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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies are chewy, peanut buttery, and chocolatey, baked from scratch.
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Homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies are a twist on the classic peanut butter cookie: same criss-cross pattern, but now with added cocoa. Chewy, peanut buttery, and chocolatey: what’s not to love about these cookies?
The recipe yields two dozen soft, chewy cookies full of chocolate peanut butter goodness. Lovers of chocolate and peanut butter will certainly love this recipe. They may come flocking to your house when they smell the delicious scent of homemade cookies wafting from your kitchen.
These cookies deliver rich chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder and pack peanut butter flavor into every bite. Easy chocolate peanut butter cookies are thick and soft with a beautifully crisscrossed top. Not only is the pattern decorative, but it also flattens the dough so the cookies aren’t too domed.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients
- Flour
- Creamy peanut butter
- Butter
- Cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Vanilla
To put a spin on this age old peanut butter cookie classic, we exchanged some of the flour for cocoa powder! The recipe calls for light brown sugar, but dark brown works well, too. Simple ingredients, simple directions, flavorful results.
This chocolate peanut butter cookie dough is so easy to mix up and such a nice texture to work with. Chilling the cookie dough before baking solidifies the fats in the dough and prevents too much spreading in the oven during baking. This results in a thicker cookie.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
FIRST STEP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
SECOND STEP: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
THIRD STEP: Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set it aside.
FOURTH STEP: Set aside the extra ½ cup of sugar to roll the dough balls in before making the criss-cross pattern. You can use a ziploc baggie to minimize the sugar mess.
FIFTH STEP: Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream the butter and the peanut butter until well combined.
SIXTH STEP: Add the light brown sugar and sugar. Cream until fluffy.
SEVENTH STEP: Add the eggs 1 at a time. Mix just until eggs are combined.
EIGHTH STEP: Add the vanilla
NINTH STEP: Slowly add the sifted flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.
TENTH STEP: Cover the cookie dough and refrigerator for 1 hour.
ELEVENTH STEP: Using either a small cookie dough scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out the dough. Shape them into 1 -1 ½ in cookie dough balls.
TWELFTH STEP: Roll the cookie dough balls in the ½ cup reserved sugar until completely covered. You can use a quart size ziploc. It keeps it from being to messy.
THIRTEENTH STEP: Place the sugared cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart.
FOURTEENTH STEP: Using a fork, lightly press a criss-cross pattern into the cookies. In order to keep the fork from sticking, dip the fork in the sugar.
FIFTEENTH STEP: Bake the cookies for 8 -10 minutes.
SIXTEENTH STEP: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 2 -3 minutes. This helps the cookie keep its shape and allows the cookie to lift off of the parchment paper without sticking or coming apart.
SEVENTEENTH STEP: Allow cookies to cool and store in an airtight container.
Cooking Tips
Do not overbake: the cookies should be soft.
Butter flavored shortening can be substituted for the butter.
As the recipe states, do not pack the cocoa when measuring. The cocoa should be spooned in, otherwise, it will be much more than intended, and the dough will be too dry.
If the batter seems too dry, try adding a tablespoon of milk.
Want to make ahead? Shape the dough into balls, roll in sugar, store in a freezer bag, and freeze the cookie dough. Thaw in the refrigerator in order to press the criss-cross pattern before baking.
Storing this Recipe
Cookies should be kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to one week.
Baked cookies can be frozen for up to four weeks.
Shaped cookie dough balls will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or frozen for 3 months.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies are chewy, peanut buttery, and chocolatey, baked from scratch.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 24
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder do NOT pack (spoon the cocoa powder into the measuring cup)
- 1 cup + ½ cup sugar (the ½ cup is for rolling the cookie dough balls in before baking)
- 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set it aside.
- Set aside the extra ½ cup of sugar to roll the dough balls in before making the criss-cross pattern. You can use a ziploc baggie to minimize the sugar mess.
- Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream the butter and the peanut butter until well combined.
- Add the light brown sugar and sugar. Cream until fluffy.
- Add the eggs 1 at a time. Mix just until eggs are combined.
- Add the vanilla
- Slowly add the sifted flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.
- Cover the cookie dough and refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Using either a small cookie dough scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out the dough. Shape them into 1 -1 ½ in cookie dough balls.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in the ½ cup reserved sugar until completely covered. You can use a quart size ziploc. It keeps it from being to messy.
- Place the sugared cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart.
- Using a fork, lightly press a criss-cross pattern into the cookies. In order to keep the fork from sticking, dip the fork in the sugar.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 2 to 3 minutes. This helps the cookie keep its shape and allows the cookie to lift off of the parchment paper without sticking or coming apart.
- Allow cookies to cool and store in an airtight container.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Sarah says
This is a good cookie. 2 1/4 cups of sugar is a bit much especially since they also get rolled in sugar prior to baking so I just used 3/4 cups of both brown and white sugars and they turned out perfectly fine. Recipe yielded 3 dozen large cookies for me, using a cookie baller with each precooked dough ball weighing about 35 grams.
Lynda Lamon says
Delicious cookies!! Made these exactly by the recipe. I made 1 inch size dough balls. Recipe yielded 50 cookies. Anyone who enjoys yummy homemade cookies should make these now!!
Barbara says
I followed this recipe exactly. I was more than pleased with the results and everyone loved them. Someone else had commented about to many expensive ingredients for only 25 cookies but I can assure everyone this is a really good simple recipe that yields about 4 dozen cookies. Will definitely make again!
Cynthia says
That's a lot of ingredients and calories for just 24 cookies. It's too expensive.