Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Alright, I don’t mean to brag (okay, maybe a little), but this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe is the bomb! It’s ridiculously easy, and the results? Absolute salty-sweet, crunchy-chewy perfection. Heaven in every bite. Whether you're searching for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie with peanut butter recipe or just a way to elevate your dessert game, you’re going to love this one!
Now, buckle up, because today’s journey is taking us to Alabama—with a detour through Vermont and California. Don’t worry, it’s a quick trip.
The Cookbook That Started It All
When I was young and newly married, the women on my mom’s side of the family compiled a few precious, handwritten cookbooks filled with their favorite “secret” recipes. My Gram gifted me one for Christmas back in 1976. That was—well, let’s just say a while ago. The recipes in that book are even older, as most of the contributors—my grandmother, great-grandmothers, and great-aunts—have long since passed. Thankfully, their culinary wisdom lives on, as do my mom and cousin, who help keep those memories alive.
Meet Mrs. Booth’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Tucked into that cookbook is a gem from my great Gramma B in California: Mrs. Booth’s Peanut Butter Cookies, dated 1925. Nearly a century ago! But who was Mrs. Booth? I have no idea. There’s no Booth in the family tree, and Google turned up zilch. Whoever she was, she knew how to bake one heck of a cookie.
The recipe itself is sparse—just a list of ingredients and the vague directive to “cream everything, a lot.” No yield, no oven temp, no bake time. I figured, cookies are cookies, right? I took a shot with the standard 350°F for about 15 minutes. They came out perfect—crispy edges and a chewy center. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
The Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
Being me, I had to tweak it. First, I toned down the creaming time; going all-in with “light and fluffy” resulted in cookies that spread everywhere. Three to four minutes worked just fine. I also chilled the dough for a couple of hours, which helped them hold their shape.
Then came the upgrades. I used super crunchy peanut butter because, let’s face it, nuts in cookies are amazing. And chocolate chips? A game-changer. Salty peanut butter paired with sweet chocolate—what’s not to love? Thus, the Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie was born—a delicious bridge between Mrs. Booth’s timeless recipe and my modern tweaks. I like to think both Mrs. Booth and Gramma B would approve. This peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe has become a family favorite and is always requested at gatherings.
A Brief History of Peanut Butter Cookies
No recipe is complete without a little history. Around 1925, in Alabama (told you we’d get there), George Washington Carver compiled a cookbook featuring three peanut cookie recipes. He was promoting peanuts as a crop after the boll weevil devastated cotton. Clearly, cookies are a powerful motivator—they might’ve even changed agriculture!
By the 1930s, peanut butter started making its way into cookie recipes, and the classic crisscross fork pattern followed. It was a practical solution for flattening dense dough. But don’t worry, no forks needed here. This dough isn’t dense, and fork lines don’t mix well with chocolate chips. I simply press the dough balls into discs, and the oven takes care of the rest. If you’re looking for a chocolate chip cookie with peanut butter recipe that’s a little easier to work with, this is it!
A Few Quick Tips
A Few Quick Tips
Space out your cookies. Only put eight dough balls on a sheet—these cookies like to spread!
Assemble your ingredients ahead of time (mise en place). It saves you from realizing halfway through that you’re out of peanut butter. Trust me on this one.
And there you have it—a recipe that’s equal parts history, nostalgia, and indulgence. Bake a batch and taste the love that’s been passed down for generations. Whether you’re a longtime fan of peanut butter treats or just discovering the magic of this chocolate chip cookie with peanut butter recipe, I hope it brings you as much joy as it has brought my family.
Ultimate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup peanut butter, crunchy or super crunchy
- 1 cup white granulated sugar (223 grams)
- 1 cup brown sugar (167 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted (240 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (plus extra for garnishing the tops of cookies)
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350° F.
- Prepare two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (You will bake the cookies one sheet at a time, but it’s good to have a cool cookie sheet to load up with cookie dough while the other one is in the oven.)
- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter on high speed for about 1 minute. Then add peanut butter and cream well. About 1 more minute. Stop and scrape sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- With mixer running, stream in white sugar. Once that is thoroughly mixed into the butter and peanut butter, add brown sugar. Continue on high for about one minute or until mixture is uniform and creamy, scraping bowl sides as needed.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated. Again, stop to scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula as needed.
- Reduce mixer to 2nd speed and, alternately, add flour mixture and milk mixing well after each addition. Scrape bowl sides and mix until all flour and milk is incorporated with no flour remaining visible.
- Fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula or large spoon distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
- Leave dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for, at least 1 – 2 hours. You can leave the dough overnight, if you prefer. If you don’t want to wait to chill the dough at all, just know warmer dough will make much thinner cookies.
- Create dough balls with a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop. If you don’t have a scoop, make the balls about the size of a golf ball. Try not to handle the dough too much as your warm hands will melt the butter in the dough causing the cookies to spread more.
- Stagger 8 balls on a cookie sheet. Then, using the back of a spoon, gently press balls down to about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.
- Garnish the tops of the cookies with extra chocolate chips to make them pretty and bake one cookie sheet at a time for 15 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheet placed on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place them directly on the cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Don’t use peanut butters that separate in the jar, like “natural” peanut butters.
If you place two cookie sheets at a time in the oven, be sure to rotate them from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the cooking time.
Once cookies are completely cooled, store them in a cookie jar or an airtight container. To keep cookies soft, after a couple of days, place a slice of bread at the bottom of the cookie jar. Or, place cookies in a zip type plastic bag with a half slice of bread. Wait a day or two to add the bread.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
297Fat
16 gSat. Fat
7 gCarbs
36 gFiber
2 gNet carbs
34 gSugar
24 gProtein
5 gSodium
181 mgCholesterol
27 mgThe nutritional information provided is automatically generated and is intended as a general guide. While we strive for accuracy, the values may not be exact due to variations in ingredients, preparation methods, and portion sizes. For precise dietary needs or concerns, please consult a qualified nutritionist or dietitian.
