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“The texture of the shortbread, the light sweetness, and classic flavors… just so delightful! This has become one of my very favorite cookies!” ~Valerie
peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are my signature shortbread cookie
They’re closely followed in popularity by my Double Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. I’m not surprised, after all, when was the last time you saw a cookie that intensely chocolaty? But there’s something magical about the epic combination of creamy peanut butter and chocolate that lures people in every time.
These cookies have a melt-in-your-mouth texture thanks to the creamy peanut butter and their shortbread base. They’ll even stick a wee bit to the roof of your mouth…better have a cold glass of milk ready.
these peanut butter cookies are made with a short list of ingredients:
- creamy peanut butter ~ I don’t recommend using natural style peanut butter for this cookie, the consistency tends to be oily. Personally I think the best pb is Jif.
- butter ~ unsalted and at room temperature
- flour ~ all purpose
- sugar ~ confectioner’s or granulated sugar, both will work.
- kosher salt
- chocolate chips ~ use milk, semi sweet, or dark, it’s up to you. I love dark chocolate with peanut butter.
slice and bake cookies are a favorite around here
Who wouldn’t love to have a log or two of cookie dough hanging out in their fridge?
You can get all the measuring and mixing and messy hands out of the way early and then have the luxury of fresh dough waiting at your beck and call. Let me put it another way: when you’ve got this dough in the fridge you’re 12 minutes away from nirvana.
If you want to try a rolled dough version of these, try my Milk Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
tips for success with peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
- Make sure to start with room temperature butter. This helps the dough come together smoothly.
- Measure your flour carefully. I fluff the flour first to loosen it, then scoop the measuring cup and level it off. This helps insure you get an accurate measure and not too much flour, which will affect the quality of the cookies.
- I make the dough in a stand mixer, this helps the dough come together with less effort. If you’re doing it by hand, take the time to mix the dough until it comes together and there is no dry flour left.
- Use regular, creamy peanut butter, not natural peanut butter. I use Jif.
- If you have trouble with the dough crumbling when you slice it, this can be due to the chocolate chips. I just form any broken slices back into shape on the cookie sheet. It helps to use a very sharp knife, and you can also try a sharp serrated knife to cut through the chips. You can use mini chips which will solve the problem, but I prefer the taste of the big chunks of chocolate. To skirt the issue altogether, roll out your dough and cut with a round cookie or biscuit cutter.
- If you make smaller cookies (i.e. more than 10-12) adjust the baking time, it will take slightly less time for them to cook.
- Expect these cookies to have a shortbread texture, which is to say delicate, and very buttery. They aren’t the same as a regular chewy or cakey cookie. Shortbread has a distinctive texture resulting from the combination of butter, sugar, and flour, without egg.
chocolate + peanut butter is a dynamic flavor duo
The simplicity is part of the charm of these cookies, you really get to taste the pb and chocolate, which is the main reason we make them in the first place 🙂 If you’re a fan of the combo, join the club:
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Scones
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread
- Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (important!)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I like Jif)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar Note: you can also use granulated sugar.
- scant 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips of your choice, milk or dark
Instructions
- Cream the butter and the peanut butter together in a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or a wooden spoon. Make sure to get the butter and peanut butter completely combined and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt and mx until the dough comes together and is no longer dry.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, and turn the dough out onto a piece of waxed paper. Gently pull the dough together and form it into a log. If it is still crumbly, work it with your hands until it holds together smoothly. Roll it up in the paper, smoothing the shape as you go. Twist the ends securely and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. The log will be roughly 7 1/2–8 inches long.
- While the dough is chilling, pre-heat the oven to 350F
- Slice the log into slices with a sharp knife. Not too thick, not too thin, about 1/2 inch. If a slice crumbles a bit, just smoosh the dough back together. These don’t have to be perfect disks.
- Bake on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet at 350F for about 12-14 minutes, depending on how thick your cookies are. The cookies will not be browned, and they may look undone, but don’t over bake. One of the joys of shortbread cookies is that they fall apart and melt in your mouth.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Video
Nutrition
don’t forget to pin!
Do you have to use unsalted butter? Can I use “salted” butter and leave out “sea salt”?
They look delicious! Can hardlt wait to try them.
Absolutely!
I was a bit nervous to try these cookies based on some of the reviews – I just made them and they came out great! Just like your pictures! Very easy and great instructions.
Dark chocolate ones are next!
Any suggestions on the best way to store them and how long they will last?
Thanks!
Glad to hear it Lindsey — if you need to keep them more than a couple of days I would store them in the fridge, and they freeze perfectly, just be sure to wrap them well.
OMG all my favorite cookies in one cookie I must make these immediately
The refrigerated dough was not easy to cut into discs. I had to use a meat cleaver. Each attempt inevitably breaks the discs into crumbs, which I had to form back into some semblance of a disc or cookie. Perhaps smaller chocolate chips would make this a lesser problem.
Yes, Franklin, I think smaller chips would help!
I found these on Pinterest and followed the recipe just as it was written. They turned out perfectly! Thank you! 🙂 Absolutely LOVE them. They’re so rich…which I will never complain about.
Yay — so glad you liked them, thanks for taking the time to let me know, Nicole.
I made these last night after finding them on pinterest and these are AWESOME! I read through the comments 1st and because of what people said and my own experience cutting cookie logs with chunks in them, I used mini chocolate chips instead. I had very minimal amounts of crumble and what did crumble I just pinched back on. Thank you so much for this recipe and for saying they will not brown (and that they are crumbly afterward)! I would have burned them:) I see your other versions and even the revised version. i’ll have to check them out! Thanks again:)
I’m so glad to hear you liked them Jennifer, and using the mini chips is a good idea. Enjoy!
I used prepared the cookie dough. Im not sure what refrigerate means, do I have to put them in the fridge or in the freezer. I put the dough inside the freezer for 1.5 hours tried to cut the dough in pieces but everything I got were just little pieces. So I put everything in the fridge and tried to cut them again and the same happened. What am I am doing wrong?
It means in the refrigerator, Franzy, but if you let it get too cold, it can crumble a bit. Make sure your dough is well combined and compacted into the roll before you refrigerate.
I dont understand now i will put it in the fridge then slice them then eat them or put them in the oven?
You can keep the raw dough in the fridge until you are ready to make them, then you’ll slice them and then bake them.
I just made these! I really enjoyed them, though you definitely need a glass of milk along side. In the future I think I will add just a smidge less peanut butter, and use sea salt like the recipe calls for.
Thank you!
-Katherine
These look fabulous too.
THANKS.