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These old-fashioned Amish homemade peanut butter cookies are thick, soft, full of peanut flavor, and easy to make! It’s truly the best peanut butter cookie recipe that you’ll ever taste. Grab a cold glass of milk and enjoy a couple of these classic treats for an easy dessert or an afternoon snack!
Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
This is my go-to recipe for homemade peanut butter cookies, which I originally found in an old Amish cookbook years and years ago. I’ve since adapted the recipe slightly to suit our tastes, but the basics remain the same. The simple cookies are thick, soft, chewy and so peanut-buttery! They have become a family-favorite, which my husband describes as “something special.” Pack the sweet treats in your kids’ lunchboxes for school, offer them for an afternoon snack, bring them to a bake sale, or keep a stash on your counter for after-dinner munchies. I bet you can’t eat just one!
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make the easy peanut butter cookies. As always, the specific measurements and full cooking instructions are included in the recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Shortening: the key ingredient for soft, thick and puffy cookies.
- Peanut butter: I recommend classic creamy Jif or Skippy brands; don’t substitute with natural peanut butter.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: both granulated sugar and brown sugar add sweetness, the brown sugar helps to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
- Vanilla extract: for flavor.
- Eggs: the binder that holds the dough together.
- All-purpose flour: the base and structure of these soft and chewy peanut butter cookies.
- Salt: to enhance the flavors.
- Baking soda and baking powder: leavening agents that help the cookies rise.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies
This classic, old-fashioned peanut butter cookie recipe comes together in just minutes. Keep the basic ingredients on hand and you can whip up a batch whenever the craving strikes. They always disappear fast, and are one of my kids’ favorite desserts!
- Mix the dough.
- Chill for at least 2 hours.
- Scoop the dough into round balls, then roll the balls in granulated sugar to coat on all sides.
- Flatten each ball with a fork using a crisscross design.
- Bake in a 375° F oven for 8-10 minutes, or just until the cookies are a light golden brown color, the edges are set, but the centers are still soft.
Why use shortening in a peanut butter cookie recipe?
Unlike butter, shortening is 100% fat, so it contains no water. That means that no steam is created during baking, which reduces gluten production, and creates a softer, more tender cookie. Also, shortening has a higher melting point than butter, resulting in taller, puffier cookies. If you don’t have shortening on hand, you can substitute with softened unsalted butter, but the cookies will have a slightly different texture and flavor.
Why do peanut butter cookies have fork marks?
That classic crisscross pattern is an old-fashioned hallmark of a peanut butter cookie — but why?! The waffle-like fork design was first used in a peanut butter cookie recipe in the early 1930’s, but was popularized by Pillsbury in a cookbook later that decade. While the traditional crisscross marks have become synonymous with homemade peanut butter cookies, they actually serve a purpose. Peanut butter cookie dough is dense, so flattening the cookies with fork marks helps the cookies bake evenly.
How to Keep Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies Soft
The key to maintaining those decadent, soft centers in your cookies is not overbaking. Remove the cookies from the oven just as the edges are starting to brown. The centers will still look soft and under-baked, but the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
How to Avoid Flat, Thin Cookies
We prefer thick, soft, and chewy cookies that we can sink our teeth into! The warmer your cookie dough is when it enters the oven, the thinner and flatter your cookies will be. Here are my best tips to prevent your cookies from spreading in the oven so that they come out thick, soft and puffy every single time:
- Chill the dough. Some peanut butter cookie recipes do not call for chilling the dough; however, I find that at least 1-2 hours in the refrigerator before scooping yields the best thick, chewy texture. As I mentioned above, the warmer your dough, the more it will spread when baked. If your dough seems warm after scooping and rolling, you can return the baking sheets to the refrigerator for about 10 more minutes to chill again before baking.
- Don’t Overmix. Whipping the wet ingredients too much or overmixing can add excessive air to the dough, causing the cookies to collapse and spread in the oven.
- Line the Baking Sheets. Spraying the baking sheets with cooking spray or greasing with butter or lard creates a slippery surface that causes cookies to spread. Instead, line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats for “grip.”
- Cool Baking Sheets. Never place cookie dough on warm baking sheets.
- Shape into Round Balls or Use a Cookie Dough Scoop. Placing a rounded ball of dough onto the baking sheet yields a taller, thicker cookie. Flatten the peanut butter cookies with a fork slightly, but don’t press them too thin.
Storage Tips
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last on the counter for about 3 days. To extend the life of your cookies, wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead
You can prepare the dough up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in your refrigerator until ready to bake.
How to Freeze Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, roll in sugar, and flatten each ball with a fork in the crisscross pattern. Freeze the cookie dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 1-2 hours, or until firm. Once the dough is frozen, package in airtight containers or a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Store the dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, arrange the frozen dough on baking sheets and bake according to the recipe instructions, adding 1-2 minutes to the total baking time since you’re starting with frozen dough.
Recipe Variations — Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
- I love the soft, puffy texture that you get with shortening; however, you can replace the shortening in this recipe with an equal amount of unsalted butter if you prefer.
- You can substitute with crunchy peanut butter. If using the crunchy peanut butter, increase the amount by an extra ¼ cup to account for all of those nuts.
- Add chopped, salted, roasted peanuts to the dough for an extra-crunchy cookie with great flavor and texture.
- For peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, add 1-2 cups of your favorite chocolate chips to the dough.
- Rolling the dough in extra granulated sugar adds a nice texture and flavor to the cookies; however, this step is optional. Skip it if you don’t want to bother!
- For thinner, flatter cookies, press down harder with the fork. The chilled dough won’t spread too much in the oven, so you can control the size and thickness of your cookies.
Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- For soft peanut butter cookies, pull the cookies out of the oven when they still look slightly under-baked in the center. They will firm up as they cool, but will remain nice and chewy on the inside.
- Chilling the dough for about 2 hours yields the thickest, chewiest peanut butter cookies.
- Use a processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than all-natural peanut butter. The processed nut butters do not separate, which yields a better quality cookie.
More Classic Homemade Cookies to Try
- Soft Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Classic Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Soft Gingerbread Man Cookies
- Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for coating
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the shortening and peanut butter. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until completely combined. Add eggs; beat until fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture; mix until thoroughly combined.
- Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Place about ½ cup of additional granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Using a cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons), roll dough into balls and coat in sugar. Arrange the dough balls 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball by using a fork to make a crisscross design. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or just until the cookies are a light golden brown color, the edges are set, but the centers are still slightly soft. Cool on the baking sheets for about 3-5 more minutes, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- For soft peanut butter cookies, pull the cookies out of the oven when they still look slightly under-baked in the center. They will firm up as they cool, but will remain nice and chewy on the inside.
- Chilling the dough for about 2 hours yields the thickest, chewiest peanut butter cookies.
- Use a processed peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than all-natural peanut butter. The processed nut butters do not separate, which yields a better quality cookie.
I made these cookies yesterday for a church picnic today. They were well liked by everyone. I thought I had done something wrong b/c when I went to roll them into balls after two hours in the fridge, the dough kept separating, but I shaped them into balls, rolled in sugar, baked them, & they were perfect Thanks to Your recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that they were a hit, Barb. Thank you!