These are THE Best Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies! Sink your teeth into that perfectly soft and chewy texture and you’ll see why these are the only peanut butter cookies you’ll ever need!
If you feel like the title of these cookies is filled to the brim with hyperbole, well, I’m sorry to say it, but you’d be wrong. These are the BEST most SUPER SOFT peanut butter cookies in the whole entire universe. You can try to prove me wrong. All that would take is for you to bring me all the peanut butter cookies you can find. Then I’d have to do a taste test and eat all the cookies, and I just don’t see how I could lose here, no matter what.
But seriously, I do think there is no point in making a peanut butter cookie if it’s not all the things in one — soft, chewy, peanut buttery, sweet but not too sweet — and these just check all the boxes. And, I don’t know if you’ve realized it or not, but I kind of have a little crush on peanut butter. Especially when it comes to sweets. Sure, I’ve made all the peanut butter things, but had yet to perfect the original peanut butter cookie. Till now.
I considered not sharing this recipe and keeping it all to myself. But, then I thought, how rude of me, and wouldn’t you love to make these, too? Yes, yes you would. I think what makes these so soft is a few things: the butter at room temperature, adding the dry ingredients to the wet, the gentle handling of the dough, and, maybe most importantly, the not overbaking of the cookie.
You have to watch these bad boys like a hawk. And — this is also important — take them off the cookie sheet to cool after a minute or two. If you leave them on the cookie sheet they will keep baking. This is no bueno. Cook them too long either in or out of the oven, and you’re going to have a hard, sad cookie. Then I’ll be one sad cookie for you.
Why Are My Cookies Crumbling?
This is a great question, and one I get asked a lot. (It happens to me more often than I’d like to admit.) The main reason you have a crumbly cookie is because you’ve added too much flour. You might think the dough looks too wet when you mix it, so you think, “I’ll just add a little flour and see.” But this just results in a crumbly cookie.
Other reasons you might have a crumbly cookie is that you’ve used margarine or another butter substitute or you’ve cooked them too long. Sorry, but you just can’t get these soft, delicious cookies without using real, unsalted butter. And you have to make sure to not overcook them — and that includes on the sheet afterwards. Watch your time and remove them to cool fully on a cooling rack a minute or two after they come out of the oven. Don’t wait — I promise this is an important step.
What Other Desserts Can I Make With These Soft Peanut Butter Cookies?
Gosh, I’m glad you asked that question. Or, at least I assume you want to ask that question. Because I know as soon as I have one recipe planned, I’ve already got all the permutations of it spinning around in my head. Because, why stop at a peanut butter cookie when you could:
- Take two equal-sized cookies and add a scoop of softened ice cream in the middle, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for a perfect peanut butter ice cream sandwich. Almost any ice cream could work here, especially if it had chocolate in it.
- Crumble peanut butter cookies on top of ice cream with some hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry for a yummy sundae topping.
- Use the cookie dough as a base for a peanut butter pie. Cook the dough in the pie pan first though, then add the ingredients for the pie (ingredients are no-bake).
- Add crumbled pretzel bits, mini chocolate chips (or both!) to the dough for salty/sweet combination.
Best Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
These are THE Best Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies! Sink your teeth into that perfectly soft and chewy texture and you’ll see why these are the only peanut butter cookies you’ll ever need!
-
1 1/2
cups
flour -
1
teaspoon
baking soda -
1/4
teaspoon
salt -
3/4
cup
creamy peanut butter -
1/2
cup
butter
room temperature -
3/4
cup
brown sugar -
1/4
cup
granulated sugar
(plus 2 tablespoons for rolling) -
1
large egg -
1 1/2
teaspoons
vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and very lightly grease a baking sheet or line with a baking mat.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until blended.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined (do not over mix). Roll dough into balls (two regular size cookie scoops or about 3 tablespoons, the balls should be fairly big – this is the key to a super soft texture!)
Roll cookie dough balls in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, then place on baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Use a fork to gently press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie dough ball, only pressing ball down about half way.
Bake for 8-9 minutes – DO NOT OVER BAKE. The cookies should just begin to crack on top. Allow to cool 1-2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days (they are softest on day 1 and 2!).
Cookie dough slightly adapted from Ahead of Thyme.
