Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

53 Comments

Jump To Recipe

Author: Sally

Published: 12/05/2022Updated: 02/21/2023

You will love these soft peanut butter snickerdoodles! Enjoy a chewy cookie with a slightly crisp exterior, cinnamon-sugar coating, and a little crunch from chopped peanuts. I appreciate there’s no extra decorating required. These are sweet and simple, but mega flavorful!

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (1)

Does anything really live up to the mighty snickerdoodle cookie? The answer is not much, but there are several variations of the cinnamon-sugar-coated treats that come close. And it’s so much fun to play around with different flavors, including these maple pecan snickerdoodles and white chocolate chai snickerdoodles. Today, we’re adding peanut butter to the lineup!

Tell Me About These Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles

  • Flavor: Two cookies in one! And no, I’m not talking about a cookie sandwich. Today’s soft-baked cookies are like snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies combined.
  • Texture: Soft and crinkly with crisp edges and chunks of chopped peanuts in every bite.
  • Ease: This is a wonderful recipe for a beginner baker because there aren’t any complicated steps. These rolled and drop-style cookies have built-in garnish and decoration from the cinnamon sugar coating. (And, honestly, rolling the dough into balls is probably the hardest step!)
  • Time: Peanut butter always makes a super soft dough, so it’s imperative that this cookie dough takes a 3-hour nap in the refrigerator. I know what you’re thinking… I wish I could take a 3-hour nap! 😉 And yes, that’s a long time to wait, but I promise it’s worth it. If you want to avoid peanut butter cookie puddles, let that dough sit in the fridge for 3 hours, or even overnight!

If you’re baking multiple cookie recipes in a day, bake a batch of this easy shortbread while you wait.

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (2)
Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (3)

Testing This Recipe

I’ve made more batches of peanut butter snickerdoodles than any other cookie recently. My original thought was to just coat these peanut butter cookies in cinnamon sugar—and that definitely works—but I wanted to challenge myself by making a new dough that yields a chewier, crispier-edged cookie. A few failed test batches later, I landed on a dough that’s similar to these peanut butter chocolate half moon cookies.

That recipe comes from King Arthur Baking’s cookie cookbook, and proved to be the best jumping-off point for today’s variation. Instead of all brown sugar, I swapped in some granulated white sugar, just so the brown sugar flavor didn’t overpower anything. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, for that classic snickerdoodle flavor, and a little extra flour, as over-spreading was an issue after rolling the dough in cinnamon-sugar.

Key Ingredients in Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles

  • Flour: This recipe requires 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of flour. I know, such a random amount! Like I mention above, 1 cup wasn’t enough unless you want to chill the dough for days. To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, the super soft dough benefits from *a little* extra flour. Remember that peanut butter is a special ingredient in cookie recipes—it actually acts as a dry ingredient, so you don’t want to overdo it on the flour.
  • Cream of Tartar: This standard snickerdoodle ingredient adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from sugar cookies and makes it a classic snickerdoodle.
  • Sugars: For extra soft cookies, use more brown sugar than white granulated sugar. You also need a bit of white granulated sugar for coating the dough.
  • Peanut Butter: The best peanut butter to use for today’s peanut butter snickerdoodles is a creamy processed peanut butter like Skippy or Jif. Just like when making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, I do NOT recommend natural-style. While it’s so tasty for eating and cooking, it’s just going to make your cookies dry out and crumble.
  • Chopped Peanuts: I like using salted roasted peanuts for extra flavor. You could also use peanut butter baking chips, or both!

You also need baking soda, salt, butter, egg, and vanilla.

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (4)

Do I Have to Add Peanuts?

Yes. I don’t recommend leaving out the chopped peanuts because they add so much peanutty flavor. I actually prefer adding chopped peanuts over using crunchy peanut butter, which tends to dry out cookies. Give the peanuts a good rough chop.

