Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These soft and chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are so easy to make, with small tweaks to make them better for you! Go ahead and make a double batch!

I love a classic Chocolate Chip Cookie. And I also love a yummy Peanut Butter Cookie.

So, when my husband asked if I could somehow combine BOTH chocolate chips AND the peanut butter flavor… I knew he was onto something good.

And let me tell you this – these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are the perfect combination of flavors!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

This peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe is everything you want in a cookie:

• Soft
• Chewy
• EASY
• Super peanut buttery
• Addicting
• Freezer-friendly

There are also a few things we’re using to make these cookies better for you:

• We’re using less sugar overall.
• And we’re using better sugar.
• We’re sticking with dark chocolate, which has less sugar but is still indulgent.
• These cookies are made with whole grain flour rather than all-purpose flour.
• Using natural peanut butter means plenty of creamy peanut butter flavor without hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.

INGREDIENTS FOR PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

The ingredients for this peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies recipe are what you would expect to see in cookies, but there are a few differences:

• Butter. We’re starting with MELTED butter here, not just room temperature butter.
• Peanut butter. Most peanut butter and chocolate cookies call for conventional peanut butter like Skippy or Jif, but not this one! It’s 100% natural peanut butter and it’s delicious!
• Granulated sugar. I recommend coconut sugar. With just ⅓ cup in the whole recipe, these cookies are just sweet enough.
• Molasses. A teeny bit adds depth and sweetness that sets this recipe apart from other peanut butter & chocolate chip cookie recipes.
• Flour. I like whole grain einkorn flour here.
• Vanilla extract. Try my homemade recipe.
• Large eggs + egg yolk. Adding an extra egg yolk helps to get our chocolate and peanut butter cookies super soft and chewy. Use the extra egg white in the Best Scrambled Eggs or in this Easy Vegetable Fried Rice.
• Baking soda and baking powder. Both help the cookies rise.
• Salt (optional). Check the ingredients of your peanut butter – you may not want to add more salt to the cookies if your peanut butter already contains salt.
• Chocolate chips. I like using dark chocolate chips because they contain less sugar overall, but they also make these cookies feel so indulgent! You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips if that’s what you have. I don’t recommend milk chocolate chips, as that will make the cookie too sweet (at least for us and our journey to quit sugar).

If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen which doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Making these delicious peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies is so quick and easy!

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If you make a double batch, line two cookies sheets if you can!

Step 2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, peanut butter, and sugar for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater/blade.

Step 3. Add the molasses, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat until everything is well incorporated, for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater/blade.

Step 4. Add the dry ingredients: flour, chocolate chips, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (if using) and mix on low JUST until combined. The batter will be a crumbly texture.

Step 5. Using a cookie scoop, scoop two scoops of dough per cookie onto the baking sheet. Leave about 2-3” of space between each of the cookie dough balls. (If you’re using these USA baking pans and these silpat mats, you’ll get 12 cookies per pan.)

Step 6. When you’ve scooped all the cookies, working with one at a time, PRESS (not roll) the double scoop of dough into a ball using the palm of your hands. Press the roll slightly into a disc and place it back onto the baking pan. Repeat the process for all the cookies.

Step 7. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, just until the edges are set, and allow them to cool on the baking pan for another 10 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. You want the center of the cookie to look slightly underbaked when you take them out of the oven – this is one of those tricks to getting soft and chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!

Store peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also make a double (or triple!) batch and freeze them in a freezer bag for an easy treat any time. Follow my guide to freezing baked goods here.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES TIPS

After testing several batches and making a few tweaks, here’s how you can make sure your easy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies come out perfect every time:

• Start with melted butter. Don’t cheat…Using melted butter means you don’t need to chill the dough before baking the cookies.
• Stir your peanut butter REALLY well. You can use “regular” peanut butter like Jif or Skippy where they add additional oils and sugar, but I tested with natural peanut butter STIRRED WELL and they were delicious!
• Check the ingredients of your peanut butter. You may not want to add more salt if your peanut butter already contains salt.

CHOCOLATE CHIP WITH PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES FAQS

MORE BETTER-FOR-YOU COOKIE RECIPES

• Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Chocolate Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Healthy Thumbprint Cookies
• Healthier Candy Cane Cookies
• Pumpkin Cookies with Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting