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These crispy peanut butter cookies are crunchy and salty and need just 4 ingredients. Made in just one bowl, I love that there’s no chill time required!
Want more peanut butter cookie recipes? Try my healthy peanut butter cookies, 2-ingredient peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter oatmeal cookies next.
I LOVE all things peanut butter, but of course, nothing beats my classic peanut butter cookies. The center stays slightly tender and soft, while the edges get the perfect crunch, and the roasted peanuts on top add a subtle saltiness to each bite.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- There is no chill time needed. Just make the dough, shape the cookies, and bake them in the oven.
- Made in one bowl. So clean-up is done in minutes.
- 4 ingredients. All you need is peanut butter, eggs, sugar, and roasted peanuts to garnish on top.
- Addictive texture. With crunchy edges and soft centers, every bite has a crisp yet chewy texture.
- Extra peanut butter flavor. Compared to other peanut butter cookies, these are overloaded with peanut butter in every bite.
Ingredients needed
- Peanut butter. Smooth and creamy peanut butter with no added sugar. Avoid using crunchy peanut butter, which will make the cookie dough too crumbly.
- Large eggs. I always use room-temperature eggs so the dough comes together easily. If they’re not at room temperature, gently place the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes.
- Sugar. Any type of sugar will do, though I’m partial to the taste of light brown sugar. White sugar or sugar-free brown sugar both work, too.
- Roasted peanuts. Specifically dry roasted peanuts. These will get chopped finely and garnish the cookies to give them a crunchy bite.
How to make crispy peanut butter cookies
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2- Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the chopped peanuts. Once mixed, stir in half of the peanuts.
Step 3- Shape and bake. Using a cookie scoop, form 12 balls of dough. Roll each dough ball in the chopped peanuts and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden.
Step 4- Cool. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet completely.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a hand mixer. While definitely optional, I find using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment makes mixing the dough easier.
- Make thicker, chewier cookies. Chill the dough for 2 hours before baking them.
- Give them that peanut butter cookie “look.” Press the dough balls with a fork to create that signature criss-cross pattern.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. They’ll continue to cook as they cool, so pull them from the oven as soon as they begin to golden, and the edges pull away from the parchment paper.
Variations
- Swap the peanut butter. While they’re technically “peanut butter cookies,” you can easily swap the peanut butter for other types of nut butter, like almond butter or cashew butter.
- Skip the eggs. Make a chia or flax egg substitute instead.
- Add mix-ins. Like chocolate chips, chopped Reese’s pieces, or crushed pretzels.
- Add some sea salt on top. Optional, but I love adding a sprinkle of salt over the cookies to create a salty-sweet flavor combo.
Storage instructions
To store: Peanut butter cookies will keep well at room temperature in an airtight container. They will remain fresh for up to 2 weeks. If you’d like to keep them longer, refrigerate them for up to 1 month.
To freeze: Place the cookies in a freezer-friendly container or ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More cookies to try
- Brownie cookies
- Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
- Cheesecake cookies
- Biscoff cookies
- Or any of these cookie recipes
Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup sugar * See notes
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup salted peanuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large cookie sheet or baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, egg, and sugar and mix well. Gently fold through half the peanuts.
- Form 12 balls of dough. Roll each ball in the chopped peanuts mixture and transfer to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges go golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking sheet completely.
Notes
Originally published August 2020, updated and republished June 2024
I must buy peanut butter but crunhy one. Already have “normal”.
Very sorry for the last comment. Did not know how this works. Very tasty.
There’s no measurements. What am I post to do?
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Thank you so much!
Can I sub monkfruit granulated for the coconut sugar? Your recipes have saved me from depriving myself of eating what I want. I’m in better shape now than when I was withholding! Thank you…
I don’t see why not!
My brother wanted me to make peanut cookies similar to the ones Aldi sells! So happy to find this recipe, it’s crispy and peanutty just like the Aldi ones, only better because they’re home made. This is a fantastic recipe ?
😀 YES!!! That was my inspiration!
Made these crispy peanut butter cookies for my dear hubby and he ❤️them! Says they remind him of the ones his mom made when he was a kid. #pbscore
😀 LOVE IT! Thanks so much, Tammy!
Hi just about to make some of these delicious looking biscuits.
Sorry to be thick the cup size used is it Australia or American?
Hi Karen! They are American sized (but the difference is very minor 🙂 )
How many carbs are in a cookie?
Hi Hailey! If you add the ingredients into a calorie calculator, it will provide it for you! Enjoy!
I’ve been making these cookies for several years and they are a house favourite. But the amount of sugar or sweetener is way too much. You can easily cut it by half and still have a really good cookie. I also change it up by adding dark chocolate chips in place of the peanuts.
Thanks for the suggestion, Tammy!
they look awesome 😀 how many do you get out of this, vagualy if you’re making them golf ball big? because I want to bake them as a present 🙂
Hi Katrin!! To be honest, I can’t remember, but I think it was around 9-10 🙂