Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips
It's hard to improve on a classic like peanut butter cookies but by golly I think I've done it. These thick and chewy peanut butter cookies are made with creamy peanut butter and have loads of peanut butter chips in them which give them the perfect chewy peanut butter cookie texture. This recipe makes just 13 cookies, but you can scale the recipe up to make more if you want!
Ingredients
- 160 grams all-purpose flour
- 4 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon)
- 2 grams baking soda (½ teaspoon)
- 1 gram diamond crystal kosher salt (¼ teaspoon)
- 113 grams unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 200 grams creamy peanut butter (the kind that doesn't separate)
- 113 grams brown sugar
- 113 grams white sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 100 grams peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream softened butter, peanut butter, and both sugars on medium to medium-high speed until well aerated, about 3-4 minutes. Pause to scrape down the bowl and the beater at least 2 times during this process. Properly creamed, the mixture will have a slightly grainy, paste-like texture. Finish by scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Egg and Vanilla. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the mixture becomes paler in color and the egg is fully incorporated, about 60 seconds. Scape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the Dries. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just a few streaks of flour are visible on the dough and walls of the bowl.
- Add the chips. Add the peanut butter chips and use a spatula to mix them in by hand, scraping down the walls of the bowl to incorporate any last bits of flour at the same time.
- Scoop. Use a #20 (3 tablespoon) scoop to portion out 13 peanut butter cookies onto the parchment-lined sheet pan. Scrape the edge of the scoop flat on the edge of the bowl as you scoop to get exactly 13 cookies. Roll the scooped dough into smooth balls with your hands.
- Cross-hatch. Arrange the cookies about 2-3 inches apart on the parchment-lined sheet pan (I usually do one pan of 6 cookies and one pan of 7 cookies). Use a damp fork to create the cross hatch pattern on top of the cookies.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes until the cookies look puffy. They might look slightly underdone when they're ready, but will finish cooking as they rest on the pan. Immediately after removing from the oven use a round cutter to scoot the edges into perfect circles. Let cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
RECIPE NOTES
- In the fridge: Peanut butter cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours before baking. Refrigerate before or after scooping, it's up to you.
- To freeze: Place the shaped, cross-hatched cookie dough balls on a parchment lined sheet pan, covered, in the freezer until frozen solid. Then transfer to an airtight bag or container in the freezer. They will stay good for 3 months in the freezer. Bake from frozen according to the recipe, no modifications needed.
- Add peanut butter cups: Press a peanut butter cup into the center of a freshly baked cookie before you scoot it while it's still hot. Then scoot the cookie into place, which pushes the hot cookie dough up around the peanut butter cup so it melts in place.