Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

If you like your peanut butter cookies crunchy, sweet and easy to make, you’re in the right place with this crunchy peanut butter cookie recipe. It uses just a few common ingredients to create cookies so tasty you’d be able to pass them off as store-bought, except that you’ll want the credit for yourself. Whether you’re baking cookies for a school bake sale, for a holiday party or just to have on hand for dessert, these crunchy peanut butter cookies are a fine choice.

And they really are easy to prepare, requiring all of 10 or 15 minutes of hands-on prep followed by a bit of chill time and a fast bake. Once you have the recipe down as is, you can also try your own spins on things, adding other ingredients and flavors to customize these crunchy peanut butter cookies in all sorts of delightful ways.

Ingredients for Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

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• Butter: The butter needs to be properly softened, so plan to get it out of the fridge as much as an hour before you commence the cookie prep.
• Sugar: Cookies need the sweetness, no? So bring on the sugar.
• Brown sugar: Be sure to measure the brown sugar in packed form, or you won’t use enough.
• Peanut butter: The heart of the flavor profile of these cookies is, of course, the peanut butter.
• Egg: One large egg is all you need.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds a bit of sweetness and a lot of depth and balance to these cookies.
• All-purpose flour: Without flour, there are no cookies.
• Baking soda: The baking soda helps cookies rise up some, assuming their final form that will then take on that lovely crunch.
• Baking powder: Baking powder also adds some rising action and texture to the cookie batter.
• Additional sugar: This is for a bit of added sweetness for finishing, but also to prevent a fork’s tines from sticking to the cookie batter as you form your cookies.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare and chill the dough

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In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Then, add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat until the mixture is smooth. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder, then add these to creamed mixture and mix well.

For easier shaping, chill the dough for one hour, then shape portions into one-inch balls and place these two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each ball by pressing down with the tines of a fork dipped in sugar using a crisscrossed pattern.

Step 2: Bake the cookies

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Bake the cookies at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set.

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Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookie Variations

• Use crunchy peanut butter or add peanuts: If you want to add some welcome texture to these cookies, prepare them with crunchy peanut butter or even by adding peanuts right into the batter. Use unsalted peanuts to not alter the flavor profile.
• Add chocolate chips: Few things complement each other as well as peanut butter and chocolate, so why not toss a handful of small chocolate chips into the batter as you mix it? The result will be one tasty batch of cookies.
• Try almond extract: Used instead of vanilla extract, almond extract gives these cookies a rich, nutty flavor while still enhancing the sweetness.

How to Store Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies store well at room temperature for up to five days when sealed in an airtight container. Try to remove as much excess air as possible from their container so minimal moisture will prevent these crunchy cookies from softening and losing that wonderful texture.

Can you freeze crunchy peanut butter cookies?

These cookies store well in the freezer for two to three months and taste great when thawed, though they will have lost a bit of their crunch. You can try baking thawed cookies for five to seven minutes in a hot oven for a refreshed taste and texture.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookie Tips

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Can I use a reduced fat peanut butter for crunchy peanut butter cookies?

It’s best not to. You want to use a peanut butter with all the oil and fats that naturally occur in peanuts for the full flavor and texture profile.

Does vegan butter work for this recipe?

Yes! A vegan-friendly butter substitute works just fine here in terms of taste, texture and prep. Make sure you soften the vegan butter just as stated for the regular butter.

Can this recipe be doubled?

It can be doubled, and it probably should be, based on how fast the cookies disappear. Double everything precisely with no special alterations or considerations needed.