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My Great-Grandmother’s award winning, Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies are a sweet, traditional peanut butter cookie that is crispy but not dry. Not only is each bite full of peanut butter flavor, but they’ll be ready in less than 20 minutes!

Old fashioned peanut butter cookies stacked with the top few broken open.

These are my great-grandmother’s prize-winning Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies! That’s right, these two-bite, crunchy cookies won the Clark County Fair in Virginia. They are a crunchy peanut butter cookie that somehow also melts in your mouth, complete with a perfect rich flavor and hint of kosher salt.

RoRo, my great-grandmother, would send each family member home with their favorite treat. This always included homemade Pecan Tassies for me, Pinwheel Cookies for my mom and these peanut butter cookies for my dad. You’re here for the peanut butter wonders, so don’t be afraid to also make some Peanut Butter Blossomschewy Reese’s cookies, or a monster skillet cookie next!

Why my dad says these are the best peanut butter cookies:

  • No chill cookie. Simply mix the dough, scoop and bake! No extra wait times.
  • Easy, no fuss family recipe. The dough comes together quickly and smoothly. With this recipe, you’ll be making about 96 cookies in less than 20 minutes, just like grandma used to!
  • Intense peanut butter flavor. This recipe calls for more peanut butter than others out there, guaranteeing powerful old fashioned peanut butter cookies!

Professional Tips for How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies Taste Better

  • Use a peanut butter you enjoy. Peanut butter is the star of the show in these cookies, so I always use Jif Smooth Peanut Butter. No, they aren’t a sponsor {do you know anyone at Jif?} but they’re my favorite, and what my family has been using for generations.
  • Soften your butter. It helps to make sure your butter is ‘temped’ or closer to room temperature prior to use. Do not, however, melt it. A softened butter will be easier to cream with the sugars, creating the perfect texture. 
  • Dip your fork in sugar between each cookie. The crispy goodness is all sealed together by a classic criss-cross pattern on top made with the tines of a fork. Dipping the fork in sugar guarantees a delicious sweet finish on your old fashioned peanut butter cookies!
The criss-crossed top of a peanut butter cookie.
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The Ultimate Pastry Chef's Guide to Perfect Cookies
Get all professional tips you need whether you want to bake thick, thin, chewy or crunchy cookies!

What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies?

  • All-purpose flour: Be sure to measure your flour by fluffing up the flour in the bag then spooning it into a measuring cup. Level it off with a knife. Be careful not to tap or compress the all-purpose flour. Not measuring correctly, will lead to dry cookies.
  • Baking Soda: Do check the freshness of your baking soda! It loses potency over time. If it’s not fresh, send it to the back of the refrigerator to keep things smelling fresh.
  • Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking to control the amount of salt I am adding.
  • Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is here for sweetness, but if you add too much in proportion to the butter and flour, the cookies will spread. The sugar also shortens the gluten strands in the flour creating that tender, crunchy texture. 
  • Dark Brown Sugar: Using dark brown sugar adds sweetness along with a little moisture. This will keep the old fashioned peanut butter cookies softer while adding a nice, rich molasses flavor. Just like in my soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, it is important to use equal to or more brown sugar than granulated sugar in this recipe.
  • Whole Egg: The eggs are here to add fat, moisture and leavening. Eggs also emulsify the batter and keep everything texturally perfect.
  • Peanut Butter: I specifically use smooth Jif peanut butter in my old fashioned peanut butter cookies, forever and always. I prefer its flavor to the other brands of no-stir peanut butter. Check out my Reese’s Peanut butter blondies for another easy peanut dessert!
  • Vanilla
  • Kosher Salt

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations & Substitutions

  • Mix-ins: One of my Aunts just told me she has memories of RoRo adding butterscotch chips sometimes! You could add finely chopped peanuts or walnuts, using my Butterscotch Chews as some old-fashioned inspiration.
  • Can you substitute anything for the peanut butter? You cannot substitute peanut butter for butter and get the same results. Eliminating the peanut butter will make the cookies too crumbly. This is an heirloom recipe, so I have not yet experimented with other nut butters, but I am all for trying! Just report back!.
  • Crunchy Peanut Butter: You can use crunchy peanut butter for a little added texture in your old fashioned peanut butter cookies.
  • Add a frosting: Why not frost them with the best chocolate buttercream? Or make a salted caramel sauce or apple butter dip?

How to make Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the cookie dough:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until light and creamy.

