Easy Peanut Butter Cookies (With Video and Step by Step)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

25 mins

Servings:

12

Yield:

1 dozen

They're made with just a few ingredients—no flour, no butter—yet these easy peanut butter cookies are sweet, salty, crisp, and hard to resist. You probably already have the everyday ingredients in your pantry: creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, egg, baking soda, and vanilla extract (you can skip the vanilla if you prefer). They take less than 15 minutes to make and just 12 minutes to bake (you’ll also need to allow time for them to cool). Finished with the familiar cross-hatch pattern, the cookies are also gluten-free and dairy-free. The only downside is how easy they are to eat—they tend to disappear fast!

5 Tips for Making the Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Not all peanut butter is the same. Natural peanut butter will produce a drier cookie than if you use a commercial brand like Jif or Skippy.
Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature before you make these cookies—they will be much easier to mix.
We call for a stand mixer, but you can easily make the cookies without one. A stand or hand mixer makes it quicker, but just use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.
Making the crosshatch: Use the tines of a fork to flatten each cookie and make the crosshatch pattern, but press gently—you don’t need to totally flatten the cookies.
The peanut butter cookie dough looks greasy and is softer than a typical cookie made with flour (and butter) so handle the dough and the cookies gently—and don’t be tempted to add flour.

Directions

Preheat oven, prep baking sheet, and mix ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together peanut butter, egg, sugar, baking soda, vanilla, if using, and salt until well combined.

Grant Webster
Scoop dough onto baking sheet:

Using a 1 3/4-inch scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.

Grant Webster
Make crosshatch pattern on cookies:

Using the tines of a fork, gently press down on each scoop in a crosshatch pattern.

Grant Webster
Sprinkle with sugar and bake:

Sprinkle with sugar and transfer baking sheet to oven. Bake until slightly puffed, 11 to 12 minutes. Cookies will still be soft. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Grant Webster
Cool:

Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Grant Webster

Variation: Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

Simply use crunchy peanut butter in place of smooth.

How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies

Most of us don’t have to worry about how long peanut butter cookies will last because these treats tend to disappear fast. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to seven days.

Storing Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

The uncooked dough can be formed into balls and frozen till hard on a baking sheet. Carefully remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to four months.

Alternatively, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to four days before baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to use eggs for this recipe?

Yes, you have to use eggs for this recipe. Eggs have fat which helps with flavor and texture (peanut butter also has fat). If you’re looking for a peanut butter cookie that is egg-free, we recommend trying our no-bake peanut butter cookies.
Why put fork marks on peanut butter cookies?

We put fork marks on peanut butter cookies, also known as a crosshatch pattern, for more than just decoration. Peanut butter cookie dough is very dense, so pressing the dough with a fork helps to flatten each cookie so it bakes evenly.
How do you know when peanut butter cookies are done?

You know when peanut butter cookies are done when the edges are light brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven if you need to check if they are done. Err on the side of less done rather than more done because the cookies will harden as they cool.
Why are my peanut butter cookies crumbling apart?

Your peanut butter cookies are crumbling apart because they are overbaked. Overbaking peanut butter cookies makes them dry out, causing them to crumble. Ensure you follow the baking instructions in the recipe to avoid this from happening to your cookies.
What rack should you bake cookies on in the oven?

Unless a recipe specifies otherwise, you should bake cookies on the middle rack in the oven. When cookies are baked on the middle rack, they receive the most even heat distribution for consistent browning on both the tops and bottoms. (If you're baking two pans at once, place one in the upper-middle of the oven and the other in the lower-middle, swapping positions and rotating pans midway through.)