A crispy peanut butter cookies recipe that actually makes thick AND crispy peanut butter cookies! No refrigeration time and no electric mixer needed. These are the best crispy peanut butter cookies because they are so satisfying when you bite into them.
A crispy, crunchy outside with a soft inside, and a thick peanut butter cookie that actually feels like you are taking a bite of something.
I made this crispy peanut butter cookie recipe because I was craving this cookie SO BADLY couldn't find one locally. After trying a few peanut butter cookie recipes that ranked at the top of Google, I was tired of getting a soft cookie that turned into glue inside my mouth.
If you love peanut butter, try my peanut butter marshmallows or ritz cracker filled peanut butter cups!
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Ingredients
- creamy peanut butter
- unsalted butter
- flour
- egg
- vanilla
- baking soda
- salt
- dark brown sugar
- roasted and salted peanuts
- course sugar for sanding (optional)
- dark chocolate (optional for dipping bottoms of cookies)
options for coarse sanding sugar: turbinado sugar, coarse confectioners sugar, sanding sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
These are one bowl and to mix them I used a wire whisk and spatula! All the equipment I used:
- large mixing bowl
- wire whisk
- small bowl to roll cookies in coarse sugar
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- oven
- medium glass bowl for melting chocolate
- thermometer for checking chocolate temperature / tempering
- small spatula or fork for removing cookies from chocolate bowl after dipping bottoms
Instructions
How to make crispy peanut butter cookies
- Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Put about ½ cup coarse sugar in a shallow bowl, Set aside.
- Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30-45 seconds until butter is fully melted.
- Add sugars and egg and stir well. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stir until smooth.
- Sprinkle the baking soda and salt evenly over the butter mixture and stir until well incorporated. Add the flour and stir just until smooth. Fold in peanuts.
- Scoop dough in mounds then roll into balls and finally, roll in the prepared coarse sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool Completely
- Temper chocolate and dip the bottoms of the cookies. Place on parchment paper until chocolate sets up.
Hint: I'm using a medium sized cookie scoop and overloading it!
How to temper chocolate for dipping bottoms of cookies
- Melt one cup of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one. Once it is smooth without any chocolate pieces, take the temperature using a food thermometer. Make sure the temperature is over 113F, but do not exceed 125F.
- Stir in in ¼ cup of chocolate at a time to the heated, liquid chocolate. This will bring the temperature down. Once that chocolate is also liquid, keep adding more in ¼ cup increments until the temperature is between 89-92F.
- Once the chocolate is around 89-92F, it is ready for dipping. If you have any solid chocolate still in the liquid, remove it before dipping.
Hint: Make sure you use chocolate meant for melting and not baking. Baking chocolate and chocolate chips contain stabilizing ingredients that keep them from melting in the oven, making them very hard to work with for dipping. I used this dark chocolate for this recipe.
What makes peanut butter cookies crispy?
For this crispy peanut butter cookies, the melted butter helps give them a wonderful crispy outside and brownie like inside. These also skip the rest in the fridge, encouraging them to spread more in the oven, resulting in a crispy cookie. To make these peanut butter cookies super extra crispy, the liquid amount in the recipe is very small, which dries the dough out slightly.
How to store crispy cookies
Moisture is the enemy of crispy peanut butter cookies. An airtight container or zip-top plastic storage bag will actually trap moisture inside, making the cookies soften. Instead, leave the bag partially unsealed. The cookies should stay fresh for several days.
How to package cookies for bake sale
These cookies look so nice stacked on top of one another in a cello bag with a twist tie and bow. You can add a sticker to the front or hang tag attached to the twist tie.
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Pairing
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Recipe
Crispy peanut butter cookies
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- wire whisk
- small bowl for rolling cookies in sugar
- baking sheet
- glass bowl for melting chocolate
Ingredients
Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cups flour
- ½ cup coarse sugar for rolling
Chocolate
- 2 cups dark chocolate for melting (not chips for baking)
Instructions
Baking the cookies
- Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Put about ½ cup coarse sugar in a shallow bowl, Set aside.
- Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 30-45 seconds until butter is fully melted.
- Add sugars and egg and stir well. Add peanut butter, stir until smooth.
- Sprinkle the baking soda and salt evenly over the butter mixture and stir until well incorporated. Add the flour and stir just until smooth. Fold in peanuts.
- Scoop dough in mounds then roll into balls and roll in the prepared coarse sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
- Cool completely before dipping in chocolate.
Tempering chocolate
- Melt one cup of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one. Once it is smooth without any chocolate pieces, take the temperature using a food thermometer. Make sure the temperature is over 113F, but do not exceed 125F.
- Stir in in ¼ cup of chocolate at a time to the heated, liquid chocolate. This will bring the temperature down. Once that chocolate is also liquid, keep adding more in ¼ cup increments until the temperature is between 89-92F.
- Once the chocolate is around 89-92F, it is ready for dipping. If you have any solid chocolate still in the liquid, remove it before dipping.
- Dip bottoms of cookies in chocolate. Place on parchment paper until firm. Enjoy!
Amelia
LOVED these! Thick and crispy, perfect peanut butter cookies. Thanks!
Caren
I would like to try this recipe however, I would like to know the measurement of the peanuts you added? Thank you!
Hannah
Hi! Thank you for catching that! It's 1/2 a cup. I've updated the recipe. Appreciate you letting me know.
Christy
The directions say to fold in the peanuts, but there are no peanuts listed in the ingredients. What is the amount we should add? Thank you!
Hannah
Hi! Thank you for catching that! It's 1/2 a cup. I've updated the recipe. Appreciate you letting me know.