19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (2024)

We love peanut butter cookies. And while it's hard to beat a traditional homemade peanut butter cookie recipe, we're smitten by variations. With these recipes, you can make peanut butter cookies all kinds of ways—from scratch, from mixes, and in some cases, without even turning on the oven. With our best peanut butter cookie recipe for peanut butter purists, plus twists like pinwheels and jammy thumbprints, these peanut butter cookies are proven crowd-pleasers.

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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (1)

This is it! Our best peanut butter cookie recipe for those classic, chewy peanut butter cookies you crave. Generations of cooks have learned how to make peanut butter cookies from this very recipe, and you can, too. It's foolproof—we promise.

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Peanut Butter Blossoms

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (2)

Here's another classic way to make peanut butter cookies. You can customize this peanut butter cookie recipe with different types of chocolate candy in the center. We like to use milk, dark, or caramel-filled chocolates.

Buy It: T-fal Airbake Cookie Sheet ($11, Walmart)

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PB&J Sandwich Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (3)

Lunch just got a whole lot sweeter. Chewy peanut butter cookies take the place for bread with these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. While they're a far cry from a sandwich substitute, you won't find us complaining about finding one in our lunch boxes.

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Peanut Butter and Banana Drops

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (4)

Keep these easy peanut butter cookies in mind whenever you need a speedy dessert to serve. Dried banana chips and creamy chocolate pieces turn purchased cookie dough into a totally new treat. No one will ever notice that these peanut butter banana cookies weren't made from scratch.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Shortbread Bites

19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (5)

These eye-catching gems rank among our best peanut butter cookies for gift-giving. They start with a rich, buttery shortbread recipe that's flavor-charged with peanut butter and chocolate. What really sells them, though, is the peanut butter and chocolate frostings on top. To make these peanut butter cookies even more enticing, follow the instructions for the pretty drizzles.

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Peanut Butter Oat Bites

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (6)

Anyone can make these no-bake peanut butter cookies—they take just 20 minutes of hands-on prep time. These flourless peanut butter cookies are filled with an uncommon (and delicious) combination of ingredients—chocolate chips, coconut, dried cherries, rolled oats, and of course, peanut butter.

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Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (7)

These 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies come together in less than 30 minutes for a dense and delicious gluten-free treat everyone will enjoy. All you'll need is one egg, a cup of sugar, and a cup of peanut butter for an easy batch of gluten-free peanut butter cookies. We promise, no one will miss the gluten.

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Peanut Butter and "Oreo" Brookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (8)

Brownie cookies? Yes, please! This peanut butter brookie (that's brownie + cookie) recipe marries cookies and cream brownies with a chewy peanut butter cookie recipe for a sweet mashup that begs to be dunked in a glass of milk.

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Peanut Butter Cream Sandwich Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (9)

What's better than one peanut butter cookie? Two peanut butter cookies with peanut butter cream in the middle, of course! A mixture of marshmallow creme and chunky peanut butter creates a fluffernutter-style filling for this showstopping take on a traditional peanut butter cookie recipe.

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Copycat Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (10)

No Girl Scouts in your neighborhood? No problem. These chocolate-coated peanut butter cookies are based on Girl Scout Tagalongs (also called Peanut Butter Patties), and our recipe makes 46 cookies … which, if you've ever ordered peanut butter Girl Scout cookies before, you know means they'll likely get eaten in exactly one day.

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PB&J Ice Cream Sandwiches

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (11)

This recipe shows you how to make peanut butter cookies into a kid-favorite dessert. Simply bake the cookies using purchased dough (or skip that step and use purchased cookies). Fill with ice cream and a touch of jam, and you have sweet and playful take on PB&J.

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Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Brownie Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (12)

Peanut butter and jelly is a sacred combination, which is why the addition of fudgy brownies to this peanut butter cookie sandwich recipe is so delightfully sinful. A scoop of fresh-from-the-oven brownie is smashed together with a tablespoon of jam between two layers of peanut butter cookies to make one decadent dessert sandwich. Store-bought peanut butter cookie dough saves time since you'll need to roll the dough out before slicing and baking.

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Double Oat Breakfast Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (13)

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! These chewy peanut butter cookies are packed with good-for-you ingredients, such as oats, cereal, and raisins. We also sprinkled a handful of chocolate chips into these easy peanut butter cookies to add just a little indulgence to your morning.

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Peanut Butter Munchies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (14)

Each cookie has a surprise inside: gooey, creamy peanut butter. Happily, these are also super-easy peanut butter cookies to make. Simply wrap cookie dough around balls of creamy peanut butter filling. Then bake, cool, and prepare to swoon.

