These Simple Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies start with a classic recipe that is then reworked in three different ways to include peanut butter, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans. While all versions are just as delicious, the addition of these three ingredients taken from three different recipes tests the limits of this cookie recipe.
As someone who is lukewarm about chocolate, the best way I can think to turn classic chocolate chip cookies into something I’m excited about is to merge it with a peanut butter cookie. Chewy, sweet peanut butter cookies that have just a touch of savory flavor are the perfect base for chocolate chips — it’s a marriage of flavors I whole-heartedly embrace.
These hearty peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are great tucked into a lunch box, packed up for a picnic or party, or wrapped up for bake sales. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself snacking on the dough as you’re scooping it out; the combo is downright irresistible.
The Best Type of Peanut Butter for Cookies
For the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, stay away from natural or old-fashioned peanut butters that separate easily. They have a thicker texture that makes for a drier cookie. I prefer brands like Skippy or Jif, which have a very smooth, easily spreadable texture that blends very well into cookies and gives them a really nice consistency. (Fun fact: Did you know that peanut butter can help remove sticky labels?)
Tips for Making Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
To get a nice, chewy texture in these cookies, there are two things you should do.
- Refrigerate the dough. Chill the scooped dough balls just until they’re firm enough to make an indentation into but not so cold that they’re brittle, about 40 minutes. This gives some of the water time to evaporate.
- Do not overbake the cookies. Pull them out of the oven just as the edges start to turn light golden-brown, then let them sit on the baking sheets to cool for at least five minutes so that they can set up. Moving them around too soon while hot can result in broken cookies (something nobody wants!).
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Peanut butter and chocolate once again join forces in this soft, buttery cookie.
YIELDMakes 24 (about 3-inch) cookies
PREP TIME20 minutes
COOK TIME13 minutes to 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter, preferably Skippy or Jif
- 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place 1 stick unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Place 1 large egg on the counter. Let both sit at room temperature until the butter is softened. Meanwhile, place 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl of butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
- Add the egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 2/3 cup peanut butter and beat on medium speed until combined and fluffy again, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined with no streaks of flour remaining, about 1 minute total. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and use a flexible spatula to fold them in by hand until just combined.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9×13-inch baking dish with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop out the dough with a 1-ounce ice cream scoop into 24 portions (2 tablespoons each). Place on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
- Refrigerate for 40 minutes (do not refrigerate longer or the dough will be hard to make a pattern into). Meanwhile, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line 1 to 2 rimmed baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper (line 2 if you used a baking dish to chill the dough balls).
- Arrange all the cookie dough balls on the two baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Use the back of a fork to press a crosshatch pattern into and flatten each dough ball to about 1/2-inch thick and about 2 1/2 inches wide; it’s okay if the cookies crack at the edges or where the chocolate chips are.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until light golden brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
RECIPE NOTES
Make ahead: The flattened cookie dough balls can be refrigerated for up to 1 day and baked for the same amount of time. They can also be frozen: Freeze until solid on the baking sheet, then store in a zip top bag for up to 2 months. The cookies can be baked from frozen and will take 1 to 2 minutes minutes more baking time after the baking sheets are rotated.
Storage: Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature.
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Level: Easy
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 8 min
Servings: 42 cookies (3 1/2 dozen)
- Creamy peanut butter and milk chocolate morsels come together to make these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies a timeless classic.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra to coat formed dough on cookie sheets
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cups (11.5-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels
Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Step 2
Combine flour and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, peanut butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.
Step 3
Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Press down slightly with bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.
Step 4
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 4 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Step 5
Pan Cookie Variation: Prepare dough as above. Spread dough into ungreased 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep:15 mins
Cook:10 mins
Total:25 mins
Servings:30 servings
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 126 | Calories |
| 7g | Fat |
| 15g | Carbs |
| 2g | Protein |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
These mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies are made with the addition of peanut butter, a match that just can’t be beaten. The cookies are sure to be a hit with friends and family!
