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    Home » All Recipes

    Published: Jul 2, 2021 · Modified: Sep 15, 2021 by Kelly Hamilton · This post may contain affiliate links

    Small-Batch Peanut Butter Cookies

    Jump to Recipe

    This small-batch peanut butter cookie recipe makes 6 perfect cookies in under 20 minutes! These cookies are chewy, soft, and they practically melt in your mouth.

    close up of small-batch peanut butter cookies with a spoon of peanut butter
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients needed for these small-batch peanut butter cookies:
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Common Questions
    • Tips and tricks
    • Storing & freezing instructions
    • Want to try more cookie recipes?
    • 📖 Recipe

    These small-batch peanut butter cookies are perfect for when you don't want to bake up an entire batch of cookies, but you're still in the mood for 1 or 2 homemade cookies. These cookies are just as good as my small-batch sugar cookies and if you haven't tried them, you're missing out!

    These peanut butter cookies are super soft and chewy, they basically melt in your mouth as you eat them. This recipe is so incredibly easy and you can whip up a small batch of cookies in 20 minutes from start to finish!

    Ingredients needed for these small-batch peanut butter cookies:

    This is your typical cookie recipe, but to point out a few things below:

    • unsalted butter- I always use unsalted butter when baking. if you only have salted butter, just omit the salt that the recipe calls for.
    • egg yolk- this recipe calls for 1 large egg yolk, not a whole egg! Be sure to seperate the yolk from the white before mixing it in.
    • creamy peanut butter- I used creamy peanut butter (like jif or skippy) in this recipe. I did not test this with natural peanut butter that has more oil in it.
    ingredients needed for these small-batch peanut butter cookies

    Step by Step Instructions

    Step 1: In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Mix until smooth. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.

    Step 2: To this, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, being sure not to over mix the dough at this point.

    Step 3: Scoop 2 tablespoon of dough per cookie and gently roll them into balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving a few inches in between cookies.

    Step 4: In your 350° F oven, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges start to look lightly golden brown. The tops will seem under-baked, but let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to chill completely.

    • butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a glass bowl
    • wet ingredients mixed together in a glass bowl.
    • wet ingredients with the flour mixture poured on top.
    • bowl of cookie dough with a tablespoon measuring spoon and rolled cookies in the background
    • cookies after being baked on a cookie sheet

    Common Questions

    What kind of peanut butter is best to use?

    I recommend using standard creamy peanut butter from brands like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter tends to have a lot of excess oils, which can effect the texture of these cookies and how they bake.

    Can I double this recipe?

    Absolutely! Just double all the ingredients to make yourself 12 cookies instead of 6! Be sure to use 2 egg yolks if doubling, not a whole egg. You can use your egg whites for another recipe!

    Why are my cookies so flat?

    This typically happens when the butter is too warm or even melted. You want the butter to be at room temperature. The best way to check this is to press on the butter- if you can leave a slight indent but the butter is still cool to the touch and the wrapper isn't greasy, then you're good to go! If you find the butter is too warm, just pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes before using it.

    Do I need to refrigerate the dough before baking?

    No you don't have to! This recipe can be made and put straight into the oven. You can refrigerate the dough if you want to bake the cookies at a later time though.

    stack of 5 cookies with the 6th cookies down below near a spoonful of peanut butter

    Tips and tricks

    • spoon and level your flour- I always recommend spooning and leveling your flour when baking. Scooping the measuring cup right into the flour will actually compact the flour and give much more than the recipe calls for. To spoon and level, use a large spoon to gently scoop the flour into your measuring cup. Once it's full, use a flat edge (like a butter knife) to gently scrape across the top of the measuring cup.
    • roll your cookies in sugar before baking- this is optional, but rolling your peanut butter cookies in granulated sugar before baking gives them an extra hint of sweetness you won't be able to resist!
    • let the cookies cool on the pan- this is an important step because the cookies will come out slightly underbaked, but will continue to bake while cooling on the baking sheet. This helps give you that soft and chewy texture.

    Storing & freezing instructions

    These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They will stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    You can also freeze the dough before baking. To thaw, let the cookie dough sit out at room temperature until defrosted.

    a cookie that is broken up with other cookies surrounding it and a spoonful of peanut butter.

    Want to try more cookie recipes?

    • Small batch sugar cookies
    • White chocolate raspberry cookies
    • Funfetti chocolate chip cookie cake
    • Orange creamsicle cookies
    • Chocolate marshmallow cookies

    If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below! It's so helpful to my business as well as other bakers 🙂 thank you for supporting Bake & Bacon!

    📖 Recipe

    Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies

    Kelly Hamilton
    This small-batch peanut butter cookie recipe makes 6 perfect cookies in under 20 minutes! These cookies are chewy, soft, and they practically melt in your mouth.
    4.93 from 14 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 189 kcal

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowl Set
    • Baking Sheet Pan
    • Parchment Paper Sheets

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
    • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 3 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
    • 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • pinch of salt

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Mix until smooth. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
    • To this, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, being sure not to over mix the dough at this point.
    • Scoop about 2-2½ tablespoon of dough per cookie and gently roll them into balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving a few inches in between cookies. If you have excess dough, just add them to the existing cookies (they should be fairly large in size).
    • Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges start to look lightly golden brown. The tops will seem under-baked, but let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to chill completely.