Step 4: Reduce the speed to low, and mix in the peanut butter.

Step 5: In several additions, add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture until just incorporated.

Avoid overwhelming your batter or overmixing by gradually adding the flour. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies.

Portion and bake:

Step 6: Drop cookie dough by the teaspoon (the actual spoon, not the measuring spoon) onto a baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart. Dip the tines of a fork into granulated sugar and press them into each cookie twice in a crisscross pattern flattening the dough, dipping the fork into the sugar between each cookie.

RoRo did not roll hers into balls, which resulted in irregularly shaped old fashioned peanut butter cookies. This is totally cool, but if you want perfect circles like mine, you’ll need to roll each piece of dough into a ball before criss-crossing. 

Step 7: Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven, or until golden brown. The cookies should have a matte (not shiny) finish when they are done. 

Step 8: Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

A group of old fashioned peanut butter cookies on a vintage cooling rack.

Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip

I know it’s hard, but when it comes to crispy cookies, allowing them to cool helps them to keep that desired crunch! To the same purpose, let them cool completely before storing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store old fashioned peanut butter cookies?

Store these crunchy cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Yes, you can also freeze these cookies so that they keep for 2 months, or freeze the dough to bake later.

Do you need to refrigerate the dough?

You do not need to refrigerate this dough before baking. It will bake best at room temperature.

Is peanut butter cookie dough supposed to be dry?

The dough should not be dry. It should be soft but not sticky. If your dough is dry, it is most likely from using too much flour. To avoid this, fluff the flour before measuring and level with a knife without tapping, or weight the ingredient on a kitchen scale.

Can you ship old fashioned peanut butter cookies?

These particular cookies will not ship well. Opt for a sturdier cookie like Almond Linzer Cookies or pfeffernüsse cookies. If you really want to ship them (I understand), keep them from crumbling by carefully individually wrapping them and giving them extra packing materials to keep them from knocking about the tin.

Why do you use a fork on old fashioned peanut butter cookies?

Since the peanut butter in the dough keeps these cookies from flattening too much while they bake, a fork helps to evenly press the cookie down and has been used historically to give it a nice decorative pattern on top.

If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies on cooling rack with perfect fork tine impressions.
5 from 2 ratings

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

My Great-Grandmother’s award winning, Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies are a sweet, traditional peanut butter cookie that is crispy but not dry. Not only is each bite full of peanut butter flavor, but they’ll be ready in less than 20 minutes!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 24 people

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Make the cookie dough:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until light and creamy.
  • Reduce the speed to low, and mix in the peanut butter.
  • In several additions, add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture until just incorporated.

Portion and bake:

  • Drop cookie dough by the teaspoon (the actual spoon, not the measuring spoon) onto a baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart. Dip the tines of a fork into granulated sugar and press them into each cookie twice in a crisscross pattern flattening the dough, dipping the fork into the sugar between each cookie.
  • Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven, or until golden brown. The cookies should have a matte (not shiny) finish when they are done.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

Video

Notes

Yield: 96 small cookies
Presentation – My great-grandmother pressed the cookie down as it hit the baking sheet and, as a result, each cookie was different in a rugged way. If you want prettier cookies, you can use a 1-inch cookie scoop and roll the dough into a ball prior to crisscrossing with a fork.
Flavor Tips – Use your favorite peanut butter, because you will taste it in these cookies!
Storage – Store these crunchy cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze these cookies so that they keep for 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 262
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Before You Go

Check out our other delicious, chef-developed Cookie Recipes, these easy Christmas cookies, or peruse all our 100+ Christmas Cookie Recipes!

Baked old fashioned peanut butter cookies with a spoonful of peanut butter.
A stack of crunchy peanut butter cookies.
Many old fashioned peanut butter cookies on a countertop, some in stacks.

Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

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25 Comments

  1. all your wonderful pictures are making my mouth water. I love the stories of your cherished family members. What a great tribute to them!

    I lost my grandfather’s peanut butter cooke recipe and I’d bet your great grandma RoRo’s recipe is the same as his was. Thank you for sharing this.I’ll be making these for my dh who loves pb cookies.

  2. aaaawwww!! I love the love letter to your dad 🙂 And HOW ADORABLE that you made your great grandma’s award winning cookies! I totally get it-they look so amazingly delicious and perfect and I would not be able to stop eating them!

    1. Thanks, Kayle! They are trouble to keep around! RoRo used to keep them in the freezer, which, upon second thought, would probably have been smart!