Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are an easy to make slice and bake chocolate chip cookie recipe with a melt in your mouth texture, a light peanut butter flavor, and plenty of chocolate chips!
The all time most popular post on my blog so far has been my Double Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies.
I’m happy for that cookie, I really am. It deserves the attention it’s gotten, after all, when was the last time you saw a cookie that intensely chocolaty? But I got to thinking that my other shortbread cookies deserve a little love, too.
Like this one. It’s made with creamy peanut butter, sea salt and milk chocolate chips.
It’s like if one kid had a room full of trophies and the other always got stuck out in left field. It kinda gets my maternal adrenaline flowing.
You know I love these slice and bake shortbread recipes. 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.
These cookies have a melting texture, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the magical combination of peanut butter and milk chocolate. They’ll even stick a wee bit to the roof of your mouth…have a cold glass of milk ready.
Tips for success when making peanut butter chocolate chip shortbread cookies—
- Make sure to start with room temperature butter. This helps the dough come together smoothly. And thoroughly combine it with the peanut butter until the mixture is creamy.
- 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.
- Mix the dough until it comes together and is no longer crumbly.
- Use regular, not natural peanut butter. I use Jif.
- If you have trouble with the dough crumbling when you slice it, this is due to the chocolate chips. I just form the cookies 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 tiny chips if you want to, which will help, but I prefer the taste of the big chunks of chocolate.
- 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 crumbly, and very buttery. They aren’t the same as a regular chewy or cakey cookie. Shortbread has a distinctive texture.
Reader Rave ~
“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!” ~Valerie
These peanut butter chocolate chip shortbread cookies are easy to make and literally melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (important!)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I like Jif)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup (156 grams) all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (31 grams) confectioner’s sugar
- scant 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
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.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture. Mix until the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly.
- Stir in the 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.


don’t forget to pin these peanut butter chocolate chip shortbread cookies!

259 Comments
Whipped Shortbread Drop Cookies - Bunny's Warm Oven
September 25, 2018 at 3:53 pm[…] Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies […]
Steph
August 9, 2018 at 9:54 pmThis looks amazingly delish. Has anyone tried it with an alternative butter, like sunflower seed butter?
Sue
August 10, 2018 at 9:05 amI have been planning to try it with sunflower butter but haven’t yet…
Lynn Johnson
July 3, 2018 at 6:41 am11/4 cups of flour? Is thuis a typo?
Sue
July 3, 2018 at 6:47 amIt’s 1 and 1/4 Lynn, the font on my recipe card is a little unclear!
Lynn Johnson
July 3, 2018 at 6:56 amThank you so much for the prompt answer AND the awesome recipe. I will be making these very soon.
Mary Lou Flood
June 19, 2018 at 1:58 pmI’d like to try the recipe with skor chips instead of chocolate chips…:-)
Sue
June 19, 2018 at 2:00 pmI haven’t had skor chips…sounds good!
Sue
June 19, 2018 at 2:01 pmjust googled them…genius!!
Deborah
May 7, 2018 at 6:56 amWhy do you suggest only using those peanut butters-why not a natural? Or even using a almond butter instead of peanut?
Sue
May 7, 2018 at 8:03 amI suggest using regular nut butter only because it tends to be less oily. If you like you can use the natural, just be sure to stir it REALLY well because they tend to separate in the jar. And yes, you can definitely use almond butter, I have an amazing almond butter cookie recipe HERE. I think the almond butter is my favorite.
Kitty
January 1, 2018 at 9:22 amDo you have the nutrition info on these cookies?
They are extremely good 8 easy to make!!!
Sue
December 22, 2017 at 1:58 pmThese were so easy and tasty! I love the combo of peanut butter and chocolate so these were perfect, and I loved how quickly they came together
Tracey
December 15, 2017 at 5:43 amMade these yesterday. two batches . We didn’t like them. I feel that they might be better as small drop cookies were you just a taste. Being all flour made them pasty, may be better with a mix of cornstarch and flour.
