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Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies

Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies uses brown butter in the cookie dough to enhance the nutty flavor in these soft and chewy peanut butter cookies.

Classic peanut butter cookies with a tasty spin. Brown butter to create a depth of nutty flavor and to create a chewy texture.

Stacks of brown butter peanut butter cookies with criss cross tops next to a glass jar of milk.

Ingredients in Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies

  • All-purpose flour- spooned and leveled to reduce unncessary flour in the cookie dough.
  • Baking powder
  • Unsalted butter, browned - directions for how to brown butter below and in the recipe card!
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Light brown sugar, packed
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Egg
  • Salt
Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies cooling on a black wire rack with dark blue napkins.

RELATED: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

How to Make Brown Butter

To brown the butter, add it to a skillet and allow it to melt on low heat.

Raise the temperature to medium-low and stir the melted butter until frothy and small brown bits form on the bottom of the skillet.

Once the brown bits form, remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl immediately to prevent the butter from burning.

Allow the butter to turn back to a softened stage in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or use the freezer to speed up the process.

Peanut butter cookies spread on gray background with blue linens and a glass of milk.

How to Make Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat the oven and prepare the cookie sheets- Preheat the oven to 350º and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.


Combine the wet ingredients- Cream together the cooled browned butter and the brown and granulated sugar until smooth.


Spoon the creamy peanut butter into the mixture and beat until well blended.


Stir in the egg and the vanilla extract.


Mix the dry ingredients- Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat until combined and all dry ingredients are moistened.


Prepare the brown butter peanut butter cookie dough for baking- Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Uneven stacks of peanut butter cookies spread on counter with blue linen napkins.

RELATED: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies


Use the tins of a fork to flatten the cookies. Turn the fork to create a criss-cross pattern on each cookie to give it a signature peanut butter cookie look.


Bake the cookies- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets before transferring them to an air-tight container.

TIP: Avoid overbaking the cookies so they do not become hard. Cookies continue to bake once they are out of the oven while they are in the cooling process.

Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet right out of the oven to prevent the cookies from crumbling. They will be very soft and they will continue baking as they cool. Patience is key!

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container.

Three stacks of cookies with a criss cross top and a glass of milk.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 20 cookies approx.

Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies

Stacks of brown butter peanut butter cookies with criss cross tops next to a glass jar of milk.

A delicious twist on classic peanut butter cookies. These cookies are made using brown butter to enhance the nutty flavor of these tender and chewy cookies.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, browned*
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions


Make the Brown Butter and Prepare the oven

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°
  2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Brown the butter in a skillet by allowing it to melt on low heat.
  4. Raise the temperature to medium-low and stir the melted butter until frothy and small brown bits form on the bottom of the skillet.
  5. Once the brown bits form, remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl immediately to prevent the butter from burning.
  6. Allow the butter to turn back to a softened stage in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or use the freezer to make the process faster.


Make the Cookie Dough

  1. Cream together the cooled browned butter and the brown and granulated sugar until smooth.
  2. Spoon the creamy peanut butter into the mixture and beat until well blended.
  3. Stir in the egg and the vanilla extract.
  4. Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
  5. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat until combined and all dry ingredients are moistened.
  6. Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Use a fork to flatten the cookies down. Turn the fork to create a criss-cross pattern on each cookie.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  9. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets before transferring them to an air-tight container.
  10. Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet right out of the oven to prevent the cookies from crumbling. They will be very soft and they will continue baking as they cool.
  11. Store in an airtight container.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 192Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 138mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g

Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

Jessica D.

Wednesday 29th of November 2023

As with other reviewers, I agree these were very, very dry. After two trays, I added maple syrup to the rest of the dough and they came out much better. The flavor is delicious though and dunking in milk or coffee is never a bad thing!

Penelope

Tuesday 21st of November 2023

Made two batches of these cookies tonight. Followed the recipe to the letter. I cannot overstate how dry and inedible they came out. After discovering the Saharan nature of the first batch, I added more melted butter to the remaining batter in an attempt to rescue this recipe. The additional butter made little difference, and I was left with yet another tray of disappointingly chalky and floury peanut butter cookies.

Emily

Thursday 20th of July 2023

I struggled with this recipe. Followed it to the letter, and my cookie dough was kinda dry and sandy. I thought perhaps it would sort itself out during baking, but the cookies were also dry and fell apart easily. I remembered that Claire Saffitz said that browning butter was essentially boiling it and therefore removing some water, so she would add 1 tsp-1 tbsp back into the recipe. I want to try this recipe again, either adding water back in or using a peanut butter with more oil.

Julie M

Wednesday 16th of August 2023

@Sarah, @emily,

I’ve been obsessed with brown butter since discovering how easy it is if you know how to replace the lost moisture.

As a general rule of thumb, for every stick of butter called for in a recipe, you need to add 1 tablespoon of water back to the butter after you brown it. The easiest way to do this is to wait for the brown butter to cool slightly, and simply add the tablespoon of water to the melted butter. I hope this helps

Sarah

Sunday 6th of August 2023

@Emily, I made these last night and experienced the same. I was surprised by how dry the dough was and although very tasty the cookies do fall apart when baked. I will try it again with more butter next time. Another brown butter recipe I use for chocolate chip uses 3/4 cup.

yves

Sunday 25th of June 2023

The taste is good but the cookies are just to friable for me to make them again.

Pearl Marker

Tuesday 7th of June 2022

I Havien't used Brown butter before What does it consist of.

Dana

Saturday 11th of June 2022

Hi Pearl, brown butter is butter that has been melted into a skillet and sauteed until the butter turns a brown color. Browning butter creates a deeper flavor in baking.

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