Soft & Chewy Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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The very BEST thick, soft, and oh-so chewy bakery-style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies! Sweet, salty, nutty goodness with rich bittersweet chocolate in every bite. Made with simple pantry ingredients, extra peanut butter and extra chocolate chips, as well as NO refrigeration time, these cookies are truly the perfect treat!
Over the years, my mom and I have shared MANY peanut butter cookies. We are always baking the fan-favorite peanut butter blossoms and it’s always a hit. And, while we’ve shared a classic peanut butter cookie , as well as some nostalgic fluffernutter-inspired cookies in the past, we thought it was time to finally share a new-take on the timeless peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.
Originally published in 2020, this recipe has had a complete overhaul to give you the absolute BEST cookie (and baking experience!). With no more electric mixers and n0 chill time, these cookies require minimal prep and are ready to eat in 30 minutes or LESS.
4 Reasons You Will Love These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Thoroughly tested. While this recipe has been on our site since 2020, it was a cherished family recipe for many years before that! Though, in recent years, we started to tweak on the classic recipe. Now, it’s easier to make than ever before, 2x as much flavor, and even faster to make!
- EXTRA LARGE!!! These cookies are BIG. With a whopping 3 Tablespoon scoop of dough per cookie to ensure the maximum chocolate and peanut butter goodness.
- Soft & chewy. Unlike our reese’s stuffed peanut butter cookies that are a bit crunchy, these cookies are SO irresistibly soft and chewy. Bonus? These cookies stay soft for DAYS after baking!
- Super quick to make. All you need is a handful of ingredients and 30 minutes of your time to have piping hot, soft, gooey peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Why This Recipe Works (And What You Should Watch Out For!)
This recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies has stood the test of time and has been fine-tuned to create the perfect blend of flavors and textures. We have tried and tested every combination of ingredients to create the ultimate cookie. Over time, we have figured out all the do’s and don’ts of baking peanut butter cookies (so you don’t have to!).
Let’s start at the beginning. Peanut butter. It sounds relatively simple, but peanut butter is one of the trickiest ingredients when it comes to baking (especially in cookies). Every peanut butter on the market is made differently, and while natural peanut butters are delicious to eat, they’re not the best to bake with. Natural peanut butters tend to be oily. This doesn’t mean anything is wrong with it, but in terms of baking, it will throw off the ratios in the cookie. For this recipe, it’s best to use a commercial brand of peanut butter (we personally love this one!).
We found the use of all-purpose flour, the precise amount of baking soda, and the ideal ratio of brown sugar to peanut butter, guarantee that the cookies turn out soft and chewy (even days after baking!). The addition of eggs and vanilla further enhances the depth of flavor, resulting in a cookie that is both rich in flavor and structurally perfect.
Grab These Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter – Adding richness, tenderness, and structure, unsalted butter also has a bright, fresh flavor and allows us to control the level of salt.
- Brown Sugar – Creating moist, chewy cookies, brown sugar both sweetens and helps them spread.
- Eggs – Acting as the binder that holds the dough together, eggs also contributes to the tenderness.
- Vanilla Extract – Adding a subtle undertone, vanilla extract is the perfect choice to enhance the flavor of the peanut butter.
- Peanut Butter – What these cookies are all about, a commercial brand (not all natural) lends the best flavor and texture.
- All purpose Flour – Using plain all purpose flour is the way to go here. The protein content gives the dough the structure it needs.
- Baking Soda – Feeding off the acidity in the brown sugar to contribute to the rise and structure, baking soda also helps these cookies spread.
- Salt – Just a bit of salt enhances the flavor and helps to balance out the sweetness.
- Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips – Mini chocolate chips are the way to go for the best, most even distribution of chocolate.
How To Make These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies In 2 Steps (With Photos!)
Step 1: Prepare the dough
In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar together.
Add eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat until smooth.
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Step 2: Scoop and bake
Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion dough onto prepared pans. Press each dough ball down slightly. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown.
Our Tried & True Tips
After making these cookies for almost a decade, we have learned a couple of tricks to help ensure you have the perfect cookie.
- Melt the butter, don’t boil it.
- Use commercial creamy peanut butter, not chunky or natural peanut butter.
- Press the cookies down for a more even bake. If you want extra thick cookies, don’t press them down before baking.
- Add extra chocolate chips on top for extra chocolate-y goodness!
- Use mini chips, not regular chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Use a light colored sheet pan and be sure to line it!
- A cookie scoop will make measuring out these cookies so simple.
FAQ’s
We wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. The best way to have some peanuts in this cookie is to sub in 1/4-1/2 of the chocolate chips for peanuts.
Thanks to the peanut butter, these cookies don’t actually spread too much. BUT, if you want, you can refrigerate the dough after you press them down OR bake them without pressing them down. Baking them without pressing them down will still spread a little, but the cookies will be a lot thicker.
If the cookies are dry and/or crumbly, this may have been caused by the cookies being over-baked or the flour was over-measured.
If you’re a cookie lover, here are a few of our BEST cookie recipes that you’re sure to love:
When you make these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy Baking!
x, Caylie
Soft & Chewy Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅞ cup peanut butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉.
- Line 3 sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar together.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter.
- Beat until smooth.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion dough onto prepared pans.
- Press each dough ball down slightly.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown.
Notes + Tips!
- Be careful to not over-mix the cookie dough! Just stir the flour in until there are no more pockets of flour.
- It’s best to use light colored sheet pans for these cookies. Also, don’t forget to line your baking sheet.
- It’s best to use a cookie scoop to ensure all cookies are the same size and they don’t get over-mixed.
- Do not over bake these cookies! When in-doubt, take them out. These cookies are best when they are just barely baked. It provides the perfect soft and chewy texture. They should just barely begin to brown around the edges.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I don’t know how I would measure 7/8 cup. Do you not provide GRAM measurements? That would be really helpful. Thank you.
Hi Monika! Of course we provide gram measurements. If you look in the recipe card at the bottom of the ingredients, it says US Customary and Metric. Simply click on Metric. Let me know if you have any other questions.