Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with rich, nutty flavor. Easy to make in one bowl, perfect for peanut butter lovers, and freezer-friendly for easy treats later!
If you love the rich, nutty flavor of classic peanut butter cookies, then you’ll love these Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies. They’re soft, chewy, and packed with flavor.
The brown butter adds a warm, toasty note that perfectly complements the creamy peanut butter, creating an indulgent and irresistible cookie. Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or just treating yourself, these cookies are sure to be a hit!
If you love peanut butter and chocolate, try my peanut butter cup brownies, peanut butter stuffed nutella cookies or peanut butter snack cake
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Why you will love these Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- Rich & Nutty: The combination of brown butter and peanut butter creates an incredibly deep and complex flavor.
- Chewy & Soft: These cookies have the perfect texture, crispy edges with chewy centers!
- One-Bowl Recipe: Minimal cleanup is required, as everything comes together in one bowl.
- Freezer-Friendly: You can make these cookies ahead and freeze them for later.
- Perfect for Peanut Butter Lovers: If you’re a fan of peanut butter, this recipe will be your new go-to!
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter- Make sure to use room temperature butter.You can substitute with salted butter in case unsalted butter is not available
- Brown sugar- I used light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar as well.
- White Sugar – I used granulated white sugar.
- Smooth Peanut butter- I like to use creamy peanut butter for baking however you can use crunchy peanut butter as well. I don’t recommend natural peanut butter. The texture will not be the same.
- Eggs- I like to use room temperature large egg.
- All Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour provides the base for the cookie dough.
- Salt- Don’t skimp on the salt as that really helps in bringing out peanut butter flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract enhances the flavor profile of the cookies.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how to make and bake these brown butter peanut butter cookies. You can use a stand mixer or a hand held electric mixer.Pre-heat the oven to 175C (350 F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Step 1:Brown the Butter. Heat the cubed butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. The butter will melt and bubble vigorously which is normal. After about 8 minutes, the top will be completely covered in foam. Stir the butter continuously at this point so you can see when the butter has browned. After another 2 minutes, the bottom of the butter should be speckled with amber-brown bits. Take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a heatproof bowl to cool completely.
Step 2:Mix the dry ingredients together. In a medium sized bowl add the all purpose flour making sure there are no lumps. Next, add in the baking soda and salt.
Step 3: Beat the butter and sugars. In a bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat cooled browned butter and sugars until pale for 2-3 mins
Step 4: Beat in the peanut butter egg and vanilla. With the mixer on low beat in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
Step 5:Stir in the dry ingredients.To the wet ingredients stir in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Step 6: Scoop the cookie dough.Using a large cookie scoop, scoop out dough and shape them into balls then place on baking sheets spacing them 2-inches apart.
Step 7: Bake the Cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centers are still slightly soft. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips & Tricks
- Underbake for Chewiness: For chewier, softer cookies, slightly underbake them and let them cool on the baking sheet.
- Brown Butter Care: Watch the butter closely when browning. It can go from perfect to burnt very quickly.
- For extra crunch, sprinkle with sugar. If you love that added crunch on the outside of your cookies, sprinkle a little extra granulated sugar over the tops when the cookies come out of the oven.
- Use a cookie scoop: Use a cookie or large ice cream scoop for uniform cookies with thick, chewy and gooey centers. The cookie dough balls must be three tablespoons.
- Measure flour properly:The flour needs to be spooned and leveled. If you scoop using the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will be compacted. Compacted flour means no spread with your cookies.
FAQs
I wouldn’t recommend baking with natural peanut butters as they often separate where the oil floats to the top of the jar. Nut butters like this are difficult to bake cookies with because they can cause cookies to spread too thin.
The butter will turn a deep golden color, and you’ll notice a nutty aroma. Stir constantly and remove from heat once you see brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but Yes, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Make sure it’s a blend designed for baking.
To make softer cookies, underbake them by a minute or two. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool, resulting in a softer texture.
Yes feel free to add milk, dark, semi sweet chocolate chips or even peanut butter chips to these cookies
Yes, but you’ll miss out on the rich, nutty aroma and flavor that browned butter brings to these cookies.Without the browned butter these would just be regular peanut butter cookies.
Freezing & Storage
- Storage: Store these brown butter peanut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They will stay soft and chewy.
- Freezing: To freeze the dough, scoop it into balls, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Then transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
You can also freeze baked cookies by letting them cool completely, then storing them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
More cookie recipes to try
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- 2 cookie sheets
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ⅔ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat your butter carefully until it is browned stirring continuously. Once browned take it off the heat and let it come to room temperature for an hour or so.
- Pre-heat the oven to 175C (350 F). Line two large baking sheets with non-stick parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the browned butter and both sugars until pale for 2-3 mins.Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat well.
- To the butter mixture stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Using a large cookie scoop, roll out as many cookie balls out of the dough as possible. Arrange the balls evenly amongst baking trays and bake for 11-12 mins until golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 5 mins.Remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks.Enjoy!
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