Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (Perfect for Baking with Kids!) - ZoëBakes (2024)

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September 12, 2013 (updated July 10, 2022) by Zoë François | cookies, kids

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As you may know, my son (The Fabulous Baker Boy, as I call him on Instagram) baked his way to the bank this summer. You can read all about his baking adventures here. One of his customers requested peanut butter cookies and they turned out to be one of the most popular treats of the summer.

The recipe he chose came from David Lebovitz’s book Ready for Dessert. They are magnificent and easy, easy, easy to make. David has you refrigerate the cookie dough, which really does improve the texture and they don’t spread out or lose the crosshatch pattern. The Fabulous Baker Boy used Skippy peanut butter, per David’s request not to use a natural, freshly ground version. I couldn’t agree more, even though I prefer to eat the all natural kind. Peanut butter made with hydrogenated vegetable oils will hold their shape better and won’t be as greasy or dense. One thing we found is that the texture changed considerably with the amount of baking. If you want a softer cookie, as David describes, you want to err on the side of under baking slightly. Our cookies were more like peanut butter shortbread, because we made the cookies way bigger and baked them several minutes more, but we LOVED them like this. Maybe try a tray each way and decide which style you like better.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (Perfect for Baking with Kids!) - ZoëBakes (6)

Peanut Butter Cookies

What's a more classic treat than peanut butter cookies? This easy recipe is full of tasty peanut butter and has the look, taste and feel we have all come to love from a peanut butter cookie.

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Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for topping cookies
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter Avoid natural-style
  • 1 egg, room temp

Instructions

  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

  • Using a 1-inch cookie/ice cream scoop, portion out the cookie dough and line them up on a baking sheet. They can be tightly packed, because you’ll be refrigerating them. Once they are chilled you can easily move them apart onto multiple baking sheets.(I do this with most of my cookie dough, then I toss the chilled balls of dough into a plastic bag and freeze them. It is a great way to have cookie dough at the ready for a fast onset craving.)

  • Refrigerate the dough for at least a couple of hours or overnight. Once you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment and position the dough balls on the sheets so they have plenty of room to be smushed down.

  • Generously cover the dough balls with sugar.

  • Using a glass, smush the cookies until they are about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough is sticking to the glass add more sugar next time.

  • Make the crosshatch pattern with the tines of a fork.

  • Bake for 9 to 10 minutes (or up to 12 if you like a crisper version).

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Related posts:

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies made with Peanut Flour

Other treats from the Fabulous Baker Boy:

Scones

Cinnamon Rolls with ABin5 Brioche Dough

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  1. Love this classic flavour! Looks awesome!

    Reply

  2. Good for your son! These cookies look fabulous. I can’t remember the last time I had a pb cookie…I need to change that 😉

    Reply

  3. Such a classic cookie that you can never go wrong with!

    Reply

  4. It has been so long since I made peanut butter cookies and I was just a tad disappointed that they were more crumbly than chewy. These look perfect! A must try! And oh you are so lucky to have children who love to bake!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jamie,

      I feel SO lucky that he loves to bake, and he’s already got great skills! 🙂

      If you are looking for chewy, definitely try underbaking these, or they are a bit crumbly.

      Cheers, Zoë

      Reply

  5. Your boy is too cute! And the cookies look amazing…

    Reply

  6. Your son is a natural! Look what a great job he did! And great choice – I adore David Lebovitz and you just can’t go wrong with one of his recipes!

    Reply

  7. So tasty on these fall days!

    Reply

  8. Awww, he’s sooo cute, all focused on his task 😉
    I adore these cookies! You baked a perfect bunch for the weekend 😉
    xx
    Rosa

    Reply

  9. Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

  10. About how many cookies does a recipe yield?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jackie, this recipe makes 30 1-inch balls of dough. Happy baking!

      Reply

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Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (Perfect for Baking with Kids!) - ZoëBakes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best peanut butter for baking cookies? ›

Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter.

Why are my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies falling apart? ›

The wrong type of peanut butter may cause them to fall apart. Or using old eggs may create crumbly cookies. How long do peanut butter cookies last?

