Crinkle cookies are a holiday classic that belong in your Christmas cookie exchange. These Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies are modified from the classic chocolate version, but may just become your new favorite.
Why this recipe works
The name “Crinkle Cookie” comes from the notorious cracked top. It’s a result of dough ball spreading and its outside quite literally cracking as it flattens.
Typical Crinkle Cookies are chocolate based and covered in powdered sugar. The powdered sugar on the outside makes the crinkle a little more obvious. These Peanut Butter Cookies instead, are peanut butter based and rolled in white sugar, giving an almost sparkly look to them.
Peanut butter is one of my absolute favorite additions to a dessert recipe. Try out these Peanut Butter Crinkle Top Brownies, these Peanut Butter Truffles, Almond Butter Blossoms, Buckeye Balls, or this Nutter Butter Pie. The delicious spread in dessert form is addicting!!
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Recipe Ingredients
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is going into our cookies for sweetness and a slightly molasses-y flavor.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – The star of our crinkle cookies. I used Jif; it has the perfect, thick but creamy consistency we’re looking for.
- White Sugar – Typically crinkle cookies are rolled in powdered sugar. For these I used cane sugar, but feel free to use confectioners sugar as well for that snowy look.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, add brown sugar and softened butter. Beat together until fully combined.
2. Then, add in the egg, vanilla extract, and peanut butter (tip: spray the measuring cup with cooking spray prior to measuring. This will allow it to slide out of the measuring cup easily). Beat the peanut butter and egg together until well combined.
3. Pour all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and also salt) into the bowl and again beat together until everything is well combined.
Then, in a separate bowl, add the cane sugar. Use a cookie scooper to scoop even sized cookie dough bars. Gently roll them in the cane sugar and place them on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
4. Gently press each cookie with the bottom of a glass to help get that crinkle factor.
Then, bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of the cookies turn golden brown. Give the pan a little slam on the counter – this will encourage the cracks to form around the edges.
Slide/pick up the parchment paper off the pan and onto the counter to cool the cookies immediately. Enjoy!
PRO TIPS
Looking to make these cookies ahead of time? Simply refrigerate the dough overnight and up to 48 hours. It’s best to let the dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before scooping and rolling into sugar.
Storing and Freezing
These can be stored in an airtight container either on the counter or the refrigerator if you like a chewy, chilled cookie. In your storage container, add a piece of bread (I like to use the end piece of a loaf). The cookies will draw out the moisture from the bread and keep your cookies soft.
You can also freeze these cookies baked or unbaked.
- To freeze unbaked dough, scoop, roll in the sugar and place on a cookie sheet as if you’re going to bake them. Place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer for 3-4 hours until each dough ball is frozen (this’ll prevent them from sticking together). Then, place in a Ziplock or airtight container until ready to bake. You can bake the dough balls from frozen for 2-3 extra minutes.
- To freeze baked cookies, allow them to cool completely before adding to a freezer bag or airtight container. I recommend layering parchment paper between each cookie stack. This will prevent the cookies from freezing altogether.
Recipe FAQs
When the edges (and edges only!) are golden, your cookies are done. You want the center slightly underdone when the cookies come out so when you slam on the counter they get that crinkle factor. The cookies will finish setting as they cool.
These Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies spread a decent amount in the oven. If you prefer a smaller, but denser cookie don’t flatten with the cup as much prior to baking. You can also chill your dough balls for ~30 minutes before baking. This’ll solidify the butter and peanut butter, which’ll then melt slower through the bake time preventing them from spreading as much.
You likely didn’t use enough. Coat those dough balls thoroughly! It also may be a result of it melting into the cookie so if you live in a warmer climate, chilling the dough before rolling in the sugar will help, too.
Serving suggestions
Dip these cookies into decadent Homemade Hot Chocolate! I also love these cookies in the summertime after a fresh, seasonal dinner like a Tossed Green Summer Salad or One Skillet Chicken Pasta Recipe.
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Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- electric hand mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- Small bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
For coating
- 1/4 cup white sugar (or powdered sugar), for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, add brown sugar and softened butter. Beat together until fully combined.
- Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and peanut butter (tip: spray the measuring cup with cooking spray prior to measuring. This will allow it to slide out of the measuring cup easily). Beat the peanut butter and egg together until well combined.
- Pour all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) into the bowl and again beat together until everything is well combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the cane sugar. Use a cookie scooper to scoop even sized cookie dough bars. Gently roll them in the cane sugar and place them on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Prior to baking, use the bottom of a glass cup or flat surface to gently press the cookies (this will help with the crinkle factor).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of the cookies turn golden brown. Give the pan a little slam on the counter – this will encourage the cracks to form around the edges.
- Slide/pick up the parchment paper off the pan and onto the counter to cool the cookies immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find PEANUT BUTTER CRINKLE COOKIES calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
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These are incredible! Perfect amounts of peanut butter and crinkle.
Made them with powdered sugar for that classic “snowy” look. Turned out wonderful!
These are so peanut buttery and delicious! Easy to make too which is always a plus. Definitely recommend
AMAZING! 10/10 recommend. Super tasty and really easy to make
Made these for my our first Christmas cookie baking day and they turned out GREAT! Not only did they make the kitchen smell amazing… but they tasted SO good and had to leave all the leftovers for my dad since his favorite cookie is anything peanut butter, we’re definitely a hit!
Dough held shape nicely and was easy to work with. I quadrupled it and made four kinds of peanut butter cookies-regular peanut butter cookies, peanut butter blossoms with a Hershey kiss in the center, peanut butter cups in mini muffin tins with a mini Reese’s cup in the center and also two batches with Reese’s peanut butter cups cut up and mixed in. This dough worked as a great base for all four!