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Giant Triple Threat Peanut Butter Cookies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (15)

When compared to all the different types of peanut butter cookies, this recipe has a giant advantage. The giant-size cookies start with a homemade peanut butter batter and plenty of peanut butter-filled chocolate chips in the mix. Just before baking, they're topped with ground peanuts for a peanut butter cookie recipe that's all about the peanuts. Grab a glass of milk and start munching.

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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pinwheels

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (16)

These twirly peanut butter and chocolate cookies are playful and fun to make. A bit of cocoa powder adds a chocolatey spin to refrigerated sugar cookie dough before swirling together with refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough. After refrigerating the rolled dough, simply slice and bake.

Pinwheel Cookies That Always Stand Out on a Cookie Tray

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PB&C Cookie Sandwiches

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Here we start with our best peanut butter cookie recipe and add cocoa powder plus peanut butter and milk chocolate pieces to the dough. Then we transform the baked treats into rich sandwich cookies. You'll be glad to know that the filling for these peanut butter cookies is purchased chocolate frosting mixed with peanut butter. How easy is that?

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Ultimate Tassies

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (18)

We bet you've never had peanut butter cookies quite like this before. A buttery cream cheese crust makes a crisp shell for the two-tone peanut butter and chocolate filling. Use a piping bag for the filling to create a gorgeous swirl.

Buy It: Ateco Pastry Bag Kit ($20, Williams Sonoma)

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PB&J Thumbprints

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19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (19)

Yes, they combined! Here, peanut butter cookies marry thumbprint cookies for one fabulous "happily ever after." Want more to celebrate? This peanut butter cookie recipe takes just three ingredients—and refrigerated cookie dough jump-starts the list.

19 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes That Take Rich Flavor Seriously (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you add too much peanut butter to peanut butter cookies? ›

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.

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.

What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›

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

There are a few reasons why your cookies are falling apart. The wrong ratio of ingredients, such as too little sugar or peanut butter will make them fall apart.

How do you intensify peanut butter flavor? ›

Adding a small amount of vanilla extract or cinnamon for extra flavor. Mixing in cocoa powder or cacao nibs for a chocolate peanut butter. Mixing in a small amount of coconut oil for a creamier texture and a hint of coconut flavor.

Is it better to use butter or shortening in peanut butter cookies? ›

Yes, shortening yields chewier cookies than butter does, because butter contains water and shortening doesn't. But you can easily make up for butter's crisping tendencies by using crucial ingredient No. 3… Brown sugar instead of white sugar.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Chill your cookie dough! The dough is extremely soft due to the creamy peanut butter, eggs, and butter and if it's not cold going into the oven, the cookies will spread all over your baking sheet. I chilled this cookie dough for 24 hours and my cookies were soft, thick perfection.

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.

What kind of peanut butter is best 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 do they put fork marks in peanut butter cookies? ›

The reason is that peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and unpressed, each cookie will not cook evenly. Using a fork to press the dough is a convenience of tool; bakers can also use a cookie shovel (spatula).

Why do you mash peanut butter cookies with a fork? ›

Using the long tines of a fork and pressing down on the dough ball twice , one vertically and one horizontally, flattens the dough evenly and leaves attractive marks.

Why are my peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly? ›

If you're wanting to use natural (no sugar added) peanut butter, the cookies will be less sweet and they will likely spread out more. Using natural peanut butter will change the structure and texture of the cookies. Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour.

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.

Why do you cross peanut butter cookies? ›

Peanut butter cookie dough is denser than a lot of other cookie doughs. Putting the hash marks in the cookie dough balls actually flattens them for more even baking. Without being pressed, the cookies will not cook evenly.

Why are my peanut butter cookies always hard? ›

Why did my peanut butter cookies turn out hard? This is most likely to happen from over-baking your cookies. Make sure to take them out of the oven when they're still a bit soft in the middles, that way they can finish cooking on their cookie sheets outside the oven.

What happens if you have too much peanut butter? ›

"Eating too much peanut butter in a short time frame can cause people to become more constipated or have stomach aches due to the high amount of fat in a short time frame," Alicia Galvin, RD said. "Fat takes longer to digest and absorb, and peanut butter is mostly fat, so having too much can tax the digestive system."

How much peanut butter is too much peanut butter? ›

You can also add this spread to fruit smoothies, oatmeal, muffins, and other dishes for a tasty boost of healthy fats and protein. To avoid exceeding your daily calorie needs, be mindful of portion sizes. For most people, this means sticking to 1–2 tablespoons (16–32 grams) per day.

How does peanut butter affect cookies? ›

This test showed us how differing amounts of peanut butter affect the texture of the cookie. We discovered that more peanut butter produced a drier, tighter cookie.

Why did my peanut butter cookies turn out hard? ›

Why did my peanut butter cookies turn out hard? This is most likely to happen from over-baking your cookies. Make sure to take them out of the oven when they're still a bit soft in the middles, that way they can finish cooking on their cookie sheets outside the oven.

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