Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, thick, chewy, and made completely from scratch with simple ingredients. Adding chocolate chips to peanut butter cookies elevates them to a new level!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have become a staple around my house since I discovered this recipe. I know, I know. Everyone says that their cookie recipe is the best and that doesn’t always mean much, but I promise that this is the BEST peanut butter cookie recipe you have ever tried.
Check out these 5-star reviews from other readers! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why are these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies the best?
- Perfect texture. I tried dozens of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and many of them are crumbly and dry. Not this one! These cookies are soft, thick, and chewy – just like you want a peanut butter cookie to be!
- Simple recipe. All of the ingredients are likely to be in your pantry. The dough doesn’t require any chilling or extra steps – just mix everything together and bake the cookies!
- Milk. I think it’s the 3 tablespoons of milk in the recipe that sets these cookies above other similar recipes. You only need a little bit, but I think it helps to make the cookies so soft and chewy.
Ingredients in Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter: For best results, use regular peanut butter. Every time I have made these cookies I have used regular creamy peanut butter (like Jif or a store-brand alternative). Several readers have commented that the cookies do not turn out as well when using natural-style peanut butter.
Butter: I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer. No margarine! Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature, but not melted before adding to the recipe.
Sugars: Can’t leave the sugar out – kind of an important ingredient in cookies! Make sure your brown sugar isn’t dried out or stale.
Egg: We only need 1 large egg, but it helps to bind the dough together so that the cookies cook properly and don’t crumble.
Milk: Just a little bit of milk, but it is needed to add a bit of moisture to the cookie dough. Any type of milk will work just fine!
Vanilla: I suggest using a good-quality vanilla extract or a Vanilla Bean Paste.
Flour: I usually use all-purpose flour, but you can use bread flour, or even pastry flour in this recipe.
Baking powder: Leavening agent in the cookies. Make sure your baking powder isn’t old or expired for best results.
Salt: Just a little bit, but don’t leave it out!
Chocolate chips: I usually use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate chips are fantastic as well. Or dark chocolate. Or throw in some peanut butter chips. A combination of chocolate works too! I like to swap out the regular sized chips for mini chips sometimes too! Or you can leave them out completely – peanut butter cookies are great on their own too!
Tips for making Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Full instructions on how to make these cookies are found below in the recipe card, but I want to make sure everyone has these tips.
- Lightly flatten the cookies before baking. Make sure to slightly press peanut butter cookies on the top with a fork before baking. This helps the cookies to bake more evenly since the peanut butter prevents the cookies from spreading very much. If you don’t like the look of the fork marks, you can slightly flatten the tops with a wooden spoon or the bottom of a glass.
- Use a cookie scoop. Using a cookie scoop is the quickest way to scoop cookie dough, and it helps to ensure that all of your cookies are the same size and shape.
- Make sure to use regular peanut butter (Jif, Skippy, etc.). Some readers have found that the cookies don’t turn out as well when using natural peanut butter. If you prefer to use natural peanut butter, make sure that the oil is well blended before adding the peanut butter to the other ingredients (this is more successful if you use an electric mixer to blend the peanut butter until the oil is fully incorporated).
Can you freeze peanut butter cookies?
Peanut butter cookies are easily frozen, either before or after baking them. I prefer to form the cookie dough balls and freeze them so that I can pull them and bake them whenever I need them. This way the cookies will be warm and fresh every time!
FREEZING COOKIE DOUGH
To freeze the cookie dough, place the balls on wax paper on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 30-45 minutes. Then you can place all of the frozen cookie dough balls in an airtight container or Ziplock freezer bag. When you are ready to bake them, just pull them out and place them on a cookie sheet, let them thaw for about 10-15 minutes, and then bake as usual.
FREEZING BAKED COOKIES
You can also freeze the cookies once they have been baked. Just make sure they have cooled all the way to room temperature and then place them in an airtight container in the freezer. I like to wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag or airtight container to make sure to prevent freezer burn. If stored properly, peanut butter cookies will stay good in the freezer for 2-3 months.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- With a hand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter, white sugar and brown sugar until blended.
- Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
- Add flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix together. Stir in chocolate chips at this point if desired.
- Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls.
- Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (I used parchment paper since my cookies tend to burn on my darker pans). Press each ball once with a fork.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375. Don’t overcook! These cookies are much better soft and just barely cooked all the way through! Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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How do you keep peanut butter cookies soft and fresh?
If you don’t eat all the peanut butter cookies within the first day or two, you can keep them soft and fresh by placing half a slice of white bread with the cookies in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. Make sure the bag or container is sealed well. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread and stay softer for a longer amount of time this way!
Why do peanut butter cookies always have fork marks on the top?
Peanut butter makes cookies more dense, so they need to be slightly flattened before baking so that they can cook more evenly. There is nothing worse than a cookie with burnt edges and a doughy middle! My kids like to help make the criss-cross pattern on the tops of the cookies, but if you don’t like the pattern, you can just use the back of a wooden spoon to slightly flatten the tops before placing the peanut butter cookies in the oven.
More delicious peanut butter cookie recipes to try:
More delicious peanut butter cookie recipes to try: - Adding candy to cookies is always a great idea! Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies, Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, and Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies are some of our favorites.
- Running short on time? These No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies only take a few minutes to put together, no oven is required.
- I love oatmeal in my peanut butter cookies. Five Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies have five different kinds of chips in them! Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies combine my three favorite cookies into one delicious cookie.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy, and they turn out perfect every time! Add chocolate chips to this classic peanut butter cookie recipe to take these cookies to the next level!
Anne says
I made these after reading the comments. I used regular peanut butter, salted butter and cooked them at 360 for 9 min. They were very good. I brought them to work and many people commented that they were really good cookies and not dry like most PB cookies. Not sure if they are the very best, but definitely a winner! If people felt their cookies were dry maybe lower the temp a little. I think my oven cooks hot.
Carolyn Crowley says
I have made hundreds of cookies. This was the first time that I tried this recipe. The cookies weren’t crumbly but when I moved them onto the cooling rack I had to be VERY careful or they broke apart. The taste is great. However, I wonder why caused them to break so easily. Any input is welcomed. Thank you….
Jessica says
What kind of peanut butter did you use Carolyn? Cookies that break easily usually indicate too much oils were used. So it could be the brand of peanut butter, or that you added a bit too much, etc.
Carolyn Crowley says
I used creamy Jiff. Thank you for your speedy response. I want to make again ASAP. Should I add additional flour or less peanut butter? Thank you again!!
Jessica says
Hmmm… Creamy Jiff should be fine. If you make them again, try adding less peanut butter and see if that helps. Maybe 2-3 TBSp less.
Naomi says
I absolutely LOVED these cookies!! I used organic freshly ground peanut butter and it turned out amazing. I will definitely make these again for friends and family! Thank you for such an spectacular recipe!
Liz says
I just baked these!! Please help me, I can’t stop eating. Everyone at home loves them. They really are the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tried. I followed the recipe and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Alison says
Liz, if you find a solution for stopping eating them I’d love to hear it! So glad you and your family are enjoying them! They are a favorite around our place as well!
Lara says
Thank you for your recipe. It’s the first one that popped up for “thick soft peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.”
I’m used to the Joy Of Cooking recipe with unsweetened peanut butter, so this is different for me. I could almost taste cinnamon like the pb cooked too long. Also using milk was a first — I used 2% milk and doubled the recipe. So I think it’s just a matter of personal preference. (Oh, I did put too many chocolate chips in my last batch so they were a little crumbly due to user error.)
Again, thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Nellie says
Lara – Interesting that you tasted a cinnamon flavor – I haven’t heard that before! It is hard to get used to a new recipe when you have one that you’ve used for a long time!
April says
I just made these and they just fell apart, crumbled as i would pick one up. The flavor is ok but not sure why they crumbled.
Nellie says
I’m so sorry they didn’t work out April! What kind of peanut butter did you use for the cookies? I mentioned in the notes that some readers have not had as much success with using more natural peanut butters in this recipe so maybe that was the culprit?
