Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

This classic Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe makes the perfect pick-me-up, after school snack, or all around sweet treat. This old fashioned recipe is the one to bake, right down to the criss-cross pattern made with a fork.

Chances are your grandma (and your grandma’s grandma) had the recipe for the best peanut butter cookies ever in a little metal box sitting on the counter. It’s been around that long, and for a very good reason: there’s no better PB cookie around.

This recipe is easy to make with creamy or crunchy peanut butter, plus you can freeze the dough for large batch baking (Christmas cookies!) or just to have on hand anytime you want a still-warm, deliciously soft peanut butter cookie with the perfect peanut butter flavor and texture.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Butter:Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power (that’s ten percent!) for 1 minute. Afterward, gently press on the butter with your finger. If still too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
• Peanut butter: The recipe calls for creamy, but crunchy is fine too. I like making the cookies with store-bought peanut butter such as Skippy or Jif better than homemade peanut butter or natural peanut butter.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, or on to parchment paper, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

2. In a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-6 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.

3. Beat in the vanilla until smooth, Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and beaters as necessary. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.

4. Working with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll dough into 1 1/2-inch cookie dough balls and lay on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. (I use the OXO medium cookie scoop, a size 40 portioner, and do 12 scoops of dough per baking sheet).

5. Make a crosshatch design on each cookie with the tines of a fork.

6. Bake cookies until the edges are golden and the centers have puffed and are beginning to deflate, about 12-17 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking.

7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 24 soft and chewy Peanut Butter Cookies.
• Storage:These cookies last about 4 days in an airtight container or cookie jar. Like soft cookies? Store them in a ziplock bag.
• Freezer:Make the dough, form it into a log, wrap it up tightly, and freeze it. It will last for 3 to 4 months. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling up. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about how to freeze cookie dough.
• Dusted in sugar:Like glittery, crispy edged cookies? Roll the unbaked dough ball in a shallow bowl of granulated sugar before pressing with a fork.
• Chocolate chips:Mix in ½ bag (about 6 ounces) of your favorite chocolate chip into the dough.
• Cinnamon:Sift ½ teaspoon of cinnamon into the dry ingredients to gently flavor the cookies.
• Extra nuts:Throw in a handful or two (4 to 6 ounces) of chopped peanuts (or walnuts, pecans, or cashews) to the dough for extra crunch.