Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Who doesn't love a good peanut butter cookie? While I love all types of peanut butter cookies, for this recipe, I wanted a deliciously soft cookie that you can feel your teeth sink into. These peanut butter cookies are thick and have just enough chew for the perfect bite. They don't spread much, and stay fluffy and soft. And, the great thing about these cookies is that they do not call for butter. So, not only do you have to not wait for butter to soften, but they are a great dairy-free cookie option!

INGREDIENTS FOR SOFT AND CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

These cookies are insanely easy to make. To make them, you only need seven ingredients, that you probably already have in your home! Here's everything you will need.

• All-purpose flour

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Peanut butter

• Brown sugar

• Eggs

• Vanilla extract

MAKING SOFT AND CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

These cookies are made in just 3 easy steps- make the dough, roll the dough, press the cookies. Here are the deets for what you'll need to do!

MAKING THE DOUGH
Begin by creaming together the peanut butter and brown sugar. Once combined, you'll add in the room temperature eggs and vanilla extract. Lastly, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough is completely formed.

ROLLING THE DOUGH BALLS
Right after you finish making the dough, roll into 1.5 - 2 inch balls, and place a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

FORMING THE COOKIES
Once the balls of dough have been rolled out, it's time to press and form the cookies, giving them that 'traditional' peanut butter pattern. For this step, you'll need a small cup of water and a fork. Dip the fork into the water and shake off excess water. Gently press the fork on the top of the dough ball, leaving fork lines in one direction. Lift, and press down on the dough the other direction, creating the grid-like pattern on top. Then, just repeat for each cookie.

TIPS FOR THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

These cookies are extremely simple and straightforward to make, but here are just a few tips to make sure you get the most perfect peanut butter cookies!

• Make sure your eggs are room temperature. If your eggs are cold and straight out of the fridge when added to the dough, it will make the dough firm up a bit more, making it crack easier when pressing them. I recommend using room temp. eggs to keep the cookie dough softer.

• Don't let the dough sit for too long. Because there's no butter in this recipe, the dough will begin to dry out a little quicker than other doughs. Once you finish making the cookie dough, I recommend immediately rolling the dough into balls and pressing with a fork. If the dough does sit, it is okay- it will just crack a bit more when pressing dough balls with the fork.

• Top the cookies after they're baked! You can absolutely eat and enjoy these peanut butter cookies once they're out o the oven. But if you're looking to jazz them up, you can sprinkle them with sea salt, or even drizzle/dunk in chocolate! Have fun with it!

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe by Chrissy

Servings

16

cookies

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

13

minutes

Total time

23

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup peanut butter (I use Jif brand)

• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• In a mixer or large bowl, beat together the peanut butter and the brown sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time. Next, add in the vanilla.
• Add in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix until all of the ingredients are completely combined. The dough should come together really well, and be one big ball of dough.
• Roll dough into roughly 1 ½-2 inch balls, and spread them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• With a fork and a glass of warm water, you'll make the popular 'peanut butter cookie' look. Dip the fork in the warm water. Shake off excess water. Gently press the fork down on the top of a ball of dough, leaving fork lines. Lift fork. Gently press the fork down again in the opposite direction, creating a grid-like pattern on the top of the cookie. Repeat this step for each cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes. The edges will just be starting to turn golden. The cookies will still seem pretty soft, but they will set and firm up more as they cool. Let them rest for about 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
• Once the cookies are cool, you enjoy them as is, or you can drizzle them with melted chocolate or sprinkle them with flaky sea salt.

Notes

• *It is important to note that I recommend the eggs be room temperature. If the eggs are straight out of the fridge, it can cause the cookie dough to crack when you're smashing them with a fork. They will still taste the same, but they will not have a nice, round shape.