Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe With Butter
These buttery peanut butter cookies are made for the freezer! The soft peanut butter cookie dough is shaped into a log, wrapped, and frozen so you can slice off just as many cookies as you need. Bake them straight from frozen for quick homemade cookies, or let the slices soften slightly if you want to add the classic peanut butter cookie crisscross pattern with a fork.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- Extra granulated sugar, optional, for coating or pressing
Instructions
Cream the Butter and Peanut Butter
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together until smooth and creamy.
Add the Sugars
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light and well combined.
Add the Wet Ingredients
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until completely incorporated.
Combine the Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Make the Cookie Dough
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture.
- Mix just until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
Shape the Cookie Dough Log
- Place the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Use your hands to shape it into a firm, even log approximately 10–12 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap and Freeze
- Wrap the cookie dough log tightly in plastic wrap, twisting or folding the ends closed.
- For longer freezer storage, place the wrapped log inside a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Slice the Cookies
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the frozen cookie dough log from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5–10 minutes, just until it's easy enough to slice.
- Cut into approximately ⅓-inch-thick slices.
Bake from Frozen
- Arrange the frozen cookie dough slices about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden. The centers may still look slightly soft.
Cool
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They'll continue to set as they cool.
Notes
About those classic peanut butter fork marks: Because these cookies are designed to be sliced and baked from a frozen cookie dough log, you won't necessarily get the traditional crisscross fork pattern—and that's perfectly fine. The cookies will still have that rich peanut butter flavor without it.
If you want the classic look, slice the cookies and let them sit at room temperature for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the surface is soft enough to press without cracking. Dip a fork lightly in granulated sugar and gently press each cookie in one direction, then again in the opposite direction to make the crisscross pattern. Don't completely thaw the cookies; you still want the dough cold when it goes into the oven.
For softer cookies: Remove them when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone.
For crispier slice-and-bake cookies: Bake them for another 1–2 minutes, watching the edges carefully.
Freezer storage: The tightly wrapped cookie dough log can be stored in the freezer for approximately 3 months. Label the outside with the cookie flavor, baking temperature, and date so you know exactly what's waiting in your freezer.
Slice only what you need: You don't have to bake the entire log at once. Slice off two cookies or twenty, rewrap the remaining dough tightly, and return it to the freezer. That's the whole beauty of keeping cookie dough logs on hand.