    Notes

    • spoon and level your flour- I always recommend spooning and leveling your flour when baking. Scooping the measuring cup right into the flour will actually compact the flour and give much more than the recipe calls for. To spoon and level, use a large spoon to gently scoop the flour into your measuring cup. Once it's full, use a flat edge (like a butter knife) to gently scrape across the top of the measuring cup.
    • roll your cookies in sugar before baking- this is optional, but rolling your peanut butter cookies in granulated sugar before baking gives them an extra hint of sweetness you won't be able to resist!
    • let the cookies cool on the pan- this is an important step because the cookies will come out slightly underbaked, but will continue to bake while cooling on the baking sheet. This helps give you that soft and chewy texture.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 218IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Share on Instagram and tag @bake.andbacon

    This post contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something off of one of those links I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan Kleinow says

      September 27, 2022 at 1:11 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best peanut butter cookie that I have ever made. I am single and love the idea of a small batch of cookies.They are exactly what the recipe says: chewy, soft, and they melt in your mouth. I added some chocolate chips which made them even better.

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        October 04, 2022 at 12:32 pm

        Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Susan! so happy to hear you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    2. Chrissy says

      April 21, 2022 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      I came here via IG for the peanut butter pie but was out of Oreos and made these small batch PBers instead; I topped each with chocolate chips. I should’ve doubled the batch because they are so good, so yummy, a perfect quick bake. Fortunately, your recipe makes it easy to simply bake more.

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        April 22, 2022 at 9:12 am

        Thanks so much for trying this recipe, Chrissy! So happy to hear you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    3. Mary Beth Hamilton says

      January 08, 2022 at 11:57 am

      5 stars
      These cookies were delicious. I say were because even though I double batched them they are gone already. Super easy to make too!!

      Reply
    4. Susan says

      December 05, 2021 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      Came out perfectly ! Great small batch cookie . Copying this recipe for future use !

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        December 05, 2021 at 1:12 pm

        So happy to hear you loved this recipe, Susan! Thanks for trying it out 😊

        Reply
    5. V says

      October 03, 2021 at 7:57 pm

      5 stars
      Doubled this recipe but followed it to a T. Added chocolate chips. The dough tastes really good but mine came out a little grainy after 9 minutes. Think they needed more time but taste amazing and will make again. Imo, the dough is sweet enough to skip rolling in sugar but i rolled my cookies since this was my first time making these!

      This is an oven that i haven't baked in before and my oven thermometer battery was dead so it was sort of an shot in the dark with bake time.

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        October 04, 2021 at 8:22 am

        Thanks so much for trying this recipe, V! Happy to hear you enjoyed them ☺️

        Reply
        • V says

          January 02, 2023 at 10:20 pm

          5 stars
          I have made these multiple times since then and usually double the recipe. I use a 1.5 tbsp scooper so i wind up with even more cookies and freeze some of the dough for later. I've added reeses peanut butter chips, pecan pieces, and chocolate chips. Wonderful recipe, thanks for sharing

        • Kelly Hamilton says

          January 03, 2023 at 11:56 am

          So happy to hear you enjoy these cookies, V! Thanks for giving them a try!

    6. Nir says

      September 04, 2021 at 8:35 pm

      5 stars
      I make them with crunchy peanut butter and roll them in sesame seeds.

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        September 08, 2021 at 11:02 am

        Wow, sesame seeds are so unique, but sound so delicious!

        Reply
    7. Anita Rhoad Rhoad says

      August 14, 2021 at 11:11 am

      4 stars
      Delicious! And I get 9 cookies on the single batch!

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        August 16, 2021 at 9:45 am

        Glad they were delicious!

        Reply
    8. Marie says

      July 29, 2021 at 6:58 pm

      5 stars
      These cookies are so delicious! They make the perfect amount of cookies when I don't want a ton of leftovers. Love this recipe!

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        July 29, 2021 at 6:59 pm

        Thanks for trying this recipe, Marie! Happy to hear you love them so much!

        Reply
    9. Tessa Murr says

      July 17, 2021 at 12:43 pm

      5 stars
      The small batch peanut butter cookies turned out great! My hubby says "the best he's tasted " and I agree. Your recipe was spot on with the helpful hints. I actually got 18 cookies, not 12 on the double batch.

      Reply
      • Kelly Hamilton says

        July 18, 2021 at 8:39 am

        Tessa- Thank you so much for trying the recipe, so happy to hear you both loved them ☺️

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelly! I'm the self-taught baker, food photographer, and dog mom behind Bake & Bacon. I'm here to bring you easy recipes for my favorite things- delicious breakfasts and decadent desserts!

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