Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published Dec 11, 2020•Updated Apr 02, 2024
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Peanut Butter and chocolate is a combination that will never get old. These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies bake up crisp around the edges and soft in the middle.
These cookies were first added to our cookie archives back in 2013, but they are such a staple (and always such a hit at our house) that it felt like time to bring them back to your attention with some fresh new photos. They are completely classic. A salty and sweet peanut butter base studded with chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or even M&Ms – depending on the mood you’re in.
If you love this flavor combination and are in the mood for a cookie cake (or need one for an upcoming celebration!), be sure to check out my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Cake.
Peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies are great for freezing, so I wanted to share these now in case you wanted to tuck some in the freezer to bake a few on a chilly winter night.
You may already have everything you need to bake these. Here’s all it takes.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour – Just regular AP flour needed for these cookies. I’ve also made these with a gluten-free 1:1 flour sub (I like King Arthur’s) with great results.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – I have always made these with conventional creamy peanut butter (like JIF), but I’m sure they would be great with crunchy peanut butter as well. If you try them with natural peanut butter, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
- Unsalted Butter – As with most baking recipes, it’s a great idea to use unsalted butter and then add measured salt to your recipe for consistent results.
- Sugar – You’ll need both white (granulated) sugar and light brown sugar to give these cookies that tender, chewy texture.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps the cookies to bake up thick and stay and soft and tender for longer after baking.
- Baking Soda, Kosher Salt, Pure Vanilla Extract, Large Eggs – Standard cookie baking ingredients.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips / Chunks / M&Ms – When I first made these cookies, I used chips. More often now, I go for the larger bites of chocolate that come from semi-sweet chocolate chunks. They’re also great with M&Ms or a combo of chocolate chips and M&Ms. Pick your favorite!
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How to Freeze Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies
To Freeze: Prepare dough as directed. Line cookie dough balls up on a sheet pan and transfer to the freezer. When dough balls are frozen solid (3 to 4 hours), transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.
To Bake from Frozen: Bake on a prepared sheet pan directly from the freezer at 300°F for 15 to 17 minutes.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand or Handheld Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (1 cup of butter = 2 regular sticks / 16 Tbsp)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (use conventional peanut butter like JIF; not natural)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 11 ounces chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or M&Ms (you can also use a mix of these)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a standing mixer or hand mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and peanut butter until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low-medium until evenly combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl all at once and mix on low just until combined.
- Mix in the chocolate just until combined. (See note.)
- The cookie dough will be very soft. In order to make it easier to handle, you can refrigerate it for up to 30 minutes, but you can also proceed immediately by using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon to drop balls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Leave a few inches between the cookies – they will spread out as they bake.
- Bake just until the edges darken slightly. The centers should still look very pale and soft, 9 to 12 minutes.
- As soon as you remove the pan from the oven tap it firmly on the counter a few times to deflate the cookies. (This will compress the centers, making them soft and chewy.)
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes. (Note: When they come out of the oven, these cookies will be very tender and break easily. Leaving them on the hot sheet pan helps them to hold their shape while still staying very soft and tender.) Enjoy!
- Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these, and froze them. They are so delicious. I didn’t use any corn starch, and it didn’t seem to matter. They didn’t last long, as I used the freezer cookies in my sons lunch!
These look amazing!!! I’m going to bake some today, I don’t have chocolate chips though which is ok because I love peanut butter. Would I needed to add more peanut butter since I don’t have chocolate or just make as is? Thanks 🙂
Hi Kelly – no need to change the recipe at all. They should work just fine even without the chocolate chips! I’m getting back to you a bit late, but hopefully they worked out!
Wow. These look sooooo good. Love that last picture! 🙂 And no mixer? Winning!
How fortunate that someone returned Frank’s iPhone. If it was here in SF or Oakland, that would have been the last of it for me! Anyway, these chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies look perfect. I love the combination and the chewiness of this. Pinned! Have a great week Jess. 🙂
These sound unbelievably good!
Wow! These cookies look perfect! I would love to try some of these!
They’re so good, and so easy! No mixer required. That’s my kind of cookie. 😉
I love these cookies Jess! They look amazing. I’m glad you added cornstarch. I seriously swear by that stuff. Your photos are making me want to put down this pumpkin cookie I’m eating and go grab some peanut butter… NOW.
The cornstarch tip is the BEST, Sally! I’ll never bake cookies without it again. 🙂
These cookies look so soft and perfect. I really hope to have one right now. My husband doesn’t like peanut butter. What do you think about substituting it with nutella?
In my humble oppion, anything is made better with Nutella. 😉 I would definitely give it a try. And let me know how it goes – that might have to be next on my list!
Wow Jess they are perfect! I saw them on FG and had to come right over! They almost look like choc chip cookies but they’re PB cookies. Just talking the dough base. It has the texture of a choc chip cookie from the pics. Interesting! How peanut butttery are they?
I love using cornstarch in cookies as well. Such a great thing. I would love a couple of these!
Averie – you’re so right – they’re really similar to chocolate chip cookies in texture and ingredients, but that peanut butter flavor is not hiding. They pack a good PB punch!
I wacked them on the counter right when they came out of the oven, as you have so often said to do (!), which made them extra photo friendly. 🙂
Your photos are beautiful – like looking through a glossy cooking magazine and those cookies…..perfection!
Leigh – that is a huge compliment coming from you! Your photos are always gorgeous. Thanks so much.