Is there anything better than a recipe that has been used for generations? I say no! Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies are among my top favorite cookie and for good reason. A little bit crips, a little bit soft, and a little bit chewy. YUM! It's all how you put the ingredients together and bake that make such a difference.
I'd love to say I developed this recipe, but I can honestly say that I've tasted and tasted AND tasted this recipe hundreds of times throughout my life. It's a recipe my mom made and likely her mom too. It's a keeper recipe regardless.
To me an Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookie is a Peanut Butter Cookie with the fork hash marks on the top. It can either be rolled in sugar first or not, but one thing is certain. Always add the fork hash marks on top. This is the one way to tell, even from a distance that this is indeed a peanut butter cookie.
You might also try these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars, a fun combination of flavors. These chewy bars are topped with chocolate for an extra layer of tasty.
Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients
- Butter
- Peanut Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Egg
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla
Feel free to scroll to the bottom and read the directions in the recipe card. I'm going to take a minute to really describe how I make the perfect cookie. One that is Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and still a little chewy!
How to make Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Mix Butter and Peanut Butter together using a stand mixer. I prefer my Bosch Mixer as you know. Here is a link about Why I Love my Bosch Mixer. You can also use a good hand mixer. Allow the Peanut Butter and Butter to cream for a few minutes before adding egg and white sugar.
Once you have creamed these all together then add Brown Sugar and Vanilla and cream for another 2+ minutes.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir to combine. Add flour mixture little by little mixing in between. Until fully incorporated
Use a Medium Cookie Scoop size #24 and place scoop on cookie sheet. Add a 2nd scoop right on top of first scoop pressing down slightly. This makes a perfect large cookie.
Using the back of a fork press hash marks in dough, turn fork 90 degrees and repeat hash marks making a criss cross hash marks in top of dough
Preheat oven to 375 and Bake for 7-9 minutes. Edges will become light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow 1 minute to cool on pan before moving to cooling rack
Store cookies in sealed container or Zip-loc bag. Cookies may be frozen up to 3 months.
Peanut Butter Cookie Fun Fact:
Why do Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies have Hash Marks?
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough is a dense dough. Placing hash marks on top helps to flatten the cookie for even baking.
Should Cookie Dough be Refrigerated Before Baking?
Chilling cookie dough helps to solidify the fats before baking making the dough more firm. It slows the spread of a cookie as it's being baked.
How Long Should you Refrigerate Cookie Dough?
If you choose to chill cookie dough a general rule of thumb is chilling for 30 minutes.
For this recipe I choose to not chill dough unless I am using extremely softened butter. When butter sits out and is very soft I find my cookies spread too quickly and are thin. Using softened butter but not super soften butter is the key to a perfect cookie.
Looking for more Cookie Recipes?
- Funfetti Cookies
- Golden Oreo Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookie
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Butter - Softened
- ½ Cup Peanut Butter - Smooth
- 1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Sugar
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 375
- Cream Softened Butter and Peanut Butter in large Stand Mixer or use a Hand Mixer
- Add Sugar and Egg and Cream until light and fluffy
- Add Brown Sugar and Vanilla and mix until combined
- In a separate bowl mix Flour, Baking Soda and Baking Powder
- Add Flour Mixture to Butter Mixture and mix to combine
- Use a Medium Cookie Scoop size #24 and place dough on baking sheet
- Add additional scoop of dough on top and press down slightly. Continue and fill baking sheet with dough
- Using the back of a fork place Hash Marks into dough allowing cookie dough to spread slightly
- rotate fork 90 degrees and place hash marks creating a criss cross on top
- Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Do Not Over Bake
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 1 minute
- Remove cookies to cooling rack to fully cool
- Store cooled cookies in a sealed container
- Freeze up to 3 months
Notes
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Barbra
These are my favorite peanut butter cookies. The best!! I have been trying many times to make mine look like the ones in the photos and it doesn't work for me. I like how yours have the "rims" around the edges which I assume come from stacking the scooped dough. I noticed you said you use a # 24 scoop, but in the photo the dough on the bottom looks wider than the scoop on the top. In the instructions, it mentions pressing the dough once. I am confused, how is the bottom scoop kinda flat, the top round is round and appears smaller than the bottom one, but I think it's what makes the rims. Can you please explain this. I make these for gifts and giveaways and like them to look pretty and uniform like yours. Also, if you don't mind can you share what brand scoop you use or what capacity it holds? Thanks so much.
Devour Dinner
Hi Barbra, You can make these cookies using any size scoop. I place one scoop on the cookie sheet and then top with a second scoop. The second scoop I press down on top of the first scoop which flattens it (presses it out a bit) leaving the mound of the second scoop on top. Then I bake normally. As the cookie bakes it flattens and creates that rim you are asking about. Hopefully this helps!
I find using cookie scoops makes all the difference to keep my cookies a uniform size and shape. I use Gorilla Cookie Scoops purchased off Amazon. I've also used Pampered Chef Cookie Scoops too. https://amzn.to/3oj1Gtj (Affiliate Link)
Barbra
These are my number one favorite peanut butter cookies, I make them using Walmart Great Value crunchy peanut butter. So good!!
Barbra
Do you have a video
Devour Dinner
I do not have a video for making Peanut Butter Cookies. Happy to answer questions!
Barbra
These are THE best peanut butter cookies I have ever made. I have made many. I use super crunch peanut butter and I love them. The double scoop is a game changer too. The only problem I have is my fork never makes the marks well because the tines are too short to reach across the whole cookie so they don't look as cute. I wish I could find a fork made specifically for the hatch/hash?? marks.