Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (2024)

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These delicious chocolate peanut butter cookies will leave you yearning for more. They are decadent, sweet, and perfect for all occasions. You can make these surprise cookies with 11 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time!

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (1)

This chocolate peanut butter cookie recipe has easily become one of my go-to cookies because the flavor is out of this world. Whether you are hosting a party, having a holiday cookie exchange, or are just craving something sweet, these peanut butter filled cookies should be on your radar. So, if you want a dessert that will win over any crowd, make these peanut butter and chocolate cookies, and they will disappear before your eyes.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (2)

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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Every bite of these soft peanut butter filled cookies is so yummy. They are kid-friendly and the perfect dessert for parties or get-togethers. There are times when I don’t mind spending all day in the kitchen baking (I am a foodie after all), but once in a while, I love a pretty effortless recipe. These peanut butter filled chocolate cookies are exactly what I’m talking about. Easy and scrumptious.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour
  • Unsweetened cocoa
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Granulated sugar
  • Packed brown sugar
  • Unsalted butter
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Vanilla
  • Egg
  • Powdered Sugar

How To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

You’ll find that these are the best peanut butter cookies, and they just so happen to be super simple to make too. Take a look at these easy steps to make your own homemade peanut butter cookies.

First Step: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Second Step: Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk together and then set aside.

Third Step: Using the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter, and 1/4 cup of peanut butter in a stand mixer. It should be light and fluffy. Then add in the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Carefully add in flour mixture and combine well. Set aside.

Fourth Step: Make the peanut butter filling by mixing together the powdered sugar and rest of the creamy peanut butter. Mix until it’s smooth and creamy.

Fifth Step: Grab a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and use your hands to flatten it. Add 1 teaspoon of peanut butter filling into the center of the dough. Wrap the chocolate cookie dough around the peanut butter and seal the edges by pressing them. Roll the dough into a ball and coat it in granulated sugar.

Sixth Step: Place cookie dough balls on to a prepared baking sheet. Leave 2-inches of space between them. Use a glass and flatten the cookies until they are around 1/2 inch thick and bake for 7-9 minutes.

Seventh Step: After the cookies are done, let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then you can move them to a wire rack.

How Do You Know When Cookies Are Done?

You will be able to tell that the surprise cookies are done when the edges have set up, and the centers appear to be slightly soft. You don’t want to overbake them, or they will become hard. If you pull them out of the oven when they are just a little underdone, they will finish baking on the cookie sheet.

Optional Tips

When you bake this chocolate peanut butter cookie recipe, you can try out a few things with them if you want. They are positively delicious the way I have written it, but sometimes it’s nice to try a few things. Here are some ideas to get you started.

  • Melt chocolate and drizzle it on top of the cookies after they have baked. It will look gorgeous and like they were made in a bakery.
  • Mix a little bit of chocolate with some peanut butter and melt it. Then drizzle the combination on top of the cookies for an added surprise.
  • Put a piece of candy like a Hershey Kiss or Dove Chocolate square in the center of the cookie when you remove them from the oven. It takes these surprise cookies to a whole new level of amazing.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (3)

Can I Use Crunchy Peanut Butter Instead Of Creamy?

Yes, absolutely! If you don’t have creamy peanut butter or just prefer the flavor and texture of crunchy peanut butter, give it a try. I prefer the softness of the creamy peanut butter, but when you use crunchy, it gives them a whole new texture that’s also delicious.

You could also mix half creamy and half crunchy peanut butter too. That gives you a subtle crunch that’s also really good.

Can I Use Salted Butter Instead Of Unsalted?

Yes, you could use salted butter instead of unsalted butter if that’s what you have. It’s imperative to omit the salt from the recipe if you use salted butter. Otherwise, these cocoa peanut butter cookies will be extremely salty and not very good.

How Do You Store This Chocolate Cookie Recipe?

Allow the cookies to cool all the way after baking them. Once they have adequately cooled, you can put them into a sealed storage container with a lid. These easy chocolate peanut butter cookies will last around 2 weeks if they are appropriately stored. You don’t need to put them in the refrigerator, and they will last perfectly on the counter or in your pantry.

Can I Freeze This Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe?

Yes, you can freeze these peanut butter filled cookies! They are ideal for making ahead of time and grabbing when you need some. Place the cooled cookies in a plastic or glass storage container or freezer bag.

When the holidays are coming, I will often make up a few batches of cookies then they are ready whenever I want some. Plus, they are nice if we have last-minute dinner guests too.

If you love these chocolate peanut butter cookies as much as I do, you’re going to need to try some of my other amazing cookie recipes. Don’t forget to get a big glass of milk and enjoy some freshly baked cookies.

