The Best Soft & Thick Peanut Butter Cookies

After some trial and error, I now present to you the best soft & thick peanut butter cookies to come out of my kitchen. Perfectly soft, thick, moist, chewy, and delicious!

This isn't the first time I've shared a peanut butter cookie recipe around this neighborhood, but this one hands-down trumps them all. The others are delicious, but these are on another level. You see, there's this to-die-for bakery in Salt Lake called Ruby Snap that has the best cookies of all time. And its proximity to my house is not conducive to healthy eating, but it's practically impossible not to stop by when I'm roaming around downtown. They have a cookie called "Penelope" that is a thick peanut butter cookie dipped in chocolate and it is SO. GOOD. All their cookies are good, but that one is in my top 3.

In fact, if you all lived near me then I wouldn't even bother posting this recipe because I'd tell you to just go move next door to the bakery and call it a day. And honestly, even those who do live in Salt Lake should still go to their bakery because it needs to stay in business for eternity (I would legit cry if they ever closed). But today I'm sharing with you my version of this delectable cookie for all those times the trek downtown seems too far.

So let's start out by making it clear that a cookie has to be two things to meet my cookie-criteria. It needs to be SOFT and it needs to be THICK. Occasionally, I will make an exception for a soft, thin cookie but 9/10, that's a no-go. So when I was writing this recipe, I based it off one of my favorite chocolate chip recipes but adapted it to be peanut butter. By using melted butter, the dough gets super soft and easy to roll into perfectly-held-together balls. Forget the risk of getting sick from raw dough, get me a spoon. (Kidding)

These cookies don't use a ton of baking soda so they won't spread and get flat. Because of that, the trick to these thick discs of cookie goodness is that you need to lightly flatten each dough ball. If you just scoop the dough on the pan and bake, your result will be baked lumpy scoops without the disc shape. And ain't nobody got time for lumpy scoops, am I right?!

After baking, eat warm out of the oven OR if you're feeling crazy then let them cool completely then dip them in chocolate. My aforementioned favorite cookie bakery dips them in chocolate so I SHALL TOO. (I used Guittard Milk Chocolate melting wafers and carefully dipped half of each cookie in the chocolate. I really liked how this brand of chocolate was thin when melted, making it easy to dip.)

The recipe only uses ½ cup of peanut butter, so it's not a strong, overpowering peanut butter flavor but instead a light, buttery, delectable walk on the clouds type of peanut butter. The key to their softness is to only bake them for 8 minutes. They will look underdone, but they will finish baking on the hot cookie sheet after you take it out of the oven. (Of course, because ovens bake differently use your best judgement to keep them in a minute longer if they look severely underbaked.)

Oh baby, baby. WHO WANTS ONE?! Or 5? Or 20? Or 39,292,291?

4.91 from 10 votes

The Best Soft and Thick Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes: 12 -13 Large Cookies

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

The best peanut butter cookies - perfectly soft, thick, moist, chewy, and delicious!

Recipe by Melissa Rose

Ingredients

 

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• ½ cup unsalted butter, i.e. 1 stick
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Chocolate For Dipping, I used this

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Instructions

 

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1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small glass bowl, microwave ½ cup unsalted butter, i.e., 1 stick) until melted. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add in ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, and ½ cup creamy peanut butter and mix for 10 seconds.
4. Add 1 large egg and 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and mix on medium speed for 20 seconds.
5. Turn mixer to low speed, and add ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix for 10 seconds.
6. Half cup at a time, add 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour and mix until flour is just incorporated (about 10-20 seconds). Do not overmix.
7. Scoop dough into (3 tablespoon sized) balls. Lightly flatten each ball before placing on cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 350℉ for 8 minutes. They will look underdone, but they will finish baking on the hot cookie sheet after you take it out of the oven. (Of course, because ovens bake differently use your best judgement to keep them in a minute longer if they look severely underbaked.)
9. After removing from oven, allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet. If dipping in chocolate, allow to cool completely on cooling rack.
10. For chocolate dip, melt chocolate in microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments until melted. Be sure to stir between each increment.
11. Immediately dip cookies in chocolate and place on wax paper or parchment to dry. If needed, pop the cookies in the refrigerator to help harden.

Nutrition

Calories: 245kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 152mg, Potassium: 103mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 255IU, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1.1mg

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So because I'm a bakery freak & my life goal is to do a worldwide bakery tour - leave a comment below with your favorite bakery item & where it's located! I'm serious. I need to know. Will trade recommendations for cookies. (And if you ever find yourself in Salt Lake or Des Moines, Iowa (last two places I've lived)...email me and I'll tell you all the bakery must-haves.)