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These Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies are thick, chewy and full of peanut butter flavor! They’re insanely good and deserve a permanent spot in your recipe book!
When it comes to dessert, I can’t resist anything that’s got a moist, fudgy interior like my Chocolate Cobbler, Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake and Buckeye Brownies…swoon!
These cookies fit into that same fudgy chocolate category but with a peanut butter spin. Let’s get baking!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter – I use salted butter, but unsalted would work too.
- Cocoa Powder – Natural unsweetened cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s).
- Sugars – I like using white AND brown sugar.
- Egg – I use “large” eggs when baking.
- Milk – Skim, low-fat or whole milk works great; you can also use your favorite milk alternative.
- Peanut Butter Chips – The Reese’s brand chips are the only ones I’ll use. They have much better flavor and texture of the brands I’ve tried.
- Other Typical Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
You’ll start by creaming the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer. This takes about 3 minutes and you’ll know it’s done when the mixture has lightened a bit in color.
Then you’ll add the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything gets incorporated.
Lastly, add the dry ingredients and the peanut butter chips and stir until combined.
Use a cookie scoop to create evenly shaped balls of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. You can also use a silicone baking mat if preferred. You’ll want to keep a couple inches between the dough so they have room to spread.
Bake until the edges look dry (no longer wet/doughy) around the edges and the center is soft but not gooey. They’ll continue to cook a bit on the pan once they come out of the oven.
NOTE: My biggest piece of advice for these cookies is DO NOT over-bake them. You want a moist chewy interior, so don’t keep them in the oven too long!
If you’re looking for perfectly round cookies, use a glass to gently shape the edges of the cookies into a nice circle. Of course, this step is optional, but does make for an impressively round, even cookie. You can also press a few extra chips into the cookie while it’s still warm.
Let cool for a few minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Try Using a Variety of Chips
I love using all peanut butter chips as it simply gives the most peanut butter flavor! However, you could try half and half peanut butter and chocolate chips, too!
Peanut Butter Filling?! Yes please!
Wanna take these cooking from amazing to super amazing? Fill them with a spoonful of peanut butter before baking. See that photo above….doesn’t it look incredible?! Here’s how I do it!
- Use a small cookie scoop to make little flattened balls of dough on the parchment paper.
- Add about 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of creamy peanut butter on top of the dough in the center.
- Use a small cookie scoop to gather a little more dough; flatten it between your two hands and lay it over the peanut butter.
- Press the edges down to full enclose the peanut butter.
- Bake! Note that these cookies will be bigger and will likely take more time to bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I love having some of these in the freezer to pull out for company….or a midnight snack! 🙂 Keep them in a freezer bag or in a freezer-safe airtight container.
For most baked goods, you’ll use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, which is the most popular in grocery stores. Common brands are Hershey’s, Nestle and Ghirardelli. If you want to understand more about the different types of cocoa, you can learn more here!
They’re best on the first couple of days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. After that, they’ll begin to dry out a bit. I always pop 1-2 cookies in the microwave until soft!
Other Chocolate Cookie Recipes I Recommend
- Turtle Cookies
- Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
- Chocolate Kiss Cookies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips plus more for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix on low until combined then on high until light and fluffy.3/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Add the egg and milk and mix until well-combined, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through mixing.1 egg, 1 tablespoon milk
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated.1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Add the peanut butter chips and stir just until well-dispersed throughout.1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips
- **Optional** Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 36 hours.
- Use a cookie scoop* to evenly scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. You should have about 24 cookies.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes; do not over-bake!! (Over-baking the cookies will make them dry and crumbly vs moist and chewy!)
- Press a few additional peanut butter chips onto the cookies while they're still hot, if desired.
- Let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
