Peanut butter cut out cookies are perfect for cutting into cute shapes and decorating. They can be used in the same way you enjoy sugar cookies, but they have the added goodness of peanut butter baked in. They are a perfect addition to your Christmas baking, but they are wonderful for any occasion that calls for cute cookies.
If you think sugar cookies are the only ones that can be rolled, cut and decorated, think again! These peanut butter cookies roll, cut and bake beautifully.
You can taste and smell the peanut butter for a delicious twist on your cookie trays. For peanut butter lovers, these tasty cut out cookies are a dream come true.
We love decorating cookies. Of course we bake up batches of gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies at Christmastime every year.
But that isn’t the only time we cut out cookies and decorate them. I like to fill cellophane bags with decorated cookies for party favors as well.
They are the perfect little take home treat after a baby shower, bridal shower, or even birthday party. They can match the theme of the party and are an economical and cute little take home token for guests.
With all of the cookie baking opportunities that present themselves in a year, it is nice to have some more flavor options in the arsenal. That way you can mix and match your favorites or alternate through different flavors for different events.
These peanut butter sugar cookies are a wonderful addition. They add that rich peanut flavor in a dough that is a dream to work with.
What kind of peanut butter should you use in cookies?
Using a standard commercial creamy peanut butter is usually best for baking. The natural peanut butters that need stirred before you use them taste great, but they can affect the texture of baked goods.
Most peanut butter recipes are developed using a standard jar of creamy peanut butter unless the recipe states otherwise.
Carlee’s Tips and Tricks
Though it is not necessary, I like to spread out the work for making cut out cookies over three days. It allows me to enjoy each step of the process and not feel overwhelmed.
I start by making the dough on the first day. It needs to chill before it is rolled out and cut anyway. Chilling it overnight allows the dough to get fully chilled and gives the flavors a chance to develop.
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You don’t have to chill the dough for that long, but you do want to give the dough at least an hour to chill.
That gives the butter a chance to firm back up a bit so your dough will be less sticky. Then you can use less flour when you are rolling the cookie dough out, and your cookies will be more tender.
Once the dough is good and chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Cut out your shapes and bake them.
Let them cool on the tray for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Sometimes I freeze them at this point to decorate later.
With a busy life, sometimes it isn’t possible to get everything done at once. If you stack the cookies in airtight containers you can freeze them for several weeks without affecting the quality.
Then you can decorate them at a later date, spreading out the mess and the work. Sometimes it is about working smarter, not harder.
We usually decorate these cookies with royal icing. Little Dude loves the process and is quite good at it.
However, they are also delicious with crusting buttercream on top. Both frosting methods have their advantages, it all depends on the finish you are going for.
Storage
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or two. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
I prefer to freeze them undecorated because any condensation formed while defrosting them can affect the icing.
Peanut Butter Cut Out Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Cream together the ½ cup butter and ½ cup creamy peanut butter until smooth.
- Add ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, and beat until fluffy. Stir in 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Mix together 2 cups all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Stir into peanut butter mixture. At this point, the dough should have about the same texture as playdough. It shouldn't be sticky, but should come together into a nice dough when pressed together. If it is too dry, stir in another Tablespoon or two of peanut butter until you get a nice pliable texture.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes. If you chill it longer, you will want to let it sit out for a bit to take the chill off. This dough is brittle when it is too cold.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll your dough to about ¼-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut desired shapes and place on cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes.
- Cool on the cookies sheet for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate and eat!
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Horrible cookie….very crumbly and not easy to roll…..taste wasn’t worth the effort.
I’m sorry you didn’t like them.
Hi. I omitted the white sugar and the cookies were sweet to enjoy.
I divided the dough in four balls. I rolled out each ball on separate parchment paper to slide them onto the cookie tray.
That’s a great idea. I am glad to know they are still good without the white sugar.
My dough was very crumbly. I cut in butter until the dough would adhere to itself. Worked fine then
I’m sorry that happened, but I am glad you were able to make it work.
I followed this recipe EXACTLY and my flour was not packed. The dough was crumbly and impossible to roll, so I had to sit and knead and flatten out each cookie by hand. When the cookies were done they were not super impressive, with the main issue being that they were very dry. If I were to make them again I would use less flour or add more butter. The ratio listed did not work for me.
I am so sorry the dough didn’t work well for you.
Does it still come out the same way if left in the fridge for an hour? And how long should wait to start cutting them into shapes?
The dough goes into the fridge for an hour to chill and stiffen it up a bit. As the butter chills, the dough becomes a little less sticky and easy to work with. It also gives the flour a little bit of a chance to hydrate. You want to roll the chilled dough out and cut it into shapes then bake it while it is still cold if you can.
@Carlee, ohh okay thank you so much just wanted to make sure:)
Cookies turned out great. Measured using metric measurements and made a double batch. I used a fairly detailed godzilla shaped cookie cutter and fine details were retained after being baked. Turned out delicious as well.
Oooh, Godzilla cookies sound fun! I’m glad you liked them.
I have never in my experience baking EVER had to throw out a dough, but these were so crumbly and horribly tough that they were unsalvageable, despite my best attempts. I consider myself an adept baker and have been baking for years, so honestly it’s on me for not recognizing on sight how horrendous these ratios are. Save yourself the time and money and look elsewhere for a recipe.
I’m sorry that was your experience. I have made these cookies quite a few times and have never had that issue. The ration of peanut butter and butter to flour is not off. There is actually a higher fat to flour ratio in these than in Sally’s Baking Addiction’s cut out sugar cookies. I am wondering if maybe your butter was cold or the flour was really packed in the measuring cups? Either way, I know having something not turn out is disappointing.
@emmy, I had the same issue with crumbling. I’ve added more butter hoping it will help fingers crossed !
I love these
thank you!
I chilled the dough for two hours. I found it very crumbly when rolling out. The cookies taste ok, but required me only cutting out a couple at a time. Any tips?
Letting it warm up a bit before rolling may help with the crumbliness. It is likely your 2 cups of flour were a little heavier than mine. If you make another batch, I would try two scant cups or add an extra Tablespoon of peanut butter. The dough should come together nicely in the mixer and be pliable, if that isn’t the case a little extra butter or peanut butter will help. Once it is chilled, it should be stiff but not crumbly. That way you can roll it out without adding a bunch more flour.
Just made these last week for a bday party. Lots of compliments on taste and design. Easy recipe and everything came out exactly like you’d want. My cookie cutter had some fine line details and those showed nicely after baking. Nice flat surface to decorate with royal icing. I added mini chocolate chips to one batch and that worked well too.
I am so glad you liked them!