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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!
I am a big fan of shortbread, mainly for the easy prep, bake and storage factors. Oh, let’s not forget it’s pure and fabulous flavor. Made the cookies over the weekend and was quite pleased with the outcome, my husband loved them! One question, is there any way to boost the peanut butter flavor. My husband said it’s a nice hint of flavor but barely detectable. Could l increase the PB and decrease the butter? Just wondering if the question has come up before. I love your site and have used quite a few of your recipes. Thank you for your time.
A couple of ideas come to mind. Make sure you add a touch of salt to the dough, that helps bring out the flavor. Also you can get peanut butter powder, I think maybe Trader Joe’s carries it? And you might experiment with using some in place of a small amount of the flour.
Thank you so much for your quick reply. I pulled the recipe up to make a batch for a friend and saw my name in print! I have seen the peanut butter powder but have yet to try it. However, last night, l used just a tad over 1/2. cup peanut butter (Jif, of course) as opposed to 1/3, magic! They become a bit more fragile, so l let them cool longer. Just before baking, l also sprinkled the cookies with a bit of Demerara sugar and sea salt…….wow. Thank you again for your help and continue to post your “keepers”.
Thanks for the tip Cyndee! I will try that in my next batch!
I’m allergic to peanut butter. Would almond butter work the same do you think?
Is there something I could use in place of the peanut butter? I love the shortbread idea just not a fan of peanut butter. (Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies).
You can make regular chocolate chip shortbread, without any addition at all, or you could use something like almond butter. Here’s a recipe for a plain choc chip shortbread (you can roll and slice it like these cookies) https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/bittersweet-chocolate-chip-shortbread/
Recipe looks great. Since I like PN Butter, Chocolate and shortbread this is right down my alley. Haven’t tried making them yet, but a little confused by the size. You indicate that you will wind up with an 8″ log and that is should be cut into 1/3″ slices and it will yield 10-12 cookies. Wouldn’t 1/3″ slices of an 8″ log yield 24 cookies? Should I make a shorter log or fatter cookies for this timing? Help.
lol, I always struggle with the instructions for slice and bake cookies…the slices can be whatever thickness you like, and I probably slice them thicker than 1/3 inch, so I’ll clarify that 🙂
I made these with hazelnut cocoa butter from Justin’s… and with Biscoff cookie butter… they are all delicious! I upped the flour by a few tbsp because those butters are runnier.
That sounds absolutely delicious, I love Justin’s!
As always you have come up with yet again another fabulous cookie recipie. These are sheer perfection, rich buttery with just the right crumble. Sure to become a favorite in our household.
Thank you Babs, these are probably the original tvfgi cookie ~ been making them longer than any other 🙂
Do you have a recipe for chocolate chip shortbread cookies (no peanut butter)?
No, but that’s the version I’ve been making for years and never posted, for some strange reason. I’m working on getting that recipe up asap 🙂
Can you freeze the cookies?
Yes, they freeze beautifully. You can freeze the log of unbaked dough, or the baked cookies, whichever you prefer, just remember to double wrap as airtight as you can.
Hi Sue,
I have been making these for roughly 4 years now and they are a hit at the office during December (Christmas Cookie Month). My day is Dec 6 this s year so I am making them today. I also added an ounce of Kahlua to the recipe – extra little back flavour! :o)
Wow, that’s a long time, I’m so glad they’ve become a part of your December rhythm! I would never have thought to add Kahlua, but that’s a favorite liqueur of mine.
help sue I put all the ingred together doulbled the recipie but not sure about the butter amount 2or 3 cups what can I do
If you are doubling the recipe, then use 2 sticks, or 1 cup of butter. The new ‘yield calculator’ in my recipe plugin doesn’t work perfectly…
Somehow I stumbled across this cookie recipe on pinterest, and it has inspired me to dig deeper into your recipes! The texture of the shortbread, the light sweetness, and classic flavors… just so delightful! This has become one of my very favorite cookies!
<3 Welcome into the family Valerie.
This looks amazingly delish. Has anyone tried it with an alternative butter, like sunflower seed butter?
I have been planning to try it with sunflower butter but haven’t yet…