Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

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These peanut butter chip chocolate cookies have gooey centers with crisp edges and peanut butter chips in every bite. If you love the classic chocolate and peanut butter combination, these peanut butter and chocolate cookies are about to become your new favorite.

Stack of 5 chocolate peanut butter chip cookies with one cookie partially eaten on top.

I describe these chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies as a peanut butter cup but in cookie form.

I took my classic peanut butter cookie recipe, added cocoa powder and peanut butter chips and the result is this absolutely divine recipe for peanut butter and chocolate cookies.

They’re rich and chocolatey with lots of peanut butter. They have crispy edges, soft centers and peanut butter chips and chocolate chips in every bite!

Close up photo of chocolate peanut butter chip cookies with one cookie partially eaten on top.
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Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions

Labeled ingredients for chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, including flour, cocoa powder, sugars, peanut butter, butter, egg, milk, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips.
  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, vegan butter and coconut oil are good substitutes.
  • Peanut Butter. I recommend using peanut butter that is solid at room temperature (Jif, Skippy, Skippy Natural, etc.). You can use natural peanut butter, but the cookies may spread more and be more on the crispy side than the soft side. Also, many natural peanut butters are unsalted, so you may need to increase the amount of salt int he recipe by ¼ teaspoon.
  • Eggs. Check out my eggless chocolate chip cookies for possible egg substitutions.
  • Whole Milk. you can use 2%, heavy cream, and half-and-half in place of whole milk..
  • Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste use dark brown sugar.
  • Granulated Sugar. White sugar or organic cane sugar are both great options.
  • Sea salt. I only bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by half. 
  • Peanut butter chips/chocolate chips. I personally like using more chocolate chips than peanut butter because the peanut butter chips are very sweet. You can change the ratio to suit your tastes.
Overhead photo of chocolate peanut butter chip cookies on a cooling rack surrounded by bowls of chocolate chips and peanut butter.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

As always, we’ll walk through this recipe together step-by-step. You can also watch the video for additional guidance.

Begin by combining the dry ingredients (minus the sugars) in a bowl and set it aside.

Then, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together until smooth. This is important to make sure there are no lumps of butter in the dough.

Then beat in the sugars for 1 minute – making sure they are dissolved in the peanut butter/butter mixture.

Next, beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. The mixture should be smooth and the sugars should be dissolved.

Then, add the dry ingredient mixture and beat in until incorporated. The dough will be slightly sticky/tacky, but it’s ok because it is chilled for two hours.

Finally, stir in the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips!

Chill the dough for at least two hours and up to 2 days. This dough really does need to be chilled to prevent spreading, so don’t skip this step.

Once the dough has chilled, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Overhead photo of a baking sheet covered by a sheet of parchment paper.

Then use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough and roll it into balls. Then place the dough balls evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets.

Gently press a fork and make a criss-cross pattern on the top of each chocolate peanut butter cookie. They don’t spread that much so they will mostly retain their shape after this even through baking.

Next, bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes until they just barely look set. Then let them cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve

I prefer to let these cool a bit before serving because they firm up. However, I am weak, and can never resist a warm chocolate and peanut butter chip cookie fresh from the oven! 

These cookies make the perfect addition to your Christmas Cookie trays, or served with a warm glass of hot chocolate after playing in the snow all day!

Stack of 5 chocolate peanut butter chip cookies with one cookie partially eaten on top.

Store

Store these peanut butter and chocolate cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

You can also put them on a plate wrapped with plastic wrap or in a gift box to give to friends as a gift for the holidays.

Freeze

Freeze baked peanut butter chip chocolate cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 moth. Thaw slowly at room temperature.

Or freeze the cookie dough by rolling it into balls and placing it in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months.

To bake, thaw cookie dough to room temperature and follow recipe instructions on pressing the tops with a fork and baking.

Close up photo of chocolate peanut butter chip cookies with one cookie partially eaten on top.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies Recipe FAQS

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely, double the ingredients and bake on 4 cookie sheets.

Can I use natural peanut butter in this recipe?

You can, but the texture may change. Natural peanut butter tends to make cookies spread more and be greasier. For best results, use a no-stir peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.

Why did my cookies spread?

Three main reasons your cookies could have spread:
1) The dough was not chilled long enough.
2) You used natural peanut butter.
3) You need to replace the leavening agents (baking soda/baking powder).

What type of cocoa powder works best?

I suggest an unsweetened, organic cocoa powder for the best results.

Close up photo of a stack of 5 chocolate peanut butter chip cookies with one cookie partially eaten on top.

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Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

Laura
These peanut butter chip chocolate cookies have gooey centers with crisp edges and peanut butter chips in every bite. If you love the classic chocolate and peanut butter combination, these peanut butter and chocolate cookies are about to become your new favorite.
No ratings yet
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 Cookies
Calories 194
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chilling2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes

Video

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Make the Dough

  • Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth.
  • Add granulated and brown sugar and beat until combined.
  • Add eggs, vanilla and milk and beat for 30-60 seconds on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and sugar is dissolved.
  • Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.
  • Add chocolate chips & peanut butter chips and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Chill the Dough

  • Transfer the dough to an airtight container or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes.

Bake, Cool & Enjoy

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • Use a cookie scoop to measure 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
  • Place 12 cookies on each large baking sheet.
  • Use a fork to gently press a crisscross pattern into the top of each cookie.
  • Bake in preheated oven for approximately 9-10 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely looking set.
  • Let the cookies sit on the baking pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack before serving or storing.

Notes

Ingredient Substitution Notes
  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, vegan butter and coconut oil are good substitutes.
  • Peanut Butter. I recommend using peanut butter that is solid at room temperature (Jif, Skippy, Skippy Natural, etc.). You can use natural peanut butter, but the cookies may spread more and be more on the crispy side than the soft side. Also, many natural peanut butters are unsalted, so you may need to increase the amount of salt int he recipe by ¼ teaspoon.
  • Eggs. Check out my eggless chocolate chip cookies for possible egg substitutions.
  • Whole Milk. you can use 2%, heavy cream, and half-and-half in place of whole milk..
  • Light Brown Sugar. If you like a little bolder, molasses taste use dark brown sugar.
  • Granulated Sugar. White sugar or organic cane sugar are both great options.
  • Sea salt. I only bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by half.
  • Peanut butter chips/chocolate chips. I personally like using more chocolate chips than peanut butter because the peanut butter chips are very sweet. You can change the ratio to suit your tastes.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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