Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Delectable, rich, and buttery chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are nothing short of perfection. Starring the classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate, one taste of these cookies and you’ll have a hard time looking at regular old chocolate chip cookies the same way again. 

Easy, quick, and delicious, these cookies make the perfect after-school snack or simple sweet treat. Serve your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with a tall glass of milk for the perfect cure to your sweet tooth acting up.

Or for a fun, but filling snack top a warm cookie with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream for the ultimate indulgent experience. The dough can even be frozen into individually-sized portions and popped in the oven to make warm, gooey, fresh cookies anytime!

These cookies have a perfect mix of rich peanut butter flavor and bits of gooey chocolate chips. They are absolutely heavenly as written, but you can easily add a few extra mix-ins to quickly alter the finished product.

Mix things up by switching out the chocolate chips for chopped pieces of chocolate peanut butter cups or increase the salty flavor by adding nuts, pretzels, or even crushed potato chips (it sounds weird, but you’ll thank me later). The sky is truly the limit when it comes to how you choose to enjoy your cookies. 

Ingredients you’ll need and substitutions

Peanut Butter — sweet, salty, and creamy (or crunchy), peanut butter is an American staple for a reason. It’s thick texture and rich flavor makes these cookies just the right amount of salty and nutty.

Flour — Flour will make your cookies chewy and filling. This recipe calls for plain old white flour; however, feel free to substitute whole wheat or gluten-free flour. Just make sure you don’t add too much so you don’t end up with a dense cookie!

White Sugar — The white sugar in this recipe isn’t only for sweetening purposes, it also ensures that your cookies will spread and not be too thick. Beware, however, that using too much white sugar will cause your cookies to end up flat.

Brown Sugar — Brown sugar will bring a wonderful depth of caramelly flavor to your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can mix molasses with some white sugar as a substitute. 

Butter — We can’t get enough of the buttery, melt in your mouth texture of these cookies. If you’re vegan or lactose intolerant, you can create a similar texture with coconut oil or shortening.  

Eggs — Eggs will make your dough more robust and easier to shape and work with. They will also help your cookies to have that perfectly chewy texture. 

Leavening Agents — A mix of baking powder and baking soda will allow your cookies to rise evenly in all directions. 

Chocolate chips — What’s the only thing better than a peanut butter cookie? A peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips of course! Need I say more?

How to make Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together butter and peanut butter. With a stand or electric hand mixer, beat together your butter and peanut butter until creamy and well combined. 

Add eggs, vanilla, and sugars. Begin by adding your eggs and vanilla to your peanut butter mixture and continue beating until thoroughly mixed. Once smooth, add your sugar and continue beating until the sugar crystals have mostly dissolved.

Add dry ingredients. Into your peanut butter mixture, add your flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until a stiff dough forms. 

Gently stir in your chocolate chips. Add your chocolate chips and gently stir or fold them into your dough so as not to break them. 

If you are changing up your stir-ins add them with the chocolate chips. Play with proportions as much as you’d like, just make sure there is enough peanut butter cookie dough base to hold it all together.

Shape cookies and bake. Using a cookie scoop, shape your cookie dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Place the balls of dough onto a tray and gently flatten each one using a fork or the bottom of a glass. Bake your cookies at 375°F for ten minutes or until golden brown on the edges. 

Cool, serve, and enjoy! Let your cookies cool for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack. But be sure to enjoy one warm with a tall glass of milk. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use other nut butters instead of peanut butter?

Absolutely! Any other nut butter can be substituted to make these cookies peanut-free.

If you’re feeling really daring, you can also try making these cookies with any thick dessert spread such as Nutella or cookie butter. 

Can I use a natural sweetener in place of the sugars?

Although natural sweeteners, such as honey, could in theory be used as a replacement for the refined sugar in this recipe, it could severely alter the texture and cook-time of your cookies.

If you’re looking to sweeten your cookies in a more natural way, I recommend using coconut sugar. Its nutty flavor is similar to brown sugar and it bakes up similarly to refined sugar.  

Should I use crunchy or smooth peanut butter?

We prefer using smooth peanut butter in these cookies; however, you can also use crunchy. Just be aware that instead of chewy cookies, your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies will end up a little on the crispier, crunchier side. 

You may want to add an extra Tablespoon or two of peanut butter to keep the texture closer to the original recipe. You need enough creamy peanut butter to hold it all together and the peanut chunks basically work as another mix-in.

Can I use mix-ins other than chocolate chips?

Yes! Feel free to get creative with your cookie mix-ins. For the ultimate sweety, yet salty experience, throw some crushed pretzels into your dough along with your chocolate chips.

For the peanut butter super-fans in your household, try using some chopped up Reese’s cups or Reese’s pieces in your dough instead of the chocolate chips! 

Potato chip crumbs, M&Ms, peanut butter baking chips, or even chopped candy bars would also be fun additions. You could likely get away with up to two cups of mix-ins if you want to go whole hog.

Prepping and Storing Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Any leftover cookies can be easily stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Add a slice of sandwich bread to the container to keep them chewy for as long as possible.

For longer storage you can freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.

However, if you really want to up your cookie game, try prepping a big batch of dough and freezing it in cookie-sized balls.

When you’re ready for a warm, fresh cookie, simply take a few of your frozen dough balls and pop them into a 375°F oven for twelve minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 

Thanks for sharing!