These small-batch peanut butter cookies are easy to make, super peanut buttery, and SO good.
Hey, workweek got you down? You should make yourself a cute little batch of peanut butter cookies. Your day will get 97% better immediately. I promise.
I love a good peanut butter cookie and these cookies definitely earn that label. Other words used to describe them by taste testers have been, “amazing,” “really really good,” and “my favorite peanut butter cookies ever.”
The Perfect Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies are super peanut buttery and the perfect (or at least my perfect) peanut butter cookie texture where they’re a little soft and crumbly, a little chewy, and with a little extra oven time, a little crunchy.
This recipe makes six cookies so there are just enough to share, but not so many that you’re in any real trouble should you choose not to. 😉
Notes Ingredients
- Baking staples: The bulk of the ingredients for these cookies is made up of baking staples, flour, baking soda, salt, butter, brown and granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Peanut butter: Smooth or chunky peanut butter will work, but stick with a processed brand like Jiff or Skippy, as these give you the most consistent results for baking.
- Egg yolk: This recipe uses only an egg yolk. For ideas on what to do with that leftover egg white, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites (I recommend a small batch of banana muffins).
How to Make a Small Batch of Peanut Butter Cookies
- Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Whisk together wet ingredients in a medium bowl. You can use a handheld mixer for this part if you’d like, but all you really need is a whisk and a little elbow grease.
- Stir dry ingredients into the wet and mix.
- Scoop rounded spoonfuls of the dough and roll into balls before placing on the cookie sheet and using a fork to press a crosshatch pattern into the top of each cookie.
- Bake and let the cookies cool and set for at least 10 minutes before eating.
Peanut Butter Cookie Variations
- Chocolate chip/Peanut butter cup cookies: Add 1/3 cup of chocolate chips or chopped peanut butter cups to the dough before baking.
- Nutella-stuffed cookies: On a plate lined with parchment paper, freeze six 1-tablespoon-sized dollops of Nutella until solid, about 20 minutes. Make the cookie dough, and when forming the cookie dough balls, split them in half and place a frozen dollop of Nutella inside. Squish the top and bottom halves back together, press with a fork, and bake according to recipe instructions.
- Peanut butter cookie sundae: Top warm cookies with a scoop of ice cream, peanut butter sauce or fudge sauce (or both!!), whipped cream, and sprinkles.
Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies Troubleshooting
These cookies are pretty simple to make, but occasionally people run into trouble. These are the two issues I’ve seen:
Warm cookies are falling apart: This is normal! The cookies need to set before you can eat them. If you try to move them right after they come out of the oven, they will crumble in your hand. Give them 10 to 15 minutes on the baking sheet and they will firm right up.
If you prefer a softer, slightly underdone cookie and don’t want them to continue to cook from the heat of the baking sheet, slide the entire sheet of parchment paper (with the cookies still on it) off the tray onto the cool counter. This might be a little challenging if you’re using a rimmed baking sheet, but I believe in you.
Dough too crumbly: This happens when there is too much flour in your dough or if you have an extra small egg yolk. Next time be sure to measure the flour by weight or using the spoon and sweep method (stir the flour in your container to fluff it up and then spoon it into your measuring cup, sweep excess off with the flat of a knife).
You can fix the dough by adding just a bit of milk or water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together and there is no dry flour at the bottom of your bowl.
FAQ
How to store peanut butter cookies?
Store your cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days.
Can I freeze peanut butter cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze *really* well. If you have leftovers, put them in a freezer bag and they will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Can I use natural peanut butter in these cookies?
You could probably get away with using natural peanut butter if you really want to, but these cookies have not been tested with it, so I can’t guarantee the results.
More Peanut Butter Desserts
- Peanut Butter Cookie for Two
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Small-batch Monster Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
More Small-batch Cookies
- Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Small-batch Oatmeal Cookies
- Perfect Small-batch Sugar Cookies
- Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies
- Small-batch Shortbread Cookies
Or check out my entire Small-batch Cookie Recipe Archive.
Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (85g) peanut butter (not natural peanut butter)
- 3 tablespoons (1.5oz) unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons (37g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth.
- Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Scoop rounded spoonfuls of the dough and roll into 6 balls. Place dough onto prepared cookie sheet and use a fork to firmly press a crosshatch pattern onto the tops of the cookies.
- Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until the edges of the cookies look set, but the cookies are still pale (for a crispier cookie, bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies begin to darken). Cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before moving (cookies will be quite soft until they cool).
- Enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Lisa Riedel says
They turned out great! I used Natural peanut butter. I didn’t use a mixer, just a whisk. Yummy and quick for 2 people! We have a snack tomorrow too! Also, I dipped my fork in sugar and then did the cross hatches
Cori says
The best small batch cookies ever. Sometimes I throw in some chocolate chips.
Thanks
meg says
these are soooo good! my boyfriend likes peanut butter cookies and i haven’t found the right recipe until i stumbled upon this one. they were above and beyond any expectations. i threw some chocolate chips on a couple of them and that was delightful as well. these cookies made me subscribe to this websites recipes and i have never done that before. thank you for sharing!
Tracy says
Thanks, Meg! This makes me so happy to hear!!
Telly says
This is hands down the best peanut butter cookie recipe they were so soft and chewy and had such a nice flavour they were not to sweet and my family is obsessed with them everytime I make them I have to make a bigger batch. They firm up so well when left on baking tray and I like to top it with some sugar once they come out of oven for added texture.
PA says
Fast small batch cookie recipe, that can be quickly, but really lacks that great cookie texture. By texture I mean soft and chewy, or crispy and delicious. I followed this recipe to the “T”, and ended up with two results.
I took two cookies out at 9 mins, and they were still very pale in color. The cookies crumbled through my fingers as I tried to eat them. The cookies did melt in your mouth, but were hard to swallow. The flavor was similar to uncooked flour with a slight peanut butter flavor.
Later, I took the last ones out at 15 minutes, the color was slightly more golden, but the flavor and texture were the same. Chalky and bland.
Maybe less flour, more brown sugar, whole egg, creamed sugar? Sorry to say, this recipe needs to be revised.
Debbie says
I add some Crisco. 1/2T. Makes them more chewy ..thanks for the small recipe.its great.
Miss Niss says
These were most perfect. All I had was salted butter and they came out a tad salty because of it (only bc my sleep deprived, pre-menstral self wasn’t thinking straight…..) So I guess if all you have is salted butter, skip the additional salt. But other then that they were truly fantastic. I threw these together with minimal dishes at 10:00 at night because mama was craving!!!
Madison says
These were DELICIOUS!! Do you have a recipe for a full batch?
Laura H. says
These cookies are a go to for us! We full time live and travel in our rv and many times we are not close to a store when we want something sweet. We prefer to not eat store bought cookies if possible. I found this recipe and have made them about six times already (including the ones in my oven now) loving this small batch recipe!!
Chelsea says
I’m terrible at baking, but have really been craving peanut butter cookies. I used Gluten Free 1:1 flour and since you stressed the importance of the measurements I used a scale. I got 12 decent sized cookies out of the small batch (6). I’m both impressed at this delicious recipe and the fact that I baked something I didn’t have to toss Can’t wait to eat these with my iced coffee!! It’s a shame Pinterest no longer allows photos on comments.. I was really excited to show off my cookies haha. Thank you will definitely try more of your recipes ❤️
Lorie says
These cookies are to die for!! A perfect recipe with excellent instructions, you really can’t mess this up! These cookies satisfied a craving for my mom’s homemade PB cookies without making a batch that was way too big for two of us! THANK YOU for this delicious recipe, it’s a keeper!!
Tracy says
So glad you both enjoyed them!!
Just KK says
Yummy cookies – quick easy recipe – perfect for two! Thanks for a great recipe that I will be making often