These brown butter peanut butter cookies are delicious, soft, and chewy! The browned butter elevates the nutty flavor while contributing to the chewy texture. With only 30 minutes of chill time, these will be a new staple in your baking repertoire.
Brown butter makes everything better! I used it to elevate these Rice Krispie treats and now in these brown butter peanut butter cookies.
Not only does browned butter enhance their nutty flavor, but it makes the cookies super chewy! Peanut butter cookies are typically a little crumbly, but these are soft and tender.
Chilling the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes also helps with the chewy texture. The chill time allows the flour to hydrate and soak up some of the sugar and fat. This also makes them thicker and more flavorful. Trust me, 30 minutes makes a huge difference!
If you love peanut butter and chocolate, try these peanut butter brownie cookies and peanut M&M cookies! They're also deliciously chewy. If you love peanut butter, I'd also recommend these peanut butter marshmallow squares. And for more cookie recipes, try olive oil cookies, chocolate chip sugar cookies, or marble cookies.
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Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about the ingredients used. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Butter- Unsalted butter works best here for the most flavor control. To make the cookies even chewier and enhance the nutty flavor, the butter is browned! Directions for how to brown butter are in the recipe below.
- Peanut butter- Any kind of peanut butter works here- creamy, crunchy, salted, or unsalted. It's a personal preference! I opted for creamy salted peanut butter because I love the extra salt.
- Sugars- White granulated sugar sweetens the cookie dough while brown sugar adds more moisture and a warm flavor. Make sure the brown sugar is moist and fresh.
- Egg and egg yolk- A large egg binds the ingredients together. The extra egg yolk makes the cookies even more rich and extra chewy. Make sure both are room temperature so they mix in easily. Pull them out of the refrigerator about an hour before you start baking.
- Baking soda- This leavener reacts with the acid in the brown sugar and peanut butter to help the cookies rise and spread in the oven. It also helps the edges get crispy! Check the expiration date before using to make sure it's fresh and still potent.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can use any nut butter you like, such as almond butter or cashew butter. For a nut free option, try using Sunbutter.
- For a gluten free option, use gluten free baking flour like Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Check the other ingredients for cross-contamination too.
- Incorporate your favorite chocolate candies, chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit into the dough for additional texture and flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1: First, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat stirring constantly. The butter will begin to foam and sizzle like in the photo above. Keep an eye on the butter because it can burn quickly!
STEP 2: After 5-8 minutes, the foam will subside, and white milk solids will sink to the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown. As soon as the butter is toasty brown and has an intense buttery, nutty smell, take it off the heat.
Pour it into a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking process and let it cool to room temperature.
STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cool browned butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth.
STEP 4: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until well combined.
STEP 5: Fold the all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until everything is just combined.
Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate, soak up flavor, and it keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 6: Scoop the cookie dough and roll in a bowl of sugar. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet with 1-2 inches between each so there's room for spreading.
STEP 7: Use a fork to press the classic crosshatch pattern into the dough.
Bake for 9-13 minutes or until the edges look set and the middles look puffy.
STEP 8: Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the hot cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool for 30 minutes or until they reach room temperature and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Take the egg and butter out of the refrigerator an hour before baking. This helps everything mix together better!
- Weigh your flour in grams using a food scale for the most accurate results. This ensures that your cookies come out perfectly and not dry or puffy.
- Don't overbake, unless you prefer crispy cookies! Peanut butter cookies are notorious for being crumbly, hard, and dry. To avoid this, don't overbake them. They're done when the edges look set and the middles still look a bit gooey and underdone. They'll be quite soft but will continue baking as they cool.
- Scoot your cookies inside of a large round cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or mug right after they come out of the oven for perfectly circular cookies.
Storage & Freezing
Store brown butter peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. By day 3, the cookies will be a bit drier, but the flavor lasts!
Freezing
Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter for an hour or so before eating.
The cookie dough freezes well too! Scoop the dough balls on a lined cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours or until frozen solid. Transfer the dough to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Bake the frozen dough at the same temperature, just add a couple additional minutes on to the total bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any kind can work, but I recommend a creamy, processed peanut butter (like JIF or Skippy). Natural peanut butter works too, just make sure it's mixed well so a ton of oil doesn't get mixed in.
This is most likely from over-measuring the flour. I recommend weighing the flour in grams with a scale, and metric measurements can be found in the recipe card below! You could have also overbaked the cookies.
Yes, that'd be amazing! Just press the chocolate into them right as they come out of the oven.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter
- 125 grams peanut butter salted or unsalted
- 115 grams granulated sugar + extra for rolling
- 85 grams brown sugar light or dark
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 215 grams all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat stirring constantly. The butter will begin to foam and sizzle.113 grams unsalted butter
- After 5-8 minutes, white milk solids will sink to the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown. As soon as the butter is brown with a nutty aroma, take off the heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk cooled brown butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth.125 grams peanut butter, 115 grams granulated sugar, 85 grams brown sugar
- Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until well combined.1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt with a rubber spatula until just combined.215 grams all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. As it chills, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the cookie dough and roll in sugar. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet with 1-2 inches between each. Use a fork to press a crosshatch pattern into the dough.
- Bake for 9-13 minutes until the edges are set and the middles are puffy and look slightly underdone. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the hot tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
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