Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies — These are hands down the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made. Know that I don’t say that lightly! They’re melt-in-your mouth soft and chewy, and extremely moist!
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BEST EVER Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m not one to throw around labels like ‘The Best’ or ‘Best Of’ if I really don’t think something is. When people talk and every other thing is amazing, life-changing, or the best, I tend to not take them seriously.
But I can proudly say, these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies get my vote as “The Best” peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made.
They’re the easiest cookies you’ll ever make, with only six ingredients, and one of them is vanilla, which hardly counts. The recipe is naturally gluten-free because there’s no flour, and it’s one egg away from being vegan.
Instead of granulated sugar, this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe uses all brown sugar. Why? Because it helps baked goods stay moist and soft, and it adds greater depth of flavor than granulated sugar!
The cookie dough itself is as robustly peanut butter flavored as you can get. There’s no butter and no flour to take away any of the intensity of flavor. Just pure peanut butter intensity.
The edges have a bit of chewiness to them, the interior is so soft and tender, the peanut flavor is distinctly present, and chunks and rivers of dark chocolate ooze everywhere.
It’s hard to believe there’s no butter, no flour, and no granulated sugar in them. They’re my definition of the perfect cookie.
Ingredients in Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here’s what I used in these chocolate chip peanut butter cookies:
- Creamy peanut butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Chocolate chips or chunks
A Note About the Amount of Vanilla Called For
I am a vanilla fiend and added it amply enough to matter — 1 tablespoon, to be exact. No more of this 1/2 teaspoon business!
However, if you’re one of those people who prefer less, go with less. I go with more.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Making soft and chewy peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips is so easy! Just make sure you plan ahead, because the cookie dough MUST be chilled before baking it.
Here’s an overview of the recipe steps:
- Add the peanut butter and light brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. (Spraying the measuring cup with cooking spray will help it plop out easier.)
- To the peanut butter and brown sugar, add an egg, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Mix all the ingredients until well-combined.
- Add the chocolate and beat momentarily to incorporate.
- As tempting as it is to bake the cookies right away because the dough is just so good, it must be chilled for at least 2 hours before being baked for thicker, puffier cookies.
- Using a medium-sized two-inch cookie scoop, form the dough mounds. This translates to almost 2 tablespoons of dough, or about 1.60-ounces by weight.
- Place the dough onto baking sheets about two inches apart, about 8 per tray. Prior to baking, flatten the mounds slightly. If your dough is very well-chilled, you can flatten them a bit more so they don’t stay mounded up in little puffballs while baking, just don’t over-flatten them.
- Bake at 350ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
A Note About the Bake Time
I recommend baking the cookies at the lower end of the bake time range. The cookies in the photos were baked for 8 minutes exactly, with the trays rotated once at the 4-minute mark.
The chocolate chip peanut butter cookies will look underdone at 8 minutes, but firm up as they cool. Let them cool on the baking trays for 5 to 10 minutes before moving them.
If you like crispy and crunchy peanut butter cookies, this probably isn’t the recipe for you since these are all about soft, chewy, and melty. But if you prefer slightly more well-done cookies, bake them for 9-ish minutes, maybe 10.
I would not bake them longer than 10 minutes or they’ll set up too firm and crunchy as they cool, and you’ll miss out on the ooey, gooey, melt-in-your mouth qualities, which are make these the best chocolate chip peanut butter cookies!
Recipe FAQs
Of course! The honey roasted peanut butter makes for a slightly sweeter cookie than using regular peanut butter, and it’s a great contrast to the bittersweet dark chocolate. However, use what you have!
For my version, I used 1 cup Peanut Pan Creamy Honey Roasted Peanut Butter and I don’t advocate using natural or Homemade Peanut Butter.
As lovely as homemade peanut butter is for eating with a spoon, spreading on toast, or making pans of bars with, it lacks the structure that store-bought peanut butter has.
Because these cookies have no flour, which would lend structure, using peanut butter that’s oily, natural, and loose is going to result in cookies that are loose and may not bake up as thick.
You could try using natural peanut butter — and I’ve seen some people have success with it — but I get much better results with commercial. Good old-fashioned Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan are my recommendations.