Laura
February 6, 2018 at 4:35 pmI made them today and they weren’t pasty at all. Maybe you added too much flour? I always start with less flour and make sure to not pack it down
Sue
February 6, 2018 at 5:20 pmGreat tip Laura, thanks!
Jenna
December 11, 2017 at 8:04 amHi!
I baked these cookies yesterday (Sunday) and they were wonderful! I made them for a work party I have on Thursday. How many days can they stay out for? Or should I refrigerate them? I made them Sunday and they are for Thursday. Any help would be appreciated!
Sue
December 11, 2017 at 8:07 amThey can stay at room temperature for a few days, but I would refrigerated these in an airtight container for Thursday, Jenna.
Gail Martens
November 20, 2017 at 8:06 amCan you use salted butter and leave out the sea salt?
Sue
November 20, 2017 at 8:13 amYes!
Sany
August 9, 2017 at 12:21 pmThese are on the top of my list for Saturday baking! If I use the ceramic shortbread pans is there anything different for baking?
Sue
August 9, 2017 at 1:44 pmI haven’t baked this in shortbread cookie molds, but I assume you could bake the dough that way…the cooking time would be longer, of course, and that would depend on the size of your molds.
Aaminah
July 9, 2017 at 12:10 pmHi,hope you well?Sorry just wanted to find out if i can use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy as that’s all I have on hand at the moment,Thanks!
Sue
July 9, 2017 at 12:12 pmYes, absolutely, but be aware that it will have a rougher texture.
Debbie Siliga
June 11, 2017 at 6:00 pmHands down these cookies were the best melt in your mouth shortbreads ever…. I trippled the recipe, and im glad i did, these cookies were gone in two days. This will always be my go to recipe for shortbread cookies. Thanks for the scrumpdidallyumtious recipe!! 5 Stars.
Sue
June 11, 2017 at 7:32 pmThanks SO much Debbie ~ these are pretty much my favorite cookies, so it’s great to get a good report on them :)
nicolthepickle
March 19, 2017 at 9:14 amThese were delicious. I wasn’t sure I’d love a peanut butter shortbread because I love the texture of a chewy peanut butter cookies. And cookies for me are all about texture. But these were wonderful.
Mine did crumble quite a bit while slicing, not whining just saying, fact of shortbread life. But after baked were a nice sturdy cookie.
I made them exactly according to your recipe, and I weighed the ingredients.
Natalie
January 2, 2017 at 9:35 pmYUM!!
Gale DiVeglio
December 10, 2016 at 3:50 pmCan I leave the peanut butter out?
Sue
December 10, 2016 at 5:54 pmYes, Gale, but you will need to adjust the recipe. Here’s a link to my Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Shortbread, and you can use any type of chocolate chips you like: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/bittersweet-chocolate-chip-shortbread/
Lorie
October 14, 2016 at 5:51 amCan I use unsalted margarine ? We have dairy allergies
Stephanie
October 17, 2016 at 11:02 amYes I just made them and they turned out awesome!
Sue
October 17, 2016 at 11:12 amYay!!
Stephanie
October 17, 2016 at 12:55 pmOh and I only refrigerated for about an hour and baked at 350 for 10 mins! I rolled mine out to about 1/2 in thick and used a heart cookie cutter. It held perfect shape and taste.
Joanie
December 11, 2016 at 2:43 pmDid you adjust anything when you substituted for the butter? I have a dairy allergy as well and often use Crisco, but sometimes it requires a recipe alteration.
Sue
December 11, 2016 at 3:36 pmI would suggest my flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies as a good substitute for these, if you have a dairy allergy ~ http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/flourless-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Shanna
September 17, 2016 at 9:05 amThese look yummy!
plasterers bristol
August 26, 2016 at 2:52 amHmm these look delicious, thanks for posting up this recipe, looks quite simple to make.
Simon
Naoko
August 25, 2016 at 9:20 amI just made these for a ‘moms night in’ I’m going tonight. I had no problem putting the dough together and they turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing a great recipe.
Sue
August 25, 2016 at 9:32 amI’m so glad you like these, Naoko, it’s one of my signature recipes!