Homemade soft and chewy peanut butter cookies decorated with white sugar for a festive touch, perfect for Christmas. No chilling required, no butter needed, and ready in less than 25 minutes. The best easy dairy-free peanut butter cookie recipe you’ll ever make!
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
I’m not a big fan of peanut butter on its own however I love it in cookies, especially those with chocolate chips, and sometimes I have random cravings for peanut butter cookies. I crave them so bad that I need them ASAP. I don’t want to spend forever making them and I don’t want to spend forever waiting for them to bake. That’s where this recipe comes in.
This one bowl peanut butter cookie recipe is so easy. It’s made without a mixer, requires only a few simple ingredients and comes together in minutes. The dough requires no refrigeration, there’s only 15 minutes of prep, and the cookies take only 8 minutes to bake which is less than 25 minutes in total!
So it’s not only an easy recipe, but a quick and convenient one too.
The peanut butter replaces the butter completely. Yay! So this cookie dough contains no butter whatsoever. Instead, the fat from the peanut butter is used to keep these cookies soft and moist. They still taste like they do have butter in them though, which is pretty amazing.
Because of this, there is more peanut butter flavor in this recipe. It’s not drowned out or “spread thin” between a ton of cookies. So if you like a stronger peanut flavor you’ll definitely love these.
Not only are these cookies chewy, which are my favorite kind of cookies, they are also soft. The best of both worlds.
Peanut Butter Cookies for Christmas
You’ll notice that these peanut butter cookies have got a little sparkle to them because it’s Christmas time! I couldn’t resist because it’s so festive and it makes them look so pretty and it’s honestly just a really nice finishing touch.
These aren’t usually considered Christmas cookies however I’m positive that they’d be a delicious surprise on any Christmas cookie platter.
What makes Peanut Butter Cookies Soft & Chewy?
Under baking the cookies make them and keep them soft. Removing the cookies from the oven while the edges are just set and the center is soft to the touch and slightly under baked will yield cookies with a soft texture.
Also, because these cookies are made mostly with brown sugar they are so moist and soft in the center, chewy around the edges, and the flavor is just absolutely delicious. They have crinkle-crackle tops and they smell amazing! The white sugar creates a slight crispness too which I love.
Substituting crunchy peanut butter for creamy: You can definitely do this! The peanut chunks will not negatively affect the consistency of the dough.
As you’re incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients you’ll notice that the dough is a little crumbly but don’t worry, just keep mixing until the streaks of flour are no longer visible. It comes together and holds its shape perfectly when you work it with your hands.
Just like with most peanut butter cookie dough, this one does not spread so you’ll need to flatten the balls to about 1/2 an inch thick. I used my hands to do this but you can go the traditional route and use a fork to press a crisscross pattern into the top of each ball.
How to store Peanut Butter Cookies:
Store them in an airtight container or food-safe resealable bag, removing as much air as possible. Additionally, you can add a half a slice of bread to the container which makes the cookies absorb the moisture of the bread to help keep them fresher and softer longer. White bread is best for this. These cookies will keep at room temperature for 4 – 5 days.
How to freeze Peanut Butter Cookies:
After cooling completely, these cookies can be frozen as is. You don’t need to freeze them in a layer beforehand because they don’t stick together. Just place them in a freezer-safe resealable bag, remove as much air as possible, close and freeze.
You’ll be so surprised at how soft these cookies turn out despite being dairy-free.
I’ve realized that the best peanut butter cookies are homemade and this quick and easy recipe is sure to become one of your favorites!
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Peanut Butter Cookies Rolled in Sugar
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Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, both sugars, and salt. Slowly incorporate the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and baking soda. Mix until the dough is formed and streaks of flour are no longer visible. *Dough will be slightly crumbly.
- Place 3 tablespoons of white sugar in a small bowl.
- Form 2-tablespoon sized balls of dough and coat in sugar. Place balls onto the baking sheet spaced evenly apart (10 cookies per sheet).
- Then, using your hands or a fork, flatten to about 1/2 an inch thick.
- Bake for 8 - 9 minutes until the edges are set and the centers are soft and slightly under baked.
- Allow cookies to cool and firm up on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then remove.
Notes
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3 comments
Super good. thanks for sharing. I abandoned my old recipe.
No way! Thank you.
Two thumbs up! I didn’t expect to be so impressed but everyone loves these cookies. Made some of them with added chocolate chips. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and used a high quality all natural peanut butter. Yum!