I don’t care for nuts in cookies, generally speaking, and creamy peanut butter is the only way for me, but if you like little pebbles in your cookies, go with crunchy.
Use whichever you have on hand to make these accidentally gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!
I like the darkness and slight bitterness of chopped chocolate, contrasted with the honey in the peanut butter, and with molasses that’s naturally found in brown sugar. Most semi-sweet chocolate chips are in the 50 to 55% range, and I relish the extra bump in dark chocolate intensity.
However, chocolate chips are definitely the easier and quicker option since you don’t have to chop them up before throwing into the dough. In short: use what you have!
You probably can, but I’ve never tried it myself so I can’t say for sure. But I imagine substituting chopped nuts for part of the chocolate chunks would be fine.
Yes, pre-baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 4 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.
Storage Instructions
These flourless peanut butter chocolate cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, I prefer creamy honey roasted; plain or crunchy may be used; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter – see below *
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ounces semi-sweet, dark, or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips may be substituted)
Instructions
- To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer gritty or granular. Stop to scrape down the bowl as necessary.
- Add the baking soda and beat to incorporate.
Add the chocolate and beat to just incorporate; don’t overmix or the nice chocolate chunks will break down. - Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form two-tablespoon mounds. If chocolate is falling out of dough since there is an abundance, roll ball between palms to encourage it to stay in the dough.
- Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 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 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center. Watch them very closely after 7 minutes and I recommend not baking longer than 10 minutes. Cookies firm up as they cool, and baking too long results in cookies that become too crisp and hard. The cookies in the photos were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark, and have chewy edges with pillowy soft centers.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- *Although natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter may work, I recommend using storebought peanut butter like Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan or similar so that cookies bake up thicker and spread less. Using natural or homemade peanut butter tends to result in thinner and flatter cookies that are prone to spreading.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes:
Did you know that I wrote a Peanut Butter Cookbook? It contains 100+ recipes that feature peanut butter as the key ingredient!
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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Bars — Just like the classic cookies except made as cookie bars rather than individual cookies. Bars are faster, easier, there’s no dough to chill, they’re made in one bowl, and you don’t need a mixer!
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!
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies — Soft, chewy and they’ll be your new fave PB cookies!! One bowl, no mixer, no butter, naturally gluten-free! Love it when something so easy tastes so amazing!!
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! Dipping them in dark chocolate makes for the PERFECT flavor combo!!
Yum! These are sinful. I’ve already made them twice. Thanks for the recipe!
Woo-hoo! Thanks for making them twice and coming back to LMK!
Brown sugar is simply white sugar and molasses so it’s a bit erroneous to make the claim of no white sugar. Have u tried this recipe with agave?
No I have not.
These are simple and delicious! I did have to use 2 eggs instead of 1 to achieve the right consistency however. I love chewy cookies and chewy cookies with peanut butter and chocolate? The BEST!
So glad you tried them and glad you made a gametime call to add in another egg to achieve the right consistency and that you’re so happy with them! Thanks for the field report (and on the coconut oil white choc cookies that you made too!)
Averie — I love the flavor of these cookies but mine came out awfully crumbly. I followed your directions exactly (I think) and only baked them for eight minutes. The dough seemed crumbly from the get-go (and I refrigerated it as directed and everything). Do you have any idea why they would have come out this way?
Yes it sounds like there wasn’t enough moisture in your dough…adding up to another 1/4 cup of PB (1 to 4 tbsp), give or take, would clear this right up!
From brand to brand of PB, different sugar types, climate/humidity, etc. can all effect the consistency of dough. Just add a touch more PB next time and you’ll be good to go! (other options would include another egg yolk, or a splash of milk but a drop more of PB is probably the easiest)
These cookies look awesome!!! I’m trying to find a great cookie recipe for a baby shower. They are going to be the favors put In cd sleeves. I was wondering if these would do good as jumbo cookies and would they hold up in the cd sleeves or are they to soft??
Thanks
Any time you bake cookies as a jumbo cookie, you run the risk of the edges burning or getting too crispy before the centers really cook through. I personally would just make them an average size but up to you.
