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    Home » Dessert

    Peanut Butter Cookie Variations

    Published: Nov 8, 2017 · Modified: Dec 17, 2024 by Mamma C · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Calling all peanut butter fans! You'll love these peanut butter cookie variations like crispy, soft, stuffed and with chips! They all start with this delicious base recipe for peanut butter cookies.

    Peanut Butter Cookie Variations - The best recipe for peanut butter cookies! Make them crispy, soft, stuffed or with chips! #peanutbuttercookies #cookies

    Have I ever confessed my love for peanut butter here? I've shared this Buckeye Candy Recipe, a must for fans of chocolate and peanut butter.

    But did you know I once had a "Ribbons of Peanut Butter" dream?

    “Peeaanuttt Butter….ribbons of peeaanuttt butter…” a woman's voice (possibly mine?) chanted, as melted peanut butter slowly and luxuriously poured into a glass bowl.

    I can't make this up.

    Now I'm feeling a little self-conscious. Why are we here again?

    peanut butter cookie dough on a sheet pan with a fork pressing down to give texture

    Oh, yeah —peanut butter cookies!! I'm talking crispy, chewy peanut butter cookies, soft peanut butter cookies, stuffed peanut butter cookies with mini Reese's cups inside (behave!) and double peanut butter cookies with peanut butter chips.

    Yes!!!

    I've been making these for years (usually the crispy, chewy kind with the crisscross pattern). But my cookbook page is covered in handwritten notes spelling out the peanut butter cookie variations I've tried.

    I'm excited to share them with you!

    overhead shot of peanut butter cookies on a cooling tray

    Here's where I get super specific with the details, in case you want your cookies to taste just like mine. Are you ready?

    My tips for the best peanut butter cookies:

    • The brand matters. I have no affiliation with Skippy, but nothing else I've tried tastes as good in these cookies.
    • When using butter, as called for here, Skippy Natural works best, as opposed to regular Skippy or another brand of natural peanut butter with too much liquid. (In the old days, I'd use margarine sticks with regular Skippy Peanut Butter, and the cookies were nice and chewy. But when I ditched margarine for butter, the ones made with regular peanut butter came out tough.)
    three peanut butter cookies on a stack of plates
    • Add a little salt to the dough. This is one of the key adaptations I made to the original recipe, and it's the reason these peanut butter cookies aren't bland.
    • Use dark brown sugar instead of regular brown sugar. The molasses in dark brown sugar will make your cookies extra tender.
    • Chill the dough for 10 minutes before shaping it into balls. Otherwise, the dough will be too soft to work with, and you won't be able to get the tines of your fork to leave clean lines for the classic, crispy version.
    • Bake one pan of cookies at a time per oven, on the center rack. I have a regular oven, and when I try to bake two pans at a time, the bottom-rack cookies get overbaked. I have no idea if a convection oven would work better.

    Now, for some fun variations! (I love them all, but the crispy, chewy ones above are my  favorite.)

    For Soft Peanut Butter Cookies - Don't flatten the balls of dough. Just bake them.

    close-up of peanut butter cookies on a cooling tray

    For Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies - Enclose a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup between two balls of dough. I used dark chocolate cups this time. Yum!

    hand holding a peanut butter cup sandwiched by peanut butter cookie dough Press the dough around the candy and roll it between your palms. That's-a nice-a meat-a-ball. (Sorry.)

    hand holding a ball of peanut butter cookie dough

    Be sure to read the recipe card notes for more details on how to make these stuffed cookies. The baking time and temperature are different than the other variations.

    bite taken out of a stuffed peanut butter cookie on top of a full one on a plate

    For double peanut butter cookies with peanut butter chips: Add some chips to the base recipe, but don't flatten the cookies. I didn't make any for the photos, but they're really good! And, feel free to use chocolate chips instead.

    So many possibilities! I've never made peanut butter blossom cookies, but I'm sure this dough would be delicious with them too.

    What other variations can you think of? Which is your favorite?

    More desserts like this

    If you're wild about peanut butter and chocolate, you have to check out my Frozen Take 5 Delight Bars. And don't miss these:

    • Brown sugar meringue cookies
    • Italian sugar cookies
    • Rainbow cookies
    • Italian pizzelle cookies
    • Pine nut cookies
    • Biscotti with melted chocolate.

