. I won’t be trying out any more PB cookie recipes – this is THE one.
Kristen says
Can I use butter instead of shortening?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes, but the texture may be slightly different.
M. A says
How many cups of butter should i use if i don’t have shortening?
Amanda Formaro says
You can substitute the same amount of butter for the shortening listed :)
Susan G Murphree says
I am going to try this today but wonder if this recipe needs to be doubled? not sure if 1 3/4 flour will make many cookies?
Amanda Formaro says
Nope, that is the correct amount!
Brooke says
Honestly Amazing! For once a recipe online that’s actually good and worth putting in your recipe book
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you so much!
B says
It was in a recipe book actually. This is Crisco Company’s peanut butter cookie recipe. (They have been published for many years on Crisco’s website where they are named “Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies.”) She merely repeinted it without giving credit.
Amanda Formaro says
Incorrect. It clearly states “from the back of the Crisco container” in the post.