  • Ginger Cookies With Cinnamon Filling – These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. They are soft, delicious, and impressive.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (4)

  • Soft Lofthouse Cookies With Frosting – You will fall in love with how delicious these cookies are. They are better than what you can get in a bakery any day.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (5)

  • Peanut Butter Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies – You’ve never had snickerdoodles like this before. I promise you won’t find a more flavorful combination of peanut butter, cinnamon, and sugar.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (6)

  • Fresh Apple Oatmeal Cookies – If you love classic flavors, you are going to be hooked on this combination. Take these to your next potluck dinner, and the guests will rave about them.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (7)

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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (8)

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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

These chocolate peanut butter cookies are EASY to make. Suprise cookies have a soft chocolate outer with a peanut butter filled center and are delicious.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (9)

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 egg

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together sugars, butter and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, beating to combine. Stir in the flour mixture and stir to combine, blending well. Set aside.

  • In a medium bowl, mix together powdered sugar and remaining 3/4 cup of peanut butter until smooth.

  • Pull off a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten with your hands. Take about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture and place it in the center of the chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the peanut butter center, pressing to seal. Roll the cookie into a ball and roll the cookie in the sugar. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

  • Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes. Let stand on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

Notes

Author: Laura

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March 26, 2020

  • American
  • Baking
  • Baking
  • Desserts
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Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe | Sweet Pea's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies? ›

So it looks like that there are utilitarian reasons for the cross-hatching—to allow for even cooking—but it might have been passed along for nearly a hundred years for primarily aesthetic reasons, where the cross-hatching is more to identify the cookies as peanut butter ones, rather than to cook them well.

Why are my peanut butter cookies always hard? ›

If your peanut butter cookies are hard, you likely cooked them for too long. They should not be baked for more than 8 or 9 minutes.

What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

If you don't flatten the cookies first, then the fork does double duty – it performs both functions. One very subtle result of creating the pattern is that the little tips of dough bake up crisper than the rest of the cookie, giving you both a bit of additional texture and deeper taste where the dough is more baked.

Why do you smash peanut butter cookies? ›

Basic reason..the dough is more dense than most cookie doughs, and the pressing with the fork tines helps the dough bake evenly. Secondarily, its pattern makes it easier to tell them apart from other cookies with similar appearance.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Chill your cookie dough! The dough is extremely soft due to the creamy peanut butter, eggs, and butter and if it's not cold going into the oven, the cookies will spread all over your baking sheet. I chilled this cookie dough for 24 hours and my cookies were soft, thick perfection.

Why are my peanut butter cookies dry and crumbly? ›

If you're wanting to use natural (no sugar added) peanut butter, the cookies will be less sweet and they will likely spread out more. Using natural peanut butter will change the structure and texture of the cookies. Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour.

Which is better, baking soda or baking powder? ›

The leavening power of baking soda is about three to four times stronger than baking powder. This means that you need a lot less baking soda in your recipes. If a recipe calls for baking soda and you only have baking powder, you need to use the right baking soda to baking powder conversion.

How do you moisten peanut butter cookie dough? ›

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

What happens if you add too much peanut butter to peanut butter cookies? ›

This may not sound like a lot, but it is enough that it can affect the quality of your cookies – adding too much peanut butter can make them dry, hard, and crumbly.

What happens if you don't chill peanut butter cookie dough? ›

Why You Need to Chill Your Cookie Dough. For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they're in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential. Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool.

Should I let peanut butter cookie dough rest? ›

We prefer natural peanut butter here, so you can dial in the sugar and salt amounts precisely, and smooth peanut butter over crunchy to better control the cookies' fat and moisture levels. Letting the cookie dough rest ensures the flour is fully hydrated, resulting in crisper edges and chewier middles.

Why do you chill peanut butter cookie dough? ›

One of the most important things about making the perfect peanut butter cookies, is to let the dough chill for at least 3 hours. This helps to maintain their thick shape. In our house, I usually have a batch of peanut butter cookie dough in the fridge or the freezer. This particular recipe will make a huge batch!

Do you have to criss cross peanut butter cookies? ›

Crisscrosses are the classic way to decorate peanut butter cookies, but you can also use a decorative cookie stamp or rolling pin. If you want to add a little sparkle, try rolling your cookies in coarse sparkling sugar just before baking.

Why do my peanut butter cookies not taste like peanut butter? ›

The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today's cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy.

How to put fork marks in peanut butter cookies? ›

Slightly flatten the dough by pressing the back of a fork into each ball of dough twice, to create a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Does the fork trick work for cookies? ›

My trusted method for getting ripply, jagged-topped cookies has been simple–scoop the cookie dough with two forks, or as I like to call it, forking your dough. Take two forks and rough up the dough a little bit. Use the tines of both forks to gather up as much dough as you want in a bundle.

Do you have to flatten peanut butter cookies with a fork? ›

Peanut butter cookies don't spread as they cook, so you have to flatten them before hand. This ensures that the middle will cook through before the outside burns. As for the pattern created, it actually creates slightly more surface area, so you'll get more browning at the extra edges that you create.

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