Deliciously addictive salted peanut butter cookies with a great chewy texture. Add some colorful candy on top for a festive treat. Dough freezes well for last-minute guests and holiday gifts.
My husband has been asking me to make peanut butter cookies for him for years but I've always put it off because I felt there was "no glory" in making cookies. Over the years, I've come to love treats that are easy to make and shelf stable (like these Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies) for packing in a gift box during the holidays or for sharing at a gathering. These easy Reese's salted peanut butter cookies check those boxes and more.
Recently, we brought them to a get-together during the Thanksgiving/Halloween season and everyone loved them! Hubs remarked that he, "never had to buy peanut butter cookies again." They have a mouthwatering salted peanut butter flavor and a soft chewy texture. I added some orange and brown Reese's peanut butter candy on top in celebration of the fall season, moving forward, I think they will be perfect for Christmas cookie boxes all dressed up with festive red and green M&M's. I change my mind, there might be "glory" in making cookies after all 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to prepare with either a stand mixer or handheld. You can even use just a spatula and some elbow grease if you want.
- Delicious pairing of salty, savory and sweet.
- Shareable treat for cookie boxes and parties. Dress them up with candy coated chocolate for Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas or Valentine's Day
How to Prepare Ingredients & Substitutes
- All-purpose flour - a multi-use flour that usually has a protein content between 9-11%. Cake flour can be used as a substitute but the cookies will be more soft considering that the addition of peanut butter will make the dough quite soft already.
- Baking soda - leavening agent
- Sea salt - highlights the flavors in the cookie. If using table salt, use half the amount.
- Smooth peanut butter - if using natural peanut butter (e.g. ingredients only have peanuts and salt), ensure that it's stirred well so that the oil is not separated.
- Unsalted butter - butter and egg should be at room temperature for it to incorporate well into the dough, resulting in a homogenous textured batter. Omit the sea salt in the recipe if using salted butter.
- Granulated sugar - used for a crispier texture. It can be substituted with the same amount in brown sugar but the cookie will be more soft.
- Light brown sugar - adds dimension to the cookie with it's slight molasses flavor. It can be substituted with granulated sugar but the texture will be more crisp and firm.
- Vanilla extract - rounds out the flavors. Since it's not the main ingredient and the peanut butter flavors are more powerful, go ahead and use an artificial version to cut down costs.
- Egg - large sized, at room temperature, see above note for butter.
- Reese's peanut butter candy - the colors of the Reese's candy is perfect for Halloween! You can substitute it with other chocolate candies for other occasions.
- Flakey sea salt - is an amazing contrast to the sweet taste in the cookie, highlights the peanut butter flavor and adds a light crunch. It can be omitted or substituted with sea salt.
Tips for Baking The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Butter and egg should be at room temperature for it to incorporate well into the dough, resulting in a homogenous textured batter.
- To soften butter quickly, cut it into cubes and heat in microwave with the medium heat setting in 15 second intervals. It should be soft enough to dent with fingers but not melted. Otherwise, the fat and dry ingredients won't adhere to each other.
- To bring egg to room temperature, soak in warm water.
- Don't over mix the batter, once the butter and sugars are pale and fluffy, start adding the other ingredients. Do not overmix the batter once the flour is added, it will result in a tough cookie.
- Before baking, allow batter to chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or better yet, overnight. This helps in better flavor development and appearance. The dough is easier to shape when it's cold and doesn't spread as much when baked.
- The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and the tops are slightly golden. Remember the cookies will continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet.
How to Freeze Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Like most drop-cookies, peanut butter cookie dough can be frozen for future use making it an extremely convenient last-minute treat for unexpected guests, bake sales, gift giving, parties and special events. To freeze dough:
- After all the ingredients have been incorporated, divide up the dough into two equal parts and place on a piece of plastic wrap.
- Place another piece of plastic on top and gently push down until the dough is at a one inch thickness. Seal off the sides and fold up the excess to secure in place.
- Wrap one more time with plastic wrap and note date with a marker. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
- To bake, defrost the cookie dough in the fridge overnight. To defrost quickly, place frozen cookie dough in a Ziplock freezer bag, push all the air out and seal. Submerge bag in cold water (not warm or hot) and weigh it down with a mug. It should defrost to a workable consistency within an hour or so. The dough can be baked partially frozen, watch it and give it one or two minutes more if needed.
Recipe
Salted Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies
Deliciously addictive salted peanut butter cookies with a great chewy texture. Add some colorful candy on top for a festive treat. Dough freezes well for last-minute guests and holiday gifts.
Ingredients
- 130 grams all-purpose flour
- ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt*
- 130 grams smooth peanut butter*
- 100 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 100 grams light brown sugar*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, room temperature
- Handful of Reese's peanut butter candy
- Flakey sea salt (e.g. Maldon)*
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325F.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together peanut butter, room temperature butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape the sides occasionally.
- Add vanilla extract and room temperature egg. Beat until it becomes a smooth mixture.
- Stop mixer, add flour mixture and stir on lowest setting until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Optional: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 4 hours, overnight is preferable to develop flavours and (for warm climates) prevent spread during baking.
- Onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (e.g. melon baller) 2 inches apart. Add candy/chocolate chips on top.
- Bake on the middle rack for 12-14 minutes. Check on it after 10 minutes in the oven, take it out when the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly golden. It will continue to cook further on the pan.
- Sprinkle the flakey salt on top of the cookies while it's hot.
- Let it cool for 3 minutes on the pan, transfer to a cooling rack. When cooled, it will stay fresh in an air-tight container for 5-7 days.
Notes
- If using table salt, use half the amount.
- If using natural peanut butter (e.g. ingredients only have peanuts and salt), ensure that it's stirred well so that the oil is not separated.
- Light brown sugar has less molasses content than dark and therefore, a milder flavor profile. Demerara sugar (usually used as a topping sugar) can also be used as a substitute, the flavor profile is similar but the texture will be a little bit more chewy and crispy.
- Butter and egg should be at room temperature for it to incorporate well into the dough, resulting in a homogenous textured batter.
- Flakey salt highlights the flavors in the cookie and adds a light crunch, can be omitted or substituted with sea salt.
- This recipe can be doubled, tripled and so forth.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 131Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 17mgSodium 95mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 1gSugar 8gProtein 3g
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although indulgewithmimi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
This peanut butter cookie dough is also very easy to sculpt and mold into characters, see this tutorial on how to make these cute bear cookies:
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