Big Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies — These soft peanut butter cookies are the peanut butter version of a molasses crinkle. They’re soft, supremely chewy, and have an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie flavor!

I love crinkle cookies. When I see those big crevices, my eyes light up and I know I’m in for a chewy treat. 

I love molasses crinkles, but peanut butter crinkles sounded so good. These simple peanut butter cookies are soft, supremely chewy, and have an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie flavor.

It’s a very easy peanut butter cookie recipe to memorize because it starts out with 1/2 cup each of butter, peanut butter, granulated and brown sugars, along with an egg and vanilla. Add in the flour, baking soda, and then scoop into balls.

When I eat cookies, I’m a breaker, not a biter, and these cookies break apart so nicely at the crinkles. Half the fun is them breaking apart. I told myself, oh just break off that little piece there. And then that other little piece over there came off so effortlessly, too.

And then breaking off another section. And another crinkly seam. So good.

Ingredients for This Recipe

This easy peanut butter crinkles recipe calls for just nine basic ingredients. To make these old-fashioned chewy peanut butter cookies, you’ll need: 

• Egg
• Creamy peanut butter
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies

When I say these are easy peanut butter cookies, I mean it! Full instructions are provided in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview: 

1. To make the dough, simply beat together the wet ingredients, then mix in the dry. 
2. Scoop the cookie dough into balls, then chill them for at least 2 hours. 
3. Before baking, I roll the dough through granulated sugar because I like my crinkle cookies with the ever-so-slight crunch of a sugary coating. It’s very minimal, but a nice touch.
4. I baked these chewy and soft peanut butter cookies for 12 minutes. If you’re an oven door watcher, the cookies begin crinkling about 9 minutes into baking, and the longer the bake, the more they crinkle, and continue to do so as they cool. 

Storage Instructions

Baked peanut butter crinkles will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Or, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Save Saved Review Print

4.62 from 44 votes

Old-Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies

By Averie Sunshine

These soft peanut butter cookies are the peanut butter version of a molasses crinkle. They’re soft, supremely chewy, and have an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie flavor!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 22 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Save this recipe to your email

Enter your email and we’ll send it to you!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Send It!

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ½ cup creamy peanut butter, not natural or homemade, too runny
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated
• ▢ ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ pinch salt, optional and to taste
• ▢ granulated sugar, for rolling

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• To the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl with electric mixer), combine egg, peanut butter, butter, sugars, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamed, about 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, divide dough into 12 equal-sized mounds. Roll the mounds into balls, and flatten just slightly. Dough is very soft, limp, and mushy so be gentle with it.
• Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake too thin, flat, and will spread far too much.
• Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
• Dredge each mound dough through granulated sugar, coating liberally.
• Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. I bake 8 cookies per sheet; do not crowd because the cookies spread considerably.
• Bake for about 12 minutes (start checking at 10 minutes), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake because cookies firm up as they cool. If you’re an oven door watcher, the cookies begin crinkling about 9 minutes into baking, and the longer the bake, the more they crinkle and continue to do so as they cool.
• Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.

Notes

• Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
• Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 215kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 176mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

↓ Click the Stars to Rate This Recipe ↓

Tried this recipe? Leave a review!

Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!

More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes: 

Peanut Butter Comfort – My cookbook, featuring over 100 Peanut Butter Recipes! 

Soft Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies — These chocolate-dipped peanut butter cookies are SOFT AND CHEWY on the inside thanks to the addition of pudding mix in the cookie dough!

Easy 4-Ingredient Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies — These 4-ingredient peanut butter cookies are made with a secret ingredient…and lots of peanut butter, of course! These are so easy and fast to make!

Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies — Peanut butter and chocolate is an unbeatable combination and these were gobbled up in no time! 

The Best Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies — One bowl, no mixer, and a few ingredients is all you need for these easy peanut butter cookies.

Triple Peanut Butter Cookies — These peanut butter cookies are for true peanut butter lovers because they incorporate peanut butter three ways – peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips, and peanut butter dough.

Toffee and Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies — These soft and chewy cookies have no butter, no flour, and no white sugar. Because there’s no butter or flour to dilute the flavor, they’re intensely peanut buttery.

Peanut Butter Cowboy Cookies — Almost everything but the kitchen sink is included in these cookies, and it’s the type of recipe that it’s easy to make substitutions and swaps with the add-ins used.

Peanut Butter Blossoms — The cookies are perfectly soft yet have enough chewiness to satisfy without being crunchy or crumbly and stay soft for days.

Monster Cookies — My recipe for classic monster cookies that are chock full of creamy peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and M&M’s makes both kids and adults reach for just one more cookie! Fast, EASY, soft, perfectly chewy, and they’ll become a family FAVORITE in no time!