These are cute too for a baby shower
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/03/soft-and-chewy-mms-cookies.html
Those look great, but I must say that brown sugar is white sugar with molasses. Sucanat would be a natural sugar, but brown sugar is highly processed. I’m sure they still taste great, though:)
I made these cookies this weekend and they are FANTASTIC! I only have a hand mixer so I beat the dough for about 5 minutes. It didn’t quite come together but after chilling for 3 hours I was able to form dough balls with my hands and they took on the darker color mentioned by some other commenters so I was excited. After trying them I’m even more excited! They are the best cookies I’ve made or had in a long time. This was my first time baking gluten free and you made it so easy! I also made your peach mango pineapple white sangria and boy is that good too!!! I already want to make another batch :) keep the good stuff coming!
Thanks for coming back to tell me you enjoyed the cookies (and tried your hand at GF-baking) Glad you were able to get the dough to come together using your hands (and yes with a hand mixer, you need to really beat the dough well, at least 5 mins+) and glad it all worked out. And that sangria, mmm, good stuff too :)
I made these cookies today, and they are amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for coming back to tell me, Candace! Glad you love them!
Hoping mine will turn out. The nature oils in the peanut butter separated on me. I used a combination of Jif and Simply Jif.
Has anyone else encountered this problem?
Simply Jif is a natural-style peanut butter that separates and that’s why I caution against using it. I think you’ll be fine, but make sure the dough is VERY well-chilled before you bake them or they will turn flat.
Hi Averie! Just wanted ask a quick question….does the dough get kind of oily?? I was just scooping these out and noticed a lot of oil in the container I had the dough chilling in. And I sort of was able to wring a bit of oil out when I formed them…lol! Followed the recipe as is, used regular Jiff. Popping them in the oven with fingers crossed I didn’t mess up somewhere! The dough was quite tasty, so I am sure they will taste delish! ;)
Yes it can separate a bit and be on the oily side and I’ve noticed some jars of PB are more prone to that (even if using Jif) – as well as temperature in the house effecting things, but you’ll be fine! LMK how they turn out!
That could be it! Having a heat wave in the desert SW! They did spread a bit, so they aren’t as pretty as yours, but they taste amazing! Hubs is standing here giving me a thumbs up and shaking his head yes with a mouth full of cookie :). Thanks for the quick reply and great recipe!
Oh whenever I bake in temps that are over about 80F outside, no matter how ‘climate controlled’ my indoors is, you cannot fool mother nature, or fool cookie science :) They do spread more, the dough is more oily, and in general, baking in hot weather adds another dimension to consider. If you are ever in a jam and don’t care about adding it, adding 1 to 2 tbsp of flour for this particular recipe will cure your problem immediately :) That, or REALLY, chilling the dough. Like 48 hrs. Scoop into balls right after you make it, put on a plate or in a tupperware, and refigerate for 2 days. Take the balls out and bake and they wont spread nearly as much. Glad they got 2 thumbs up from hubs! :)
Well if you’re aware what brown sugar is, it’s a big disingenuous to claim they have no white sugar, like brown sugar is a healthier alternative…
Picky – great name by the way!
I like brown sugar. It’s not white; it’s brown. I’m not suggesting it’s healthier. Although I do prefer the flavor.
If you have a blog, I’d love to take a peek at your recipes and come by and drop in a few comments!
I was just looking through comments and found this funny. I’m glad you always defend yourself Averie!
OK, I just had to click over here from your home page. I have seen these all over gwaker and I just have to make them. I just need to get rid of all of these sea salt and caramel brownies first. I have such a craving for peanut butter and chocolate right now that I just took a spoonful of peanut butter and topped it with some Nutella. It worked, but I’m positive that these cookies would be 10x better!
xoxo, Jackie
Your brownies always look amazing. I want to try that Roberts/recipe of yours and also another brownie recipe Ive had my eye on. I do love my own go-to recipe though. Not sure if I should cheat on it..haha! As for these cookies, they are easy, fabulous, and the best PB cookies I’ve ever had. They’re not even in my book…I didn’t create them until just a couple mos ago (although there’s a version of them in my book, based on my older 2011 recipe this recipe is derived from) But you will LOVE them. It’s a VERY small batch recipe, making 1 dozen. Honestly, your kids will eat them in a day! I never, ever make big batches of stuff!