Grandma’s Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Grandma’s Classic Peanut Butter Cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and just so good! This is the classic peanut butter cookie I grew up on. These cookies will hold their shape while baking.

And if you’re a fan of sweet peanut butter treats, be sure to check out my easy peanut butter dip, peanut butter pie and buckeye balls recipe!

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Grandma’s Classic Peanut Butter Cookies remind me of my childhood because it was the most made cookie in our house. Well, most made after classic chocolate chip cookies, of course.

Grandma is my mom (that’s what my kids call her), and she made peanut butter cookies all the time when I was a kid. I can’t promise this is her exact recipe, but every bite tastes like the ones she used to make.

If you want a peanut butter cookie that will be crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and won’t go completely flat when cooked, this is the one. This recipe uses just the right amount of flour to hold the cookie together without drying it out.

What You’ll Need

• Butter: unsalted and softened, so you control the salt.
• Peanut butter: crunchy or creamy. I usually use a natural, no-sugar-added kind (more on that below).
• Sugar: granulated and packed brown sugar, plus a little extra granulated sugar for rolling.
• Eggs: 2 large eggs.
• Vanilla: a full tablespoon. Yes, really. I’m heavy-handed with vanilla, and it’s what makes these taste like more than just peanut butter. If that’s too much for you, cut it to 2 teaspoons. Want to make your own? Here’s my homemade vanilla extract.
• Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt.

Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

Want chocolate in there too? Try my chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.

Can You Use Natural Peanut Butter?

Yes! It’s the kind I use most often. I despise the kind of peanut butter that has the oil on the top and requires stirring. There are plenty of no-stir peanut butters out there that are natural, meaning the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.

Why do I recommend using natural peanut butter?

Many peanut butters contain added sugar. Sure, it tastes great on a spoon, but when baking things like these peanut butter cookies, I like to control the amount of sugar added to my cookies. If you use a natural no-sugar added peanut butter, they will taste the same every time.

That said, I’ve also made these with Jif, and they turn out great. Use what you have.

Can You Use Oil Instead of Butter in Peanut Butter Cookies?

I’ve never made these with oil, and I’m not planning to. I’m purely a butter-in-my-cookies kind of girl.

Here’s why I’d skip that swap in this recipe. Butter is about 80% fat and the rest is mostly water, while oil is 100% fat. Butter also gets creamed with the sugar, which beats in air and gives these cookies their crisp edges and chewy middles. Oil can’t do that, so you’d likely end up with a flatter, greasier cookie.

If you need a cookie without butter, look for a recipe written for oil from the start instead of swapping it into this one.

How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies

The dough comes together in about 15 minutes, then it needs at least an hour in the fridge before baking.

1. Cream the Butter, Peanut Butter and Sugars

Beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl a few times. I use my stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but a hand mixer works just fine.

2. Add the Eggs and Vanilla

Mix in the eggs and vanilla, scraping the sides at least once so everything is fully mixed in.

3. Mix in the Dry Ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then slowly mix them into the peanut butter mixture until there are no dry streaks.

4. Chill the Dough

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

PRO TIP: Use a cookie scoop if you have one. You get the same size cookie every time, so they all bake evenly. A regular spoon works too; you just need to scoop the dough.

5. Shape, Sugar and Fork the Cookies

Roll 1-inch balls of dough until smooth, then roll them in sugar or just dip the tops. Set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet a couple inches apart and press a crisscross pattern with a fork.

6. Bake and Cool on the Pan

Bake at 350°F for about 8 to 10 minutes. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet until you can lift them without breaking, then move them to a cooling rack.

Reasons Why Peanut Butter Cookies Are Dry and Crumbly

There can be a few reasons for your cookies turning out too dry and crumbly:

1. You cooked them a wee bit too long. Peanut butter cookies can be extremely deceiving. They don’t always look cooked when, indeed, they are fully cooked. They’ll go brown around the edges if you cook them too long, so this is one of those cookies you want to take out a little early. Take them out of the oven as soon as they no longer look wet or raw. They will finish cooking on the baking sheet after you take them out of the oven. Do not over cook your peanut butter cookies!
2. You added a wee bit too much flour. Be sure to measure your flour exactly. This recipe calls for just the right amount of flour to allow the cookies to hold their shape during the cooking process. Less flour will result in a chewier cookie but it might spread more. More flour than what I recommend will result in a drier, more crumbly cookie. I measure flour by dipping the measuring cup into the bag and leveling it off with a knife. If you bake with a scale, 2 3/4 cups is about 385 g.
3. Your dough was already dry before baking. Peanut butter varies a lot from brand to brand, and egg size makes a difference too. If your dough won’t hold together when you squeeze it, beat in a tablespoon or two of softened butter or milk until it does.

Should You Refrigerate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Before Baking?

Yes. I recommend refrigerating the dough for at least an hour before baking.

Cold cookie dough will spread less during the cooking process. Ever made homemade sugar cookies that can’t hold their shape? That might be because the dough wasn’t cold enough. Same principle.

If you’re in a real hurry, you can skip the refrigeration process, but your cookies just might not look as good and could potentially take less time to cook.

Why Do You Fork Peanut Butter Cookies?

The main purpose to “fork” your peanut butter cookies is to make them flat prior to cooking.

Can you just smash them with your hand? Yes. Does that yield the classic peanut butter shape? No.

Want to know the best part about using a fork in a criss-cross pattern on your peanut butter cookies? It’s a job that you can let your kids do and they will love you for it. Plus, if you’re a control freak in the kitchen like I am, it’s a difficult task for the kids to mess up. That’s a win-win combination right there!

★★★★★

“These are hands down the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had in my life. I will never follow another recipe”

How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies

You can store peanut butter cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature and they’ll stay fresh for days. Just be sure they are completely cooled before you store them. Never put a hot cookie in a sealed container.

If you don’t feel like baking all the cookies at once, you can also store any leftover dough in the refrigerator for several days. Or, you can wrap the dough balls with plastic wrap and freeze any leftover dough for a future date when that pesky peanut butter cookie craving strikes again!

Baked cookies freeze well too. Once they’re completely cool, pack them in a freezer bag or airtight container and press out as much air as you can. They’re best within about 3 months.

To bake frozen dough, let the dough balls thaw in the fridge until they’re chilled but not frozen, then bake as usual.

Can I use salted butter?

Yes. If salted butter is all you have, use it and leave out the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.

Can I use Crisco instead of butter?

I don’t recommend it. One reader who used Crisco sticks found the dough came out a little dry.

How many cookies does this recipe make?

About 4 dozen, using 1-inch balls of dough.

Love Homemade Cookie Recipes?

You’ll definitely want to make these:

Lofthouse Cookies

Chocolate Hazelnut Nutella Stuffed Cookies

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Birthday Sugar Cookies