The Best Bakery-Style Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
User Reviews
5
The Best Bakery-Style Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Description
This recipe begins by browning butter on the stove to develop a nutty aroma and deeper flavor. Once cooled, it is mixed with creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs, honey, and vanilla to create the wet ingredients. Dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, and salt—are stirred in to form a soft dough. The dough is then portioned and rolled in granulated sugar before baking, resulting in cookies with a slight sugar crust outside, softness inside, and a rich peanut butter flavor.
The browned butter adds complexity to the peanut butter base, and the honey brings moistness and a subtle sweetness. Adding chocolate chips is optional and pairs well by introducing an extra richness. A finishing sprinkle of Maldon sea salt enhances the flavors and adds contrast.
These cookies can be frozen before baking, maintaining softness and flavor, making them practical for preparing ahead.
Ingredients
- Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup salted butter 113g, 1 stick
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter 128g; all natural (just peanuts + salt as ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar 213g, packed
- 1 egg large whole plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120g plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- semi-sweet chocolate chips optional, 1/2 heaping cup
- For rolling:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 67g
- sea salt Maldon, to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brown your butter: add butter to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a medium bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to touch.
- Mix together wet ingredients: Once brown butter has cooled, transfer to a large bowl. Add in the peanut butter, brown sugar, room temperature egg and egg yolk, honey and vanilla and whisk together until smooth, thick and well combined.
- Stir in dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl and then stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips, if desired.
- Use a large cookie scoop or ¼ to grab dough and then use your hands roll into golf-sized balls. Roll balls in sugar then place at least 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. (If you want to make medium sized cookies, use a medium cookie scoop and roll them into smaller dough balls about 2 tablespoons each.) Add 6-7 extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie (or 3-4 if making smaller cookies).
- Bake large cookies for 12-16 minutes and smaller cookies for 8-10 minutes until edges begin to turn slightly golden brown and cookies are set. Do not overbake or cookies will dry out. Remove from oven and sprinkle cookies with sea salt, if desired. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes to help set up on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough. Makes about 9 to 10 large cookies or 16 smaller cookies.
Notes
- For best flavor, brown the butter carefully until golden and aromatic, whisking constantly to avoid burning.
- Optional semi-sweet chocolate chips add richness but can be omitted for classic peanut butter flavor.
- Rolling cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before baking creates a light sweet crust.
- A sprinkle of flaky sea salt after baking balances the sweetness and enhances flavor.
- Dough can be frozen before baking; bake directly from frozen extending baking time slightly.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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