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!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Chill Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs22 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: peanut butter crinkle cookies
Servings: 12
Calories: 215kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1large egg
½cupcreamy peanut butternot natural or homemade, too runny
½cupunsalted buttersoftened (1 stick)
½cupgranulated
½cuplight brown sugarpacked
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1 ¼cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking soda
pinchsaltoptional and to taste
granulated sugarfor 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.