Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies Everyone Loves

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Peanut butter cookies are a trip down memory lane for me. They remind me sitting with Nana at the red Formica table in her kitchen, sipping home-made lemonade. I never asked Nana for the recipe. So it’s a good thing my Auntie Annie gave me the recipe. I still have her recipe card; it’s in her handwriting.

Every summer when we went away, Nana presented my parents with tins full of cookies and butter tarts. Peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies, carrot cookies, and more. They were large, light-blue square cookie tins from the UK with pictures of historic buildings. The tin with the peanut butter cookies was usually empty first.

This recipe is easy to make, and gives soft, chewy peanut butter cookies. No fancy ingredients or gadgets needed.

Why You’ll Love These Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

• Soft and chewy texture

• Simple ingredients

• No chilling required

• Perfect for holidays or everyday baking

Soft, chewy homemade peanut butter cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter

• ¾ cup shortening

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

Directions: How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Mix peanut butter, shorting, sugars, vanilla and eggs

2. Then add in flour and baking soda

3. Mix well

4. Roll into tablespoon sized balls

5. Place on non-stick cookie sheet (or line cookie sheet with parchment paper)

6. Flatten with a fork

7. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes

I have the best success when I roll balls of cookie dough in my hands. If you try to keep your hands clean and roll between two spoons, the ball is too loose, and falls apart when you flatten it with a fork.

Tips for Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

• Don’t over-bake (unless you prefer dry, crumbly cookies to soft, chewy ones)

• Use room-temperature ingredients

• Mix well

Variations & Add-Ins

Nana sometimes dotted the top of her peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips.

After you flatten with a fork, you have lines going in one direction; for a change, you can also press down with a fork in another direction, to give crossing fork marks.

Storage & Freezing Instructions

These cookies freeze well. Nana froze them in the metal tins I talk about above. Her freezer—what she always called the “deep freeze”—was full of cookie tins, ready to spoil grandkids.

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FAQs - Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies

Why are my peanut butter cookies dry?  How do I get soft peanut butter cookies?

If cooked too long, they can be dry. Remember, even if they still seem soft after 10 minutes in the oven, they firm up as they cool.

Should I use crunchy or smooth peanut butter in my peanut butter cookies?

You can use either, it really depends on the texture you prefer. Personally, I prefer crunchy peanut butter.

Cookies?

Wondering why there’s a cookie recipe on a site devoted to homegrown food and garden-to-table fare? Because when I teach in-person classes, I like to bring homemade cookies. If you’re interested in updates on upcoming classes, use the form below.

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