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Soft and chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on a light marble surface with melted chocolate chunks and flaky sea salt.
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These bakery-style peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, rich, and packed with melty chocolate. They feature crisp golden edges, thick chewy centers, deep roasted peanut butter flavor, and gooey chocolate pockets in every bite. The balanced sugar ratio and chilled dough create cookies that stay soft for days while maintaining the perfect bakery-style texture.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword bakery style cookies, bakery style peanut butter cookies, chewy chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, chewy peanut butter cookies, classic peanut butter cookies, easy cookie recipe, easy peanut butter dessert, homemade chocolate chip cookies, homemade peanut butter cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, peanut butter dessert recipe, soft baked cookies, soft peanut butter cookies, thick peanut butter cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chill time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes
Servings 20 cookies
Calories 320kcal
Cost $12 for entire recipe

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Rubber spatula
  • Whisk
  • cookie scoop
  • Baking Sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Cooling rack

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened but cool
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate
  • Optional flaky sea salt for topping

Instructions

Cream the Butter and Sugars

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes until creamy and slightly fluffy.

Add the Wet Ingredients

  • Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined and smooth.

Combine the Dry Ingredients

  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt.

Make the Dough

  • Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped dark chocolate. The dough should be thick, soft, and slightly tacky.

Chill the Dough

  • Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. For best flavor and texture, chill overnight.

Prepare for Baking

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the Cookies

  • Scoop large 2-tablespoon portions of dough and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Shape the dough slightly taller than wide for thicker bakery-style cookies.

Bake

  • Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers still look soft with slightly glossy tops. Do not overbake, as the cookies will continue setting while cooling.

Cool

  • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5–7 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately after baking if desired.

Notes

Use the Right Peanut Butter

For the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, use a traditional creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy instead of natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter can separate and add excess oil to the dough, which may affect the final texture and cause the cookies to spread too much.

Chilling the Dough Matters

Chilling the dough is one of the most important steps in this recipe. Refrigerating the dough helps hydrate the flour, intensifies the peanut butter flavor, and creates thicker bakery-style cookies with chewy centers and crisp edges.

Avoid Overmixing

Do not overmix the dough once the dry ingredients are added. Overmixing can create tougher cookies and reduce the soft, chewy texture that makes these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies so irresistible.

Bakery-Style Cookie Tip

For bakery-style presentation, press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking. This gives the finished cookies a more professional appearance with visible pools of melted chocolate.

Watch the Bake Time Carefully

These cookies are best removed from the oven when the centers still look slightly soft and underbaked. The residual heat from the baking sheet will continue cooking the cookies as they cool, resulting in perfectly soft and chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

Why Dark Brown Sugar Works Best

Using dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar gives the cookies a richer caramel flavor and helps keep them moist for several days. The added molasses flavor pairs especially well with creamy peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate.

How to Make Thicker Cookies

If you prefer thicker cookies, chill the scooped dough balls overnight before baking. For slightly thinner cookies with crispier edges, bake the dough after only 1 hour of chilling.