These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies come from years of hands-on baking and are packed with rich peanut butter flavor and melty chocolate chips. With decades of kitchen experience, I’ve tested and refined this recipe to be soft, chewy, and consistently reliable. Every step is written to be clear and helpful, so you can bake with confidence and enjoy cookies that turn out just right.
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This post was originally posted on 7/14/2020 and updated on 03/27/2025.
Why We Love These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
- Quick and Easy: No chilling, no fuss. Just mix, drop, and bake. Foolproof for new bakers and rewarding for pros.
- Simple Ingredients: Nothing fancy needed, just some basic pantry staples you probably already have on hand.
- Perfect Texture: Soft centers with slightly crisp edges make the ideal cookie texture.
- Crowd-Pleaser: Perfect for lunchboxes, parties, bake sales, or midnight cravings. These are family approved and asked for often!
- Freezer-Friendly: Make a double batch and freeze for instant cookie happiness anytime. Freeze baked cookies or cookie dough!
- Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Magic: A classic flavor combo that never disappoints.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Large Eggs
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: I almost always use salted butter when baking. You can use unsalted butter and add an extra ½ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I prefer to use creamy peanut butter in this recipe and I use JIF Natural. You can use chunky peanut butter if you like and whichever brand you like best.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Pure extracts are the best to use. Imitation extracts can leave an unwanted after taste in your cookies and other baked goods.
- All Purpose Flour: White whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour can be used as well. Or you can use a blend of all purpose and whole wheat. The whole wheat flour will add a slight nutty flavor to the cookies. I use a half and half blend a lot when making cookies, it adds such a nice flavor!
- Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite type of chocolate. You can use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips. You can also use chopped chocolate bars.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- First, preheat oven to 350°F and line a couple cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a large bowl and hand mixer, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Then add in the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.
- Now add the dry ingredients: baking soda, salt and all purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until it is all incorporated.
- Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Now, using a medium cookie scoop or 2 rounded tablespoons place cookie dough scoops 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies in preheated oven on center rack for 10-12 minutes and until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown and centers no longer look wet and glossy.
- Let the cookies cool for 3 minutes on the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
If chocolate and peanut butter is your combo of choice don't miss out on these other recipes with the famous duo:
Storing Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Storing: Place completely cooled cookies in an airtight container. Keep them in a cool dry place and they'll last at least a week. If you notice the leftover cookies starting to get a little dry, add a piece of bread or a flour tortilla to the container with the cookies. It will add moisture back into the cookies.
Freezing: These cookies freeze well! Place the baked cookies in a freezer safe airtight container in single layers, between pieces of wax paper or in a freezer bag. Label, date and freeze. Cookies will last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Thawing: To thaw the frozen cookies, simply let them sit at room temperature for a few hours.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Freezing Cookie Dough: To freeze the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough: place scoops of dough on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then flash freeze the dough for a couple hours. Once frozen, place the frozen dough balls in an air tight freezer-safe container or zip top bag. I like to freeze them between layers of wax paper. Label, date and keep frozen until ready to use.
Baking Frozen Cookie Dough: To bake the frozen cookie dough, place cookie dough balls on parchment lined cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake frozen dough at 350°F and increase the bake time to 12-14 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown and centers no longer look wet. Baking time will vary on how cold your cookies are when placed in the oven. Cool cookies on pan for 3 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- My MOST favorite tool in my kitchen is my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It's the best ever for making cookies, frostings and so many other things.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their cookie sheets are the only ones I use for cookies. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set. These aluminum sheet pans from Nordic Ware are a great option too.
- A medium sized cookie scoop that holds about 2 tablespoons is great for these cookies. Again I use the pampered chef one but this medium scoop from OXO on Amazon is a great one.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
- Or this silicone baking mat is great for baking too!
- You can package these cookies up for family and friends in these Self Sealing Cellophane Bags. They are the best!
Tips for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Gather all the ingredients before you start. It is so much easier to bake when all the ingredients are ready. There is also less room for error, like forgetting an essential ingredient. I'm not saying I've done this, however, I am speaking from experience!
- Read the recipe from start to finish before you start. Again, I am speaking from experience.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps the dough come together better, and also helps with even baking.
- Always fluff your flour and then spoon and level it to measure. Doing this will prevent too much flour being added and ultimately making the cookies too dry and crumbly. To fluff your flour, just scoop it and dump it a few times and then measure it out, or give it a fluff using a whisk.
- Use a cookie scoop to get the same size cookies, that way they will all bake evenly. I like to use the Pampered Chef medium scoop which is equal to about 2 tablespoons.
- If using cookie sheets more than once during baking, make sure the cookie sheet is completely cooled before adding scoops of cookie dough on it.
- For best results don't over bake the cookies. Over baking will cause the cookies to be dry and crumbly.
More Drop Cookie Recipes:
- Gourmet Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Confetti Sugar Cookies
- Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Coconut Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
- Add baking soda, salt, and all purpose flour. Beat on low speed just until incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Use a medium cookie scoop or two rounded tablespoons, place cookie dough scoops 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes and until the edges are golden brown and centers no longer look wet.
- Cool cookies on pan for 3 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
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