CRISTY RENAE MAJOR says
Ok, I made these just as the recipe states… they are very dry. I’m wondering is the oven temperature to high for this cookie to be soft and chewy? If I ever make them again I will not bake them at 375°. This is the only cookie recipe I’ve ever used with that high of a temperature. The flavor is goodoing just dry.
Nellie says
Christy, I’m so sorry your cookies didn’t turn out very well! I have no idea why they would be dry. Mine are usually almost too wet if anything – sometimes I even add a tiny bit of extra flour! Maybe reduce the flour just a little bit? What type of peanut butter did you use?
Suzanne Collins says
Can I make them into sugar- free cookies?
Nellie says
Suzanne – I’ve never tried to make these sugar-free, so I’m not sure. Depending on the sugar substitute that you use, I think they would still probably work out ok. I do know that they don’t turn out as well when using a more natural peanut butter. Please let me know if you try it!
Jennifer says
I really should read comments before I bake things. These did not turn out at all.
Nellie says
I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out Jennifer! What did the cookies turn out like? If you give me more information about the results you got, I can try to help you troubleshoot!
Donna says
Agree I should’ve read the comments before making these. What a disappointment and waste of ingredients. Something is definitely off with them…they taste dry and not sweet enough which makes no sense to me, as I followed the recipe. They look better than they taste which is so unfortunate. Sorry, but I wouldn’t call this recipe “The Best” at all — even my husband who will eat any sweet said they didn’t taste right.
Nellie says
Donna- so sorry these didn’t turn out for you! What type of peanut butter did you use? Many readers have used more natural peanut butters and the results are not the same as using a traditional peanut butter, like Skippy or Jif.
Nancy says
How many cookies does each recipe make?? Thanks!
Nellie says
Nancy – it depends on the size of your cookies. I use a medium cookie scoop and usually get about 3 dozen cookies.
Robb says
Just made these cookies last night and they turned out absolutely fantastic. Some of the best peanut butter cookies I have ever had and the chocolate chips put them over the top. Will definitely be making them again
Alison says
Robb, these are our favorite too! I am so glad you were able to enjoy them!
AOK says
I am a major fan of peanut butter and chocolate and these are pretty darn good. I baked for about 11 minutes and hours later they are still soft and chewy. I used dark chocolate. I also used my stand mixer which made it all easier – I even used it to mix in the chips. I used a scoop and did not roll into balls. Ended up with exactly 36 cookies. Will definitely make these again.
Deborah Siliga says
Im on my second batch in less than two weeks! The more i make, the faster they go. They are so incredibly wonderfully crumbly. This will always be my go to for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Mahalo for sharing this delicious recipe.
❤❤❤
Alison says
Deborah, It’s great to hear you enjoy these as much as we do!
Lorraine says
I would like to try this recipe however I am confused.
On the video, everything was mixed in one bowl.
In the recipe and on the comments below the video, the wet ingredients and the dry were mixed in different bowls and put together.
So which is the way to do it please.
Nellie says
Lorraine – The dry ingredients are mixed separately and then added to the wet ingredients. In the video, I had just added the baking powder and salt to the flour before adding to the ingredients but didn’t show those steps to save time. Sorry for the confusion! I hope you love these cookies as much as I do!
Cheryl Ford says
I didn’t see a video?
Megan says
These have to be amazing. The perfect combination.
Zelma Long says
The best cookie recipe I have ever used.! 10/10
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed them Zelma!
Penny Holzgen says
I made these cookies 3 weeks in a row! Love than so much I’ve gained 3 pounds. Definitely worth the weight gain, boyfriend believes it’s his favorite cookie now.! Greatrecipe❣💕
Nellie says
Penny – Haha – best comment ever! Aren’t they just soooo good? I’m glad I’m not the only one that just can’t get enough of them!
Beth says
You could not have made a better cookie! Peanut butter & chocolate + soft and chewy are my most favorite everything!! I will be making these asap!