Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Thick and chewy, not the dry crumbly kind — the ratio matters.
Method · 8 steps
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment.
- 2
In a stand mixer with paddle, cream room-temp butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar on medium-high 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- 3
Add egg and vanilla. Beat 1 minute on medium until combined and smooth.
- 4
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low just until a stiff dough forms — about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.
- 5
Scoop 1.5-tablespoon balls (35g each). Roll each in the extra 1/4 cup granulated sugar.
- 6
Place 2 inches apart on the sheet pans. Use a fork to press a classic crosshatch pattern into each — flour the fork between presses to keep dough from sticking.
- 7
Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set and tops look dry but centers still look soft. They will look underdone — they set on the pan.
- 8
Cool on the sheet pan 5 minutes (they're fragile hot), then transfer to a wire rack.
Chef's notes
- →Weigh your flour at 155g exactly — extra flour is why most PB cookies come out dry.
- →Commercial peanut butter only. Natural PB separates and throws off the fat ratio.
- →The crosshatch is tradition but also functional: PB cookies don't spread much, so the fork flattens them.
Storage
Airtight at room temp 5 days. Freeze dough balls up to 3 months, bake from frozen +2 minutes.