Why do you put fork marks in peanut butter cookies? ›

Basic reason..the dough is more dense than most cookie doughs, and the pressing with the fork tines helps the dough bake evenly. Secondarily, its pattern makes it easier to tell them apart from other cookies with similar appearance.

Why are peanut butter cookies always dry? ›

Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour. It's crucial to properly measure the flour in this recipe, as even 1 extra tablespoon of flour can completely change the structure of the cookies. You also might have over baked them!

What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

Image of What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies?
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers.
Wikipedia

Why do my peanut butter cookies crumble? ›

A 100-gram serving of smooth, salt-free peanut butter has 3.56 grams of starch. This may not sound like a lot, but it is enough that it can affect the quality of your cookies – adding too much peanut butter can make them dry, hard, and crumbly.

What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

If you don't flatten the cookies first, then the fork does double duty – it performs both functions. One very subtle result of creating the pattern is that the little tips of dough bake up crisper than the rest of the cookie, giving you both a bit of additional texture and deeper taste where the dough is more baked.

Why do my peanut butter cookies taste weird? ›

Ones with lots of additives do not have as distinct a peanutty taste. So, use a natural peanut butter. Two, your expectations for a peanut taste are too high. The cookies have lots of other ingredients including a significant amount of flavor that decrease the flavor of the peanut butter.

Why do my peanut butter cookies not taste like peanut butter? ›

The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today's cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy.

How do you keep peanut butter cookies from going flat? ›

“When chilled cookies bake, the butter stays in a solid form longer, slowing the spread,” says Dawn. “30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator does wonders, and you can bake the cookies right from the fridge.” Not only will chilling help the fats firm up and the flour hydrate, but it also helps the flavors develop.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Prep your Peanut Butter Cookie recipe up to 24 hours in advance, cover it and refrigerate it so you are ready to bake at a moment's notice. The kids can even help you scoop, roll and flatten the cookies. If the dough is too firm to scoop, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

How do I know if my peanut butter cookies are done? ›

Unlike many other cookies, peanut butter biscuits only fully harden once they've been removed from the oven. Here's how to tell when peanut butter cookies are done: The tops of the cookies are a uniform light brown. They're soft to the touch but not moist or mushy.

How do you moisten peanut butter cookie dough? ›

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Why did my peanut butter cookies come out oily? ›

You baked your cookies and they came out an oily greasy mess. Urgh, what an awful feeling! If you've had this happen to you, odds are you made one of two mistakes: either you didn't allow the ingredients to thoroughly mix during the creaming process or you didn't allow the dough to rest enough before baking.

Can you substitute peanut butter for butter in cookie recipe? ›

Rich, tasty and nutrient-dense, nut butters like almond, cashew, peanut and tahini make excellent butter substitutes for baking and cooking. They will help retain moisture in batter and dough and give your baked goods and other dishes a nutty flavor.

Which nut butter is best for baking? ›

ROASTED ALMOND BUTTER

My most used nut butter for baking. It is what I use in a ton of my cookie recipes to replace butter and oil and make them oil-free. Some of my favorites are these Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Best Ever Vegan Gluten-free Brownies.

What kind of butter is better for cookies? ›

Unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavor of your recipe. This is especially important in certain baked goods where the pure, sweet cream flavor of butter is key (butter cookies or pound cakes). As it pertains to cooking, unsalted butter lets the real, natural flavor of your foods come through.

What is better chunky or creamy peanut butter? ›

As long as you are choosing a peanut butter that's all natural and pesticide free, in addition to being free from added salt or sugar, any peanut butter will be a healthy choice. However, crunchy peanut butter has a little more fiber and less saturated fat, making it overall more nutritious, even if only slightly so.

How do I choose the best peanut butter? ›

To maximize the health benefits of peanut butter, choose natural or organic varieties that contain minimal added sugars and avoid those with hydrogenated oils or trans fats. Also, be mindful of portion sizes, as peanut butter is calorie-dense. A tablespoon or two is typically the recommended serving size.

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