    Enjoy!

    three-photo collage showing hands holding crispy, soft and stuffed peanut butter cookies with bites taken out of them

    Peanut Butter Cookie Variations

    The best peanut butter cookies with variations like crispy, soft, stuffed or with chips!
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Go to Collections
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 27 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 47 minutes minutes
    Servings: 36 (Makes 3 dozen)
    Calories: 76kcal
    Author: Mamma C

    Ingredients

    Crispy or Soft Peanut Butter Cookies (see Notes for stuffed or chip variations)

    • ½ cup salted butter (softened; see Notes)
    • ½ cup Skippy Natural Peanut Butter Spread (Super Chunk or Creamy)
    • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (divided use)
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ cup packed (dark brown sugar)
    • 1 egg (I use extra large)
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • To soften your butter, you can set it out for at least an hour or put it in the microwave on defrost for four seconds at a time, just until it's soft.
    • Add your butter and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Beat on high for 30 seconds, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
    • Add ½ cup of flour. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined.
    • Add in your remaining ¾ cup of flour and beat until combined.
    • Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, during which you should preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. (See Notes if you're making stuffed cookies, which require a different temperature.)
    • Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. (I use my fingers to grab a little dough and quickly roll it between the palms of my hands.) Place the balls two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
    • FOR CRISPY, CHEWY COOKIES: Use a fork to flatten the dough balls. Press down the tines of the fork vertically, then horizontally on the dough to form a crisscross pattern. (If your dough is too soft to make a clean pattern, chill it some more.)
    • FOR SOFT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES: Do not flatten the dough balls. Bake them as is.
    • Bake the cookies on the center rack of your oven (one pan per oven) for 7-9 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. (My oven takes 9 minutes.)
    • Take them out of the oven and let them rest in the pan for 3-4 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. (The cookies will be too soft to transfer if you don't wait first.)
    • After they've cooled, you can store the cookies in a plastic container with a lid at room temperature for several days.

    Notes

    For best results, when using butter, use Skippy Natural instead of regular peanut butter.
    If you want to use regular peanut butter, you'll get better results using a stick of margarine (½ cup) instead of butter.
    For Double Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips: Stir in 5 ounces of peanut butter chips to the dough. Roll into balls, but do not press them down. Bake as directed above. (You could use chocolate chips instead, if you wish.)
    For Peanut Butter Cookies Stuffed with Mini Reese's Cups: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place a mini Reese's cup (dark chocolate or regular) between two one-inch balls of dough. Press and roll the dough around the candy to enclose it. Place up to 8 of the stuffed dough balls on a half baking sheet (space them farther apart than regular peanut butter cookies). Bake them for 11 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them rest in the pan for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. The cookies taste best when fully cooled and set. Note, you will only get about 17-18 stuffed cookies from one batch of dough.
    Feel free to make a variety of cookies using one batch of dough. For the photos, I made a dozen crispy cookies, a dozen soft, and five stuffed cookies.
    *adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

    Nutrition

    Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 39mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Mention @cookingwithmammac or tag #CookingWithMammaC!

    (Recipe Source: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book [that's my affiliate link to the 16th edition, but I own the 10th edition.] I added salt, used Skippy Natural, used dark brown sugar and provided variations to the method and recipe.)

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    Comments

    1. David says

      June 02, 2021 at 4:07 pm

      I added 2 table spoons of Molasses a 1/4 cups of walnuts and 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips they are now my new favorite cookies.

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        June 03, 2021 at 9:13 am

        Hi David - Sounds delicious! Enjoy.

        Reply
    2. annie@ciaochowbambina says

      November 09, 2017 at 7:57 am

      5 stars
      Peanut Butter is the cookie my mom made most often while we were growing up! These take me right back!!

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        November 09, 2017 at 11:01 am

        I love hearing that, Annie! There's something so cozy and comforting about peanut butter cookies.

        Reply
    3. Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake says

      November 08, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      I am also such a fan of peanut butter and can totally imagine having that dream. Love the variations and the tip on how to get them to be softer!

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        November 08, 2017 at 2:18 pm

        Haha! I don't feel like such a freak now. Thanks, Rebecca!

        Reply
    4. Traci @ The Kitchen Girl says

      November 08, 2017 at 12:33 pm

      Oh yeah! I love sprinkling salt on almost every sweet I bake lately. Great ideas here...thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        November 08, 2017 at 1:23 pm

        Baked goods are always better with a little salt. 🙂 Thanks, Traci!

        Reply
    5. Joyce says

      November 08, 2017 at 11:54 am

      I love how you give different ways to make the peanut butter cookies! My husband and I like it very differently but these look so fantastic I think I'll just them all the wayz - and eat them all! haha 😀

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        November 08, 2017 at 11:58 am

        One batch of dough allows for a few variations, so you're all set. Thanks, Joyce!

        Reply
    6. Ali from Home & Plate says

      November 08, 2017 at 11:51 am

      These are my favorite kind of cookie and I agree natural peanut butter makes all the difference. Lots of great tips for baking the perfect cookies every time. I would eat all of them.

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        November 08, 2017 at 11:53 am

        I've eaten a shameful amount! Thanks, Ali!

        Reply
    7. Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

      November 08, 2017 at 11:26 am

      5 stars
      I too am a peanut butter fanatic! And peanut butter cookies are among my favorites!! Your peanut butter cookies look so delicious. Especially the ones with the reeses cups in there. Yum.

      Reply
      • Mamma C says

        November 08, 2017 at 11:35 am

        I like peanut butter cookies even better than chocolate chip cookies. Thanks, Elaine!

        Reply
    4.80 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Andrea, also known as Mamma C. I've been sharing family-tested recipes from my Italian-American kitchen for a decade! I hope you'll visit often!

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