Feel free to adjust ingredients to use what you have on hand and your family’s tastes. Add some peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips if you like, or use milk chocolate chips or chunks instead of the standard semisweet chocolate chips. Use creamy or chunky peanut butter in the recipe. The cookies are truly amazing in both flavor and texture, but if you like some vanilla flavor, add about 1/2 teaspoon. If you crave more texture, go ahead and add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts. Or fold some chopped roasted peanuts into the batter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/4 cups (5 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or milk chocolate
Steps to Make It
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- Gather the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cream the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light.
- Add the egg and mix until the batter is smooth and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir until well blended
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop the cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned on the bottoms.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tip
- The cookies spread only slightly. For flatter cookies, gently tap the unbaked cookies down slightly just before baking.
Recipe Variation
- Love peanut butter? Replace the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips, or use a combination of both, for a more decadent flavor.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (EASY!)
You can never go wrong with the classic combo of peanut butter and chocolate! Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are a perfect marriage of chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies!
The moist peanut butter dough is stuffed with tons of chocolate chips, so you get tons of flavor in every bite! These cookies come together in about 10 minutes using standard pantry ingredients. At my house, they disappear even faster!
You’re gonna love this peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe! Let’s head to the kitchen and get started!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe has so many great things going for it. Here are some of the highlights:
- Chocolate and Peanut butter- need I say more?
- Super quick to make
- No fancy ingredients
- Makes a big batch
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE
To make this peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe, begin by creaming together the peanut butter, shortening, and sugar. Add the egg, followed by the milk and vanilla until well mixed.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add them gradually to the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and form the dough into balls. Flatten slightly and bake for 10-12 minutes in a 350 oven.
RECIPE NOTES
This peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe is very straightforward to make! Here are a few tips to make it even easier!
Overmixing – To achieve results like chewy and moist Nestle peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, be sure not to over mix. This develops too much gluten in the dough and makes your cookies tough.
As you add the dry ingredients, stop mixing when there are few streaks of flour still running through the dough. Add the chips and finish mixing.
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredient Notes
Lighten up – If you want to make healthy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, you can consider decreasing the amount of sugar or using a natural baking sugar substitute. Just make sure it is a 1:1 replacement with regular sugar when deciding how much to add. You can also consider using sugar-free chocolate chips!
Shortening – Using shortening instead of butter also keeps the cookies moist and chewy for longer than a butter-based cookie which makes these great for mailing! These are the cookies I often mail to my kids when they’re feeling homesick!
Brown sugar – Brown sugar adds moisture, so I do not recommend variations of the recipe that omit it. Without brown sugar, your cookies will not be as tender and chewy as promised! Bottom line I recommend you save your calories elsewhere.
Peanut butter chip cookies – If you’re feeling nutty and adventurous, replace half of your cup of chocolate chips with peanut butter chips! Stir in as described in step 4, and bake as you would the original recipe. This substitution enhances the peanut flavor of your cookies and makes those rare chocolate morsels even more desirable.
Crunchier cookies – For a crunchier iteration of this recipe, bake for approximately two longer than recommended, or until the edges are thoroughly golden. Don’t forget that baked goods further solidify as they cool! Alternatively, you could swap real butter for the shortening, a move that will crisp up your cookies.
Cookie scoop: For those of you who have never used one, cookie scoops resemble a rounded ice cream scoop. A medium scoop delivers about one and a half tablespoons of dough.
Storing Tips
Be sure to allow your cookies to completely cool. This peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe stores best in a well-sealed container in a cool pantry.
Can You Freeze This?
Freezing this cookie recipe is a great way to extend their shelf life. Allow the cookies to cool before transferring them into a freezer container. Best practices in cookie freezing suggest individually wrapping the cookies in cling wrap for ultimate freshness.
You can also freeze the dough. Roll and flatten the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze the dough for about an hour and put the frozen dough in a freezer bag. You can bake them frozen. Just add a couple of minutes to the bake time.