Frosted Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies — Easy, soft, and chewy cookies that are full of rich peanut butter flavor!! The frosting is light, fluffy, AMAZING, and my new favorite! You’ll want to eat it by the spoonful!!
Frosted Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
I’ve been on a chocolate and peanut butter kick lately. That’s never a bad thing though.
I rarely make frosted cookies because by the time I get done making the cookie dough and cleaning out my stand mixer, I don’t want to dirty it again to make frosting. Lame but true.
And any type of frosting that requires a piping bag for application is automatically out of the question. Thankfully for this frosting you don’t need a mixer or a piping bag.
It’s a light, fluffy, and easy chocolate frosting that you whisk together with melted butter, cocoa powder, and confectioners’ sugar. You’d never guess you didn’t have to cream it. It’s my new favorite and will be my go-to quick and easy chocolate frosting because it’s fluffy, decadent perfection.
The cookie dough base is the same one I used for Peanut Butter Blossoms and originally used in Peter Pan Neverland Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The peanut butter cookies from scratch are perfectly soft yet have enough chewiness to satisfy without being crunchy or crumbly. Just don’t overbake them. Err on the side of pale, glossy, and underdone looking if you’re in doubt.
Peanut butter and chocolate is an unbeatable combination and these were gobbled up in no time. Right after I got done eating the frosting by the spoonful.
What’s in Frosted Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies?
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for these peanut butter cookies:
- Egg
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Creamy peanut butter
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Milk
- Chocolate sprinkles
How to Make Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
Cream together the egg, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the add the peanut butter and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients.
Scoop out the cookie dough, place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Once the dough has chilled, bake until the edges have set and the tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Once the soft peanut butter cookies have cooled completely, top with frosting and sprinkles.
How to Store Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week (I’m comfortable storing frosted cookies at room temp but if you’re not refrigerate them) or in the freezer (unfrosted) for up to 6 months.
Can I Freeze Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies?
Yes, 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.
Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Cookies
For the peanut butter, something like Skippy or Jif works best. Don’t use a ‘natural’ peanut butter as it tends to separate.
Add the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl one at a time as the recipe specifies and scrape down the bowl between additions. You want to make sure everything is evenly incorporated before adding in the dry ingredients.
Note that any leftover frosting will keep in the fridge for many weeks.
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Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- heaping 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, something like Skippy or Jif works best, don’t use a ‘natural’ peanut butter than separates
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- chocolate sprinkles, jimmies, optional and to taste
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), add the egg, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the peanut butter, vanilla, and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, baking soda, salt, and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute; don’t overmix.
- Using a two-tablespoon cookie scoop form approximately 22 equal-sized mounds of dough.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray.
- Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 8 to 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack while making the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except the sprikles) and whisk aggressively until smooth and combined.
- Frost the cookies using as much frosting as desired and optionally add the sprinkles.
Notes
- If you have extra frosting it will keep airtight in the fridge for many weeks.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week (I’m comfortable storing frosted cookies at room temp but if you’re not refrigerate them) or in the freezer (unfrosted) 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.
- Cookies adapted from Peter Pan Neverland Cookies and Peanut Butter Blossoms, frosting adapted from Martha Swewart.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These cookies look and sound SO scrumptious! You can’t ever go wrong with chocolate and PB, and I am obsessed with how easy the frosting is!
ohhhh myyy. My favorite combo, and that frosting looks to die for!
There is nothing wrong with a peanut butter and chocolate kick! I’m pretty much in one all the time. :)
Me too :)
Hey girl these look amazing! Yummy! Merry Christmas!
I love this frosting, and would have eaten a spoonful before any made their way on top of the cookies!
All of your peanut butter cookies are fantastic!
Looks Like Miss Averie Your name could end in Reese all the yummy Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Thank you for sharing and have a Merry Christmas Holiday
I also hate messing around with frosting, but this looks very do-able. Thanks for another delicious-sounding cookie!
It’s so do-able and my new fave, easy chocolate frosting!
Cookies, fudge, bars…..peanut butter and chocolate is good in any form! These look delicious–and sometimes the extra time for a batch of homemade frosting is just so worth it. Have a merry Christmas!!
This frosting was SO worth it and also so easy! Seriously will be my fluffy chocolate frosting go-to recipe because on the easy + good scale, it was a 10 on both! Merry Christmas!