Expect a Very Creamy Cookie Dough

Peanut butter acts more like a dry ingredient in cookies because it soaks up a lot of moisture. Since there’s not too much flour, the dough is really soft… like peanut butter frosting soft. You might even think you’re doing something wrong. Don’t worry, you’re not! After the dough comes together, chill it in the refrigerator for 3 hours. As it chills, the cookie dough solidifies and is much easier to shape.

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (5)

Look how thick the cookie dough is after chilling:

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (6)

Coating in Cinnamon Sugar

Roll the chilled dough into balls, about 1 heaping Tablespoon (25g) of dough each. Then, roll the dough balls generously in cinnamon sugar for that classic snickerdoodle-y taste. 😉

Arrange about 3 inches apart on your lined baking sheet and bake:

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (7)

The cookies puff up in the oven, and then fall to their crinkly destiny as they cool. These cookies are fragile right after baking, so let them cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

3 Success Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles

  1. Do not use natural peanut butter. I find the cookies taste dry, crumble, and fall apart.
  2. Chill the dough. I’m a broken record here. Do not skip this step!
  3. Enjoy with a steamy mug of hot chocolate. Clearly the most important success tip I could give you…
Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (8)

This recipe is part of my annual holiday cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. Every year since 2013, I work on a handful of new cookie recipes and publish the 10 best ones for readers to enjoy. It’s the biggest, tastiest event of the year on my website!

Print

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (9)

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.9 from 17 reviews

  • Author: Sally
  • Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes (includes chilling)
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes
  • Yield: 24-26 cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Save Recipe

Description

Soft, cinnamon-sugar-coated peanut butter snickerdoodles are in your future! Chilling the cookie dough for at least 3 hours is imperative. It may seem like an odd amount of flour in the dough, but 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (142g) makes for a tender peanut butter cookie that still holds shape. For best results, use creamy peanut butter.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (142g) all-purpose flour()
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (135g) creamy peanut butter*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (110g) chopped peanuts*

Topping

  • 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: Whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  3. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add the chopped peanuts and beat until just incorporated. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and up to 3–4 days.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  5. Roll & coat the dough: Place remaining 1/3 cup (70g) of sugar into a bowl, and mix in the cinnamon. Roll chilled cookie dough into balls, about 1 heaping Tablespoon (25g) of dough each. Roll each ball generously in the cinnamon sugar and arrange on baking sheets about 3 inches apart.
  6. Bake for 11–12 minutes or until the edges appear set and are very lightly browned. The centers will still look very soft.
  7. Remove from the oven. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies puff up in the oven, but slightly deflate as they cool.
  8. Cover and store leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 1 week. Their flavor is even better on day 2!

Notes

  1. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Roll the dough into balls then freeze the balls for up to 2–3 months. You can freeze the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon sugar topping or without, but I recommend freezing without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the dough balls from the freezer, let sit for 20 minutes, preheat the oven, and then roll into topping. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets |Silicone Baking MatsorParchment Paper | Cooling Rack
  3. Cream of Tartar: You can skip the cream of tartar if desired, but you will lose some flavor. Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from sugar cookies and makes it a classic snickerdoodle.
  4. Peanut Butter: It’s best to use a processed peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural-style, oily peanut butter. Crunchy peanut butter adds peanut chunks, but also makes for a crumblier texture. I strongly recommend using creamy in this recipe.
  5. Peanuts: For a salty/sweet cookie, I recommend using roasted salted peanuts. If desired, you can use unsalted or raw (not roasted) peanuts. I don’t recommend leaving these out because they add a lot of flavor (and structure!) to the cookies. You could also use the same amount of peanut butter chips or chocolate chips.
Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you add too much peanut butter to peanut butter cookies? ›

With so much peanut butter in this cookie dough, natural peanut butter will give you a dry, crumbly cookie.

Why are my 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies falling apart? ›

The wrong type of peanut butter may cause them to fall apart. Or using old eggs may create crumbly cookies. How long do peanut butter cookies last?

What is the best peanut butter to use for cookies? ›

Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is ideal for this recipe because crunchy peanut butter creates an overly crumbly cookie. You can use processed peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, or natural-style peanut butter.

Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›

Prep your Peanut Butter Cookie recipe up to 24 hours in advance, cover it and refrigerate it so you are ready to bake at a moment's notice. The kids can even help you scoop, roll and flatten the cookies. If the dough is too firm to scoop, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Why do my peanut butter cookies fall apart after baking? ›

One reason could be that you overcooked them. Another reason could be that you didn't add enough moisture to the dough. Finally, your peanut butter cookies might be dry and crumbly if you used a natural peanut butter that doesn't have any added oil.

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies get hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done.

Why are my snickerdoodles always flat? ›

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

Why did my snickerdoodle cookies not flatten? ›

If you reduce the amount of butter or oil in a recipe, your cookies won't spread as much. If you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread as much. If your cookies have more brown sugar than white sugar, they won't spread as much. It's a careful balance.

What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookies? ›

If you don't flatten the cookies first, then the fork does double duty – it performs both functions. One very subtle result of creating the pattern is that the little tips of dough bake up crisper than the rest of the cookie, giving you both a bit of additional texture and deeper taste where the dough is more baked.

Why do you smash peanut butter cookies? ›

The Peanut Butter Balls recipe in the 1933 edition of Pillsbury's Balanced Recipes instructed the cook to press the cookies using fork tines. The 1932 or 1933 recipes do not explain why this advice is given, though: peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and without being pressed, it will not cook evenly.

Why do my peanut butter cookies taste weird? ›

Ones with lots of additives do not have as distinct a peanutty taste. So, use a natural peanut butter. Two, your expectations for a peanut taste are too high. The cookies have lots of other ingredients including a significant amount of flavor that decrease the flavor of the peanut butter.

Is it better to bake peanut butter cookies with butter or shortening? ›

Butter will make your cookies taste buttery; shortening will make them taste suspiciously vacant, like Katy Perry's voice post-autotune. Yes, shortening yields chewier cookies than butter does, because butter contains water and shortening doesn't.

Why do you put fork marks in peanut butter cookies? ›

Basic reason..the dough is more dense than most cookie doughs, and the pressing with the fork tines helps the dough bake evenly. Secondarily, its pattern makes it easier to tell them apart from other cookies with similar appearance.

Can you bake peanut butter cookies without parchment paper? ›

Yes, you can bake cookies without baking paper. I've been in the same situation before. Instead of baking paper, you can use greased aluminum foil or simply grease the baking tray directly. Just ensure the surface is well-greased to prevent sticking.

What happens if you have too much peanut butter? ›

Eating peanut butter in moderation provides you with wholesome nutrients. However, eating too much can make you gain weight because it is packed with calories and fats. The risk of weight gain increases even more if you consume commercial peanut butter brands, which often have added sugars, oils, and fats.

How much peanut butter is too much peanut butter? ›

That means sticking to the recommended serving size of two tablespoons, or close to that amount. Eating peanut butter every day could become an issue if someone is eating far too much of it and exceeding their daily limit of saturated fat, per the Cleveland Clinic.

How does peanut butter affect cookies? ›

A 100-gram serving of smooth, salt-free peanut butter has 3.56 grams of starch. This may not sound like a lot, but it is enough that it can affect the quality of your cookies – adding too much peanut butter can make them dry, hard, and crumbly.

Why did my peanut butter cookies turn out hard? ›

Why are my peanut butter cookies hard? If your peanut butter cookies are hard, you likely cooked them for too long. They should not be baked for more than 8 or 9 minutes.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Sen. Emmett Berge

Last Updated:

Views: 5930

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Sen. Emmett Berge

Birthday: 1993-06-17

Address: 787 Elvis Divide, Port Brice, OH 24507-6802

Phone: +9779049645255

Job: Senior Healthcare Specialist

Hobby: Cycling, Model building, Kitesurfing, Origami, Lapidary, Dance, Basketball

Introduction: My name is Sen. Emmett Berge, I am a funny, vast, charming, courageous, enthusiastic, jolly, famous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.