Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies — These soft peanut butter cookies are the peanut butter version of a molasses crinkle. They’re soft, supremely chewy, and have an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie flavor!
Table of Contents
I love crinkle cookies. When I see those big crevices, my eyes light up and I know I’m in for a chewy treat.
I love molasses crinkles, but peanut butter crinkles sounded so good. These simple peanut butter cookies are soft, supremely chewy, and have an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie flavor.
It’s a very easy peanut butter cookie recipe to memorize because it starts out with 1/2 cup each of butter, peanut butter, granulated and brown sugars, along with an egg and vanilla. Add in the flour, baking soda, and then scoop into balls.
When I eat cookies, I’m a breaker, not a biter, and these cookies break apart so nicely at the crinkles. Half the fun is them breaking apart. I told myself, oh just break off that little piece there. And then that other little piece over there came off so effortlessly, too.
And then breaking off another section. And another crinkly seam. So good.
Ingredients for This Recipe
This easy peanut butter crinkles recipe calls for just nine basic ingredients. To make these old-fashioned chewy peanut butter cookies, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Creamy peanut butter
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
When I say these are easy peanut butter cookies, I mean it! Full instructions are provided in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview:
- To make the dough, simply beat together the wet ingredients, then mix in the dry.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls, then chill them for at least 2 hours.
- Before baking, I roll the dough through granulated sugar because I like my crinkle cookies with the ever-so-slight crunch of a sugary coating. It’s very minimal, but a nice touch.
- I baked these chewy and soft peanut butter cookies for 12 minutes. If you’re an oven door watcher, the cookies begin crinkling about 9 minutes into baking, and the longer the bake, the more they crinkle, and continue to do so as they cool.
Tip About the Batch Size
These soft peanut butter cookies are large in diameter, but not very thick. They’ll disappear quickly since it’s a small batch recipe, making just 1 dozen cookies.
Recipe FAQs
The difference between this dough and most other cookie dough is that for the amount of butter and peanut butter used, adding more flour would be expected. However, more flour isn’t added, so the dough is very soft and limp. Extra flour would firm up the dough and would cause the cookies to bake thicker with smoother rounded tops.
By keeping the dough on the wetter and softer side, the cookies spread more, bake thinner, and as they rise and then fall in the oven, crinkles develop.
I haven’t tried the recipe making smaller cookies, but if you do, you’ll need to reduce baking time, but by how much, I don’t know. Part of the appeal is their softball-like size.
Yes, baked cookies will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
You want to use a creamy peanut butter from a brand like Jif or Skippy. Don’t use natural or homemade peanut butter in these cookies, as both are too runny for this recipe.
I haven’t made this recipe using gluten-free flour, so I can’t say for sure. But I’ve had readers report success using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, so it’s worth a shot!
You must chill the dough. If you don’t, the already soft and spread-prone dough will spread to epic levels and you’ll have one giant paper-thin cookie that baked together on the baking sheet. Not good, so chill it.
Storage Instructions
Baked peanut butter crinkles will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Or, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
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Old-Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter, not natural or homemade, too runny
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl with electric mixer), combine egg, peanut butter, butter, sugars, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamed, about 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, divide dough into 12 equal-sized mounds. Roll the mounds into balls, and flatten just slightly. Dough is very soft, limp, and mushy so be gentle with it.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake too thin, flat, and will spread far too much.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Dredge each mound dough through granulated sugar, coating liberally.
- Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. I bake 8 cookies per sheet; do not crowd because the cookies spread considerably.
- Bake for about 12 minutes (start checking at 10 minutes), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake because cookies firm up as they cool. If you’re an oven door watcher, the cookies begin crinkling about 9 minutes into baking, and the longer the bake, the more they crinkle and continue to do so as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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FYI, this is my go-to peanut butter cookie. I am currently making a batch with white chocolate peanut butter, and I’ll add butterscotch chips to it. (Ha, just realized that the last time I commented I was also making a white chocolate peanut butter version. It’s because I don’t like white chocolate, and I can eat a TON of peanut butter cookies otherwise.) Aldi sells white and dark chocolate peanut butter twice a year or so, and I think it adds some oomph. This batch is for a ladies craft night, my debaters, and to say thank you to a coworker of my husband’s who has relieved him at 7 a couple times this week so he could come home “on time.”
So, THANKS! :-)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s your go-to peanut butter cookie recipe! So nice of you to bake for others and share some cookie love :)
I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe but I do not have an electric mixer and was wondering if doing these by hand will make too much difference? I’ve made brownies and cakes by hand but not yet biscuits/ Cookies. Thank you :)
Anything is possible…but you will need some serious arm endurance :)
WOW! These are amazing! I made these for my family (halved the batch- made 15 small cookies) and my mom ate one and said “it’s like eating the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.” I’ll say that’s a win! So tender and soft with a perfect peanut butter flavor – and they came out nice and crinkly! I’ll be making these again! Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I LOVE what your mom said about it and how she described them….ahhh, love that :)
These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever had! And my family loves them as well. I’m on my third batch in two days! (But one is for church in the morning!)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad they’re some of the best cookies you’ve ever had! And that you’ve made 3 batches in 2 days! :)
About to make these delicious looking cookies, but isn’t a 1/2 cup butter 2 sticks?
1/2 cup butter is ONE stick
1 cup of butter is 2 sticks
Hi Averie,
Just to check, was the measurement for the flour 1 and 1/4 cups of flour? Could you please give me a weight for the flour that seems to work for you? I usually weigh all my ingredients when I bake and rarely measure by volume. Also, are you saying that I shouldn’t chill the dough and just bake the cookies straight away?
Thanks in advance!
I don’t have a weighted measurement for flour. I used measuring cups.
And based on your previous comment and using some educated guesses, I gave you suggestions for what I think may help you. You’ll have to experiment in your own kitchen based on what you think works best. Good luck.
Hi there!
I came across your blog and these are the first cookies I made from your collection. I am an avid baker but these cookies didn’t turn out for me! Instead of spreading to a thin, chewy texture, they rose as they baked :(
Could you please give me any pointers? I followed the instructions to a Tee!
Thanks in advance!
Best,
Tonia
Thanks for trying the recipe and one reason cookies tend to stay puffy is accidental over-flouring of the dough. Make sure you’re using a very light hand as too much flour makes the dough stiffer. If you don’t think you over-measured, then I would use slightly less flour than I called for; a few tbsp just to ‘thin out’ the dough. And don’t chill the dough, that’s another thing that leads to flat cookies in general. I’m sure they tasted great and with those tweaks they’ll likely flatten more.
Ok. I am an avid baker. I bake a lot of cookies, however PB cookies are just not something I bake often. I usually find them too dry and crumbly. I am a chewy cookie lover. I was in a cookie mood yesterday and didn’t have much on hand to go by. Then my big jar of peanut butter was staring me in the face. I hummed and hawed a little bit and then I went over to the computer and Googled: Chewy peanut butter cookie. I knew by the picture, yours was the one I was going to make. Usually, I look at the comments or the rating before I try a recipe, but those crinkles had me at hello! I just went with it and made them. And OMG! To die for. These are the best PB cookie I have ever had in my whole life. My husband came home the next morning from work and at 3! He agreed that they were the best PB cookie, if not the best cookie ever! I’ve just whipped up a double batch. So good. Thank you so much for this recipe. If I were there, I would kiss you and the peanut butter ground you walk on. (First time on your blog and will not be my last!)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you based on what you had on hand and that they’re the best PB cookies and possibly the best cookies you’ve ever had in your life! Wonderful to hear!
I guess after writing a cookbook about peanut butter and having at least 50+ different recipes for PB cookies, I’ve learned a thing or two about PB cookies :) LMK what other recipes of mine you try!
Hey!
Christmas Eve! We just made these cookies according to the recipe – Wow!
This is the perfect traditional peanut butter cookie – beautiful to look at – even better to munch on.
I think Santa is going to be very pleased. : )
Thanks, The Martins
Okay so I have a question : I have completely fallen in love with your peanut butter crinkle cookies …. So I was wondering if there is anyway I could make a sugar cookie version? How would I do it?
I would make these https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/07/softbatch-funfetti-sugar-cookies.html and just omit the sprinkles if you don’t want them. That’s going to be closest in mouth-feel/texture as a sugar cookie will get to the creamy richness of a PB cookie, without using PB.
I made these today to *test* them for the new moms I’m bringing them to later this week. :-) Yum, yum.
Love that you made a test batch and they came out great. I’m all about quality control too :) Ahem :)
Oooooh, I made them again yesterday with white chocolate flavored peanut butter, and WOW! The softball team really liked them. :-)
You have very lucky teammates! They sound AWESOME! White choc PB is amazing!
Hello! I baked these cookies recently and they are delicious! I had to save the batter for 5 days because I was preparing other desserts for my cookout, and these came out perfect! I chose not to make them too big, and I still loved the look. I am excited to bake these again soon! (Even just for myself haha)
Thanks for trying them and glad they worked out perfectly (and you can even freeze the dough balls for up to about 4-6 months and then just bake 1 or 2 at a time later on as you want them!)
Just made these – what a wonderful cookie! I used a standard cookie scoop, made a double batch and got 48 cookies. Baked for 10 minutes on a metal cookie sheet, then let them cool on the pan before removing to wire rack. Using these to make ice cream sandwiches!! Perfection!
They would be PERFECT ice cream sandwich cookies because they’re a flatter cookie that spreads a little larger, I can see them working out great for that! I’m impressed you got 48 out of the batch. I almost never get more than about 18 or so – after that I get too impatient and just start making all the dough balls bigger :)
I got 48 from a double batch & used a smaller cookie scoop. I was looking for a chewy peanut butter cookie for ice cream sandwiches – a family reunion tradition – but usually I use only an oatmeal/chocolate chip cookie for the sandwiches. This will be a nice addition to the treats! Also, I chilled my dough first, then made the scoops when I was ready to bake – worked well & I never had to mess with the soft dough.
Hi Averie! I made these last night! They were SOOOOoooo easy and fun to make! They came out great. They didn’t crinkle as much as yours, but that is okay! I baked them in 2 batches. My first batch, I left in a bit too long. My second batch, I followed your instructions and took them out before I THOUGHT they were done, and they were really yummy. Thanks for such a massively user-friendly recipe!
Thanks for trying them and yes, taking them out BEFORE you think they’re done is always a good trick for most any cookies! Glad you’re so happy with the recipe!
Holy cow…these are amazing. I had to cook mine a few moments longer and was worried they would come out like rocks but they have a great texture. Thanks!
It’s so dry in San Diego, everything cooks a minute or two faster I think. Glad that a couple extra mins did the trick for you and you love them! Thanks for the feedback and trying the recipe!
My sister and I made these last night and they were delicious! I realized after I had the cookies in the oven that I had forgotten to chill the dough, but they came out just fine (I chilled the rest of the batch before baking and didn’t notice much of a difference). We also made them smaller (we got about 20 cookies from the batch) and cooked them 11 minutes. They turned out sooooo good. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the great feedback, Erika, and so glad you’re happy with them! Glad that not chilling didn’t seem to matter much for you. For some people it does but glad you could sneak by without it! :)