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How to Make Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter makes all the difference!

These Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Brown Butter Cookies are the ultimate combination of rich, nutty, sweet, and salty flavors. These homemade cookies deliver crispy edges, soft centers, and plenty of chocolate in every bite.

What makes these so special is the combination of ingredients and the overnight chilling technique. Browning the butter adds a rich, toasted, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with creamy peanut butter.

Also, the cookie dough is made with light brown sugar and granulated sugar, giving these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies the perfect balance of sweetness and texture. Semi-sweet chocolate chips add rich pockets of chocolate throughout the dough without overpowering the peanut butter. Then comes the ingredient that brings everything together: flaky sea salt.

The combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and flaky salt creates an incredible sweet and savory cookie. The salt enhances the chocolate and peanut butter while balancing the sweetness of the brown sugar. Every bite gives you a little bit of salty, nutty, buttery, chocolatey goodness.

One of the most important steps in this recipe is chilling the cookie dough overnight. Once the cookies are scooped, placing the dough in the refrigerator gives the flavors time to develop while helping the cookies bake into the ideal texture. The chilled dough bakes into cookies with beautifully crisp outer edges and soft, chewy centers.

When you're ready to bake, the cookies go into a 350°F oven for 12 to 14 minutes. Rotating the baking sheet halfway through helps the cookies bake evenly. Once they come out of the oven, give the baking sheet a few good taps against the counter. This helps the warm cookies spread and settle, creating those signature crinkled edges and a soft, tender center.

The final step is one of my favorites. While the cookies are still warm, immediately sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. That little finishing touch takes these brown butter peanut butter chocolate chip cookies to another level.

Whether you're looking for an easy homemade dessert, a new cookie recipe for the holidays, or the perfect cookie to enjoy with a cold glass of milk, these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are worth making. They are rich without being overly sweet, packed with chocolate, full of peanut butter flavor, and finished with just enough salt to keep you reaching for another one.

If you love chewy chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, brown butter desserts, or sweet and salty desserts, this recipe belongs in your baking rotation. Make the dough ahead, chill it overnight, bake the next day, and enjoy bakery-style cookies fresh from your own kitchen!

Grocery List

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, browned, melted, and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, spooned, and leveled
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt, for topping
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Rest Time 10 mins
Total Time 42 mins
Difficulty: Intermediate
Cooking Temp: 350  F
Servings: 12
Best Season: Suitable throughout the year
Description

These brown butter peanut butter cookies combine creamy peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and flaky sea salt for a rich, chewy cookie with the perfect sweet and savory balance.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, browned, melted, and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, spooned, and leveled
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
  1. 1
    Add the butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally.
  2. 2
    Once the butter begins to change color, reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the butter develops a golden-brown color and a nutty aroma. Be careful not to let it burn.
  3. 3
    Remove the browned butter from the heat and allow it to cool before making the cookie dough.
  4. 4
    Add the peanut butter, cooled brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth and well combined.
  5. 5
    Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Whisk or mix for 1 to 2 minutes to make sure the eggs are fully incorporated.
  6. 6
    Add the vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  7. 7
    Add the baking soda and sea salt. Mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  8. 8
    Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Use a rubber or plastic spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold the dough together as needed.
  9. 9
    Once all of the flour has been incorporated, add the semi-sweet chocolate chips in batches, about 1/2 cup at a time. Fold the chocolate chips into the dough until evenly distributed.
  10. 10
    Using a large ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, portion the dough into large balls. This recipe should make approximately 12 large cookies. Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet or airtight container and refrigerate overnight. Chilling the dough allows the flavors to develop and helps create cookies with crispy outer edges and soft, chewy centers.
  11. 11
    When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F.
  12. 12
    Place the chilled cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving enough space between each cookie for them to spread. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking to help the cookies bake evenly.
  13. 13
    Bang the baking sheet: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, carefully bang the baking sheet on the counter a few times. This helps the cookies spread and settle, creating those delicious crinkled edges and soft centers.
  14. 14
    Immediately sprinkle the warm cookies with flaky sea salt. The combination of the salty finish, sweet brown sugar, creamy peanut butter, and semi-sweet chocolate creates the perfect sweet and savory balance.
  15. 15
    Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few moments before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. Allow them to finish cooling before serving.
  16. 16
    Serve and enjoy!
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