Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter creating a delicious and indulgent experience for your taste buds. These cookies are chewy, soft, and flavorful, making them an instant favorite among cookie lovers.
These cookies are popular any time of year but make a great addition to Christmas cookie platters and any holidays when baked treats are made.
This recipe was inspired by my Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. These cookies are made with a peanut butter base and have chopped Reese's peanut butter cups mixed into the dough.
Ingredients
When making Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, you'll need the following key ingredients:
- Sugars: Combine granulated sugar and brown sugar to create a well-rounded sweetness. Dark brown sugar enhances the flavor and creates a chewier cookie.
- Baking soda and baking powder: These leavening agents will help your cookies rise and create a chewy texture.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds a warm flavor to these cookies.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used in this recipe. If using salted butter, omit the salt from the ingredient list.
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter works best for this recipe, creating a smooth texture. Using a new container of peanut butter will produce the creamiest results.
- Milk: The milk will help prevent the cookie dough from becoming crumbly.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best in this recipe, but the all-purpose flour can be swapped out for gluten free flour.
- Salt: A pinch of salt brings out the flavors and balances the sweetness. The salt is omitted if using salted butter.
- Eggs: This binder brings the ingredients together to create a cohesive dough.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips, baking chunks, or a combination of both work well in these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
For this peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe, you'll want to have everything at room temperature to make the mixing process smoother because the ingredients meld together much easier.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the spooned & leveled all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Once melted, transfer the melted butter to a mixing bowl. Spoon in the creamy peanut butter and beat to combine the two ingredients.
Use an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Next, beat the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar into the peanut butter mixture and mix until fluffy.
Add your eggs, one at a time, and mix in the vanilla extract and the milk.
Next, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture just until a soft cookie dough forms.
Finally, fold in the delicious semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chunks!). Mix just until the chips are distributed throughout the dough.
Chilling these peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips dough is highly recommended because it holds shape and it allows the flavors to deepen while chilling. Chilling this dough overnight is recommended.
TIP
Scoop the cookie dough using a #40 cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons of dough) and place the cookie dough portions into an airtight container and chill in the fridge.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This will help with even browning and baking, and make clean-up easy. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge while the oven preheats to give them a chance to warm up slightly.
Place the cookie dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Pop them in the oven and bake for about 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Don't overcook these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for a chewy texture.
Bake these cookies one cookie sheet at a time. Allow the cookies to set for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
And you're done - enjoy your freshly baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and remember to store them in an airtight container.
Hint: Portioning the cookie dough before chilling will make it much easier when it is time to bake the cookies.
Substitutions
- You can make gluten free peanut butter chocolate chips easily by swapping out the all-purpose flour for gluten free measure for measure flour and by using gluten free chocolate chips.
- Dark brown sugar can be swapped out for light brown sugar. It will change the texture slightly.
- Creamy Peanut Butter can be substituted for crunchy peanut butter if a crunchier texture is desired.
Variations
- Make it crunchy - Add crunchy peanut butter or add a half cup of chopped peanuts to the dough.
- Add chunks - Add baking chunks in place of chocolate chips for more chocolate.
- Add peanut butter chips - Peanut butter chips will add even more peanut butter flavor to these cookies.
Equipment
Measuring cups and spoons: These are essential for accurately measuring the ingredients in your cookie recipes.
Mixing Bowls: Mixing bowls are essential when baking, and nonslip grip bowls prevent the bowl from moving around when using a whisk and/or electric mixer.
Baking sheets: Baking sheets are essential when baking cookies. Light colored baking sheets are my go-to when baking cookies because the cookies don't brown as quickly.
Parchment paper: Parchment paper is a non-stick baking paper that helps prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. It also makes cleanup a breeze.
Cookie scoop: A cookie scoop is a handy tool for portioning out the cookie dough and creating the same size cookies.
Hand mixer or stand mixer: A hand mixer or stand mixer takes a lot of work out of baking and helps blend the ingredients evenly and quickly.
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container. This will help keep them fresh and prevent them from drying out.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies will last for 3-4 days at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container.
To freeze cookies, place them in a freezer-safe bag in layers. Place parchment paper between the layers of cookies to prevent them from sticking. Frozen baked cookies will last 3 months in the freezer. For extra protection, place the freezer-safe bags inside of a freezer safe container.
To freeze cookie dough, scoop the cookie dough using a #40 cookie scoop and place the balls in a single layer in a freezer bag with parchment paper placed between each layer.
To bake the frozen cookie dough, allow the desired amount of cookie dough balls to thaw on a prepared cookie sheet while preheating the oven. Bake according to recipe directions.
Top Tip
Don't overbake these cookies! They will become crumbly if you do. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies brown. The cookies will continue to bake while they cool.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour - spooned & leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter until it is melted.
- Transfer the butter to a large bowl, and stir the creamy peanut butter into the butter until blended well.
- Stir in the dark brown sugar and the granulated sugar until combined and fluffy.
- Add the eggs in one at a time and add in the vanilla extract and the milk.
- Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft dough forms.
- Stir in the chocolate chips until combined.
- Scoop the dough into 1.5 tablespoons of dough or use a #40 cookie scoop to make it easier to scoop.
- Chill the cookie dough balls overnight (12 hours).
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookie dough balls two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Flatten the tops of the cookies down to help the cookies spread. Press additional chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies if desired.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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