Peanut butter and chocolate cookies are one of those bakes that can disappear from the plate before they have even cooled properly. They are intensely nutty and buttery, lightly crisp on the outside and pleasantly soft inside. Add chocolate chunks that melt gently as they bake. Sounds dangerous? That is exactly the idea!
If you enjoy simple homemade baking, this peanut butter cookie recipe is definitely worth saving. You do not need fancy ingredients or expert baking skills. A few ingredients, a bowl and an oven, and before long the kitchen smells of butter, vanilla, roasted nuts and chocolate.
In the United States, similar bakes are known as peanut butter cookies. We are making an especially tempting version with chocolate chunks. The combination of slightly salty peanut butter and sweet chocolate works wonderfully here.
Peanut Butter Cookies – Why Bake Them?
Above all, because they are so easy. This is a great recipe when you fancy something sweet with coffee or tea but do not want to bake a whole cake. You can also take the cookies to work, pack them for the children on a trip or serve them at a family gathering.
Their greatest strength, however, is the flavour. Classic buttery cookies are delicious, but adding peanut butter changes their character completely. It brings an intense nutty aroma and a distinctive sweet-and-salty note, enhanced by a little salt.
And when you bite into a piece of slightly melted chocolate… well, the plan to eat “just one cookie” usually goes out of the window.
If you enjoy these little treats with coffee, make sure to try our homemade chocolate truffles – an elegant dessert you can make in minutes. They are another dessert that does not require spending half the day in the kitchen.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookie Recipe
These quantities make a batch of homemade, intensely nutty cookies. You can make them smaller or larger; just remember to leave enough space between them on the baking tray.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies
Cuisine: American20
cookies15
minutes12
minutes160
kcalYou can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate or a combination of both. Dark chocolate is an excellent choice if you want a stronger contrast between the sweet cookie and the distinctive flavour of peanut butter.
Ingredients
100 g butter
130 g peanut butter
2 small eggs
70 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
180 g plain flour
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
100 g chocolate
Directions
Take the butter out of the refrigerator in advance so it softens. Put it in a bowl with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla sugar. Beat until the ingredients are thoroughly combined into a smooth, creamy mixture.
Add the egg. If you are using very small eggs, add two. Mix again.
In a separate bowl, combine 180 g flour, a pinch of salt, half a teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and peanut butter mixture, mixing only until the dough comes together.
Finally, add the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips. Alternatively, place chocolate pieces on top of the cookies instead of mixing them into the dough.
Shape the dough into small rounds and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Leave some space between them, as the cookies spread slightly during baking. You can gently flatten them with your hand or a fork.
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Bake the cookies until the edges begin to turn lightly golden.
Keep an eye on them: one of the secrets to good peanut butter cookies is not drying them out. They may still seem soft when they come out of the oven. That is normal. As they cool, they firm up and develop the right texture.
Leave them on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack or plate and let them cool completely. Provided, of course, that the rest of the household lets them.
Which Peanut Butter Should You Choose for Cookies?
You can make these cookies with either smooth peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter containing small pieces of peanuts.
Smooth peanut butter gives the dough a more uniform texture. Crunchy peanut butter adds extra crunch and an even more pronounced nutty character.
Also check the ingredients in your peanut butter. If you choose a product that already contains plenty of sugar, the finished cookies will naturally be sweeter. A spread made mainly or entirely from peanuts will give a less sweet, intensely nutty flavour.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter – An Irresistible Duo
Why do these cookies taste so good? Contrast plays a big part. There is the sweetness of sugar and vanilla, the slightly salty note of peanut butter and the chocolate chunks. There is quite a lot going on in one small cookie.
You can also experiment with additions. Chopped peanuts, almonds, pieces of dark or milk chocolate and even a little white chocolate all work well in the dough.
If crunchy, nutty additions are your weakness, take a look at our recipe for kokosanki – a classic homemade cake coated in coconut, almonds or nuts. It is a completely different dessert, but definitely belongs to the same family of bakes that are particularly hard to resist whenever you pass through the kitchen.
What to Serve with Peanut Butter Cookies
The simplest option: a mug of coffee, cocoa or tea. Peanut butter cookies also taste wonderful with a glass of cold milk.
You can also include them in a larger dessert spread. Serve homemade truffles, buttery cookies, fruit or sweet yeast buns alongside them, and everyone can choose something they like.
If you are making sweet treats for the weekend and fancy something more traditional, try our bakery-style jagodzianki – soft sweet buns filled with bilberries. The cookies are quick to make, while jagodzianki can be the second star of your homemade bakery.
How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies
Once completely cool, transfer the cookies to an airtight container or a metal tin. This helps them retain their texture and aroma for longer.
Do not seal the cookies in a container while they are still warm. The steam can make them too damp and spoil their pleasant texture.
You can therefore make peanut butter and chocolate cookies in advance and keep a sweet supply ready for coffee. In theory. In practice, the biggest problem with storing peanut butter cookies is usually that there is very little left to store.
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies – A Simple Bake You Will Want to Make Again
If you are looking for a simple homemade cookie recipe, make sure to try this version. Peanut butter, butter, vanilla and chocolate chunks create a combination that tastes far more impressive than the short time spent in the kitchen would suggest.
These cookies are perfect for a weekend, a get-together with friends, a sweet treat for guests or simply a little pleasure with afternoon coffee.
And there is one more reason to try this recipe: as the cookies bake, the whole house fills with the scent of nuts, butter, vanilla and chocolate. No air freshener stands a chance against that combination.
Bake these peanut butter and chocolate cookies, and if you enjoy the recipe, save it for later. Peanut butter cookies have one curious quality – the first tray very often leads to a second.