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Per serving
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- 1
Cream butter and sugars
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter until smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Beat well for 1-2 minutes until fluffy with no chunks of butter remaining.
- 2
Add peanut butter
Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter (yes, extra — that's the secret!). Beat until fully combined and smooth.
- 3
Add egg and vanilla
Add 1 egg and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
- 4
Mix in dry ingredients
Add 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour to the bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt on top of the flour and give them a quick stir with a spoon before turning the mixer on. Mix until just combined — stop as soon as you no longer see flour streaks. Over-mixing leads to tough cookies.
- 5
Chill the dough
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes, and up to 2 days. This dough is quite soft, so chilling makes it much easier to handle and helps develop the flavors.
- 6
Shape and press
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour about 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a small bowl. Scoop the dough into 1 and 1/2-inch balls — don't roll smooth in your hands, leave the textured edges from the scoop. Roll each ball in the sugar and place on the baking sheet. Use a fork dipped in sugar to press a crisscross pattern into each cookie, flattening to about 1/2-inch thickness.
- 7
Bake and cool
Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and no longer shiny. For the softest result, pull them out before any browning — just when the edges look set. Sprinkle with a little extra granulated sugar right out of the oven. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Created by: SugarAndButter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugarsIn a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter until smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Beat well for 1-2 minutes until fluffy with no chunks of butter remaining.
- Add peanut butterAdd 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter (yes, extra — that's the secret!). Beat until fully combined and smooth.
- Add egg and vanillaAdd 1 egg and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
- Mix in dry ingredientsAdd 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour to the bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt on top of the flour and give them a quick stir with a spoon before turning the mixer on. Mix until just combined — stop as soon as you no longer see flour streaks. Over-mixing leads to tough cookies.
- Chill the doughCover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes, and up to 2 days. This dough is quite soft, so chilling makes it much easier to handle and helps develop the flavors.
- Shape and pressPreheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour about 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a small bowl. Scoop the dough into 1 and 1/2-inch balls — don't roll smooth in your hands, leave the textured edges from the scoop. Roll each ball in the sugar and place on the baking sheet. Use a fork dipped in sugar to press a crisscross pattern into each cookie, flattening to about 1/2-inch thickness.
- Bake and coolBake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and no longer shiny. For the softest result, pull them out before any browning — just when the edges look set. Sprinkle with a little extra granulated sugar right out of the oven. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes & Tips
The trick to these cookies being so incredibly soft and peanut-buttery is using a full cup plus 2 tablespoons of peanut butter — more than double what most recipes call for. All that extra fat is what makes them melt in your mouth. The key baking tip: pull them out before they look fully done. The centers should still look just barely underset when you open the oven door — they finish cooking on the hot pan as they cool. Trust the process! A combination of both baking soda and baking powder gives you the ideal texture: just enough crisp on the edges with a pillowy, tender middle.