Lofthouse-Style Soft Peanut Butter Chip Sugar Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Frosted Lofthouse-Style Peanut Butter Chip Cookies — Similar to Lofthouse Soft-Frosted Sugar Cookies, but these are for peanut butter fans! I added peanut butter and frosted them with peanut butter buttercream.

Frosted Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

I’ve been wanting to make these peanut butter sugar cookies for years. I just couldn’t quite nail them until now. I finally got the loosely defined recipe from my brain into a reality that could go into my stomach.

They’re buttery soft, tender, and worth the wait. Without a doubt, one of my favorite cookies on my blog to date.

If you’re not familiar, Lofthouse Cookies are the incredibly soft cookies sold in grocery store bakeries, with a signature layer of frosting and sprinkles. So good, so soft, and the frosting hooks me in for bite after bite.

My cookies are very similar to the real deal, but slightly less cakey, with just a touch more chewiness. They’re light, without being airy or crumbly. Nice and moist because I loathe dry, crumbly anything.

There’s no shortage of internet recipes for Lofthouse copycat versions for the classic soft sugar cookies, but I wanted to create a peanut butter-flavored soft sugar cookie. I kept toying with the idea of adding peanut butter, but that would weigh the cookies down, and they’re known for being lighter and soft.

So instead of peanut butter in the dough, the cookies get their peanut butter flavor from both peanut butter chips and peanut butter frosting. Melty peanut butter chips, peanut butter buttercream, and soft cookies that melt in your mouth. Check. And lace up those running shoes.

The cookies are easy to make and make a modest baker’s dozen. Most recipes I’ve seen for Lofthouse Cookies yield about 5 dozen, use 3 eggs (difficult to halve odd numbers of eggs), and use 5 or 6 cups of flour.

Whoa, no thanks. I love Lofthouse Cookies, but I want to be able to fit in my clothes. So in general, smaller-batch recipes are better for us.

The recipe calls for cake flour. Normally I shy away from using anything you may not have on hand, but in this recipe, it’s irreplaceable and creates a classic soft, light, airy Lofthouse-style cookie. You can buy it in any grocery store baking aisle, Target, or other big box stores. It’s $3 and you can make these cookies with it, too.

I also added cornstarch. It’s a true workhorse in cookie-baking because it helps create a super soft and supple texture. I’ve used it in at least 15 cookie recipes, including Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies, M&M’s Cookies, Snickers Cookies, Twix Bar Cookies, Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies, and S’mores Cookies. You’ll love the softbatch-style results.

After the soft, sticky dough comes together, scoop it into mounds and chill your dough — no exceptions — so your cookies back up thicker and don’t spread into pancakes.

The peanut butter chips add texture and flavor, and because I used one bag for just 13 cookies, every cookie is amply dotted with chips. The peanut butter frosting is soft, fluffy, creamy, and buttery. It’s dangerously good. Hide the spoons.

It’s a good thing the batch size is small because I had to hide them from myself. They were that good. Most things I make I have one or two, and donate the rest. I hoarded these.

They’re going to be a tough act to follow.

What’s in Peanut Butter Chip Cookies? 

To make these frosted peanut butter sugar cookies, you’ll need: 

• Egg
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Cake flour
• Cornstarch 
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Salt
• Peanut butter baking chips
• Creamy peanut butter
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Cream or milk
• Chocolate sprinkles (optional) 

How to Make Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Add the egg, butter, sugars, and vanilla to a large bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Then, add in the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Gently fold in the peanut butter chips last. 

Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two-tablespoon mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Once the cookie dough has chilled, bake until the edges have set and the tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not overbake because cookies will firm up as they cool.

Let the peanut butter chip cookies cool completely before frosting. 

How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting

This is such an easy peanut butter frosting recipe! Simply combine the butter and peanut butter to a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy (it’ll take about 3 minutes). 

Slowly add in the sugar and salt and beat until the frosting comes together. You may need to add a splash of cream or milk to loosen it up a bit. 

Add a generous dollop of peanut butter frosting to each cooled cookie, then top with sprinkles. This is the BEST sugar cookie frosting, you’re going to love it! 

Can I Use a Cake Flour Substitute? 

Yes! A makeshift DIY version of cake flour can be achieved by measuring out 1 cup all-purpose flour, removing 2 tablespoons of it, and in its place, add 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Then, sift the flour and cornstarch together at least 3 times for that ultra-fine, soft texture that cake flour is known for.

Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough? 

Yes, you MUST chill the cookie dough. Do not bake with warm dough because the peanut butter sugar cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.

Tips for Making Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

For the easy sugar cookie frosting, you’ll need to use a traditional peanut butter brand like Jif or Skippy. Don’t use homemade or natural peanut butter because they’ll cause the frosting to separate. 

Note that there are no substitutions for the cornstarch or cake flour. You can make the DIY cake flour I mentioned above, but that’s about it. 

These peanut butter chip cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I’m okay with leaving buttercream frosting at room temperature for a couple days, but if you aren’t, refrigerate the cookies, knowing they’ll dry out more. 

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4.80 from 5 votes

Lofthouse-Style Soft Peanut Butter Chip Sugar Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

By Averie Sunshine

Similar to Lofthouse Soft-Frosted Sugar Cookies, but these are for peanut butter fans! I added peanut butter and frosted them with peanut butter buttercream.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 23 minutes minutes

Servings: 13

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Ingredients  

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Cookies

• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softened
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups cake flour (no substitutions, I used Swans Down
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstach
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ pinch salt, optional and to taste
• ▢ one 10-ounce bag Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips

Peanut Butter Frosting

• ▢ ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, use Jif, Skippy, etc. Not homemade or natural PB because they’ll separate and so will the frosting
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter, half of 1 stick, softened
• ▢ 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
• ▢ pinch salt, optional and to taste
• ▢ splash cream or milk, if needed to achieve proper consistency (I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons cream)
• ▢ chocolate sprinkles, optional for garnishing

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Instructions 

For the Cookies:

• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), cream together the first 5 ingredients (through vanilla) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the next 5 ingredients (through optional salt), and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute; don’t overmix.
• Add the peanut butter chips and mix until just incorporated. Dough will be on the sticky and tacky side.
• Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two-tablespoon mounds (I made 13). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
• Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not overbake because cookies will firm up as they cool.
• Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet  for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooking. Meanwhile, make the frosting.

For the Peanut Butter Frosting:

• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), combine the peanut butter and butter, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly add the sugar, optional salt, and mix until frosting comes together.
• Add a splash of cream or milk as necessary to achieve desired consistency.
• Add a generous dollop (about 2 tablespoons) to each cookie, and smooth it as desired with a knife or spatula.
• Optionally garnish with sprinkles. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I’m okay with leaving buttercream frosting at room temperature for a couple days; if you aren’t, refrigerate the cookies, knowing they’ll dry out more.
• Unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen 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

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

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