These chocolate peanut butter cookies combine two well-loved flavors into one delicious and incredibly addicting cookie! They are based on my popular peanut butter cookie recipe but with some added cocoa powder to make them extra rich and indulgent! Trust me when I say that you won’t be able to have just one!
Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
When I first had the idea for these chocolate peanut butter cookies, I knew they would be a game-changer. Chocolate and peanut butter are probably the most well-loved flavor combination out there, so why aren't more people talking about these amazing cookies yet?
They combine classic peanut butter cookies with indulgent chocolate cookies for a soft and rich treat that no one will be able to resist! There aren't even any chocolate or peanut butter chips in these (although, that would be super tasty, too!)
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🥘 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients
These cookies contain everything you'll find in traditional peanut butter cookies but with the special addition of cocoa powder. I used standard unsweetened cocoa powder, but you can try dark cocoa powder if you want them to be extra rich!
- Butter - 1 cup of room temperature butter (or 2 sticks).
- Peanut Butter - 1½ cups of peanut butter. I used creamy, but you can use crunchy for some added texture!
- Sugar - 1 cup of granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies in.
- Brown Sugar - 1 cup of packed light brown sugar.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Baking Soda - 1½ teaspoons of baking soda.
- Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Flour - 2½ cups of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
- Cocoa Powder - ⅔ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Another reason these cookies are absolutely incredible is that they are so easy to make! There's no chilling, rolling, or cutting required. Grab your baking sheets, a mixer, a sieve, measuring cups, and measuring spoons to begin!
This recipe makes a nice batch of 30 cookies to share with friends and family!
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter. With either a stand mixer or an electric mixer, cream together the room-temperature 1 cup butter, 1½ cups peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup light brown sugar until creamy.
- Mix. Add the 2 large eggs, one at a time, and mix well between each one. Then, mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add the cocoa and flour. Sift the 2½ cups of all-purpose flour and ⅔ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder into the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until the flour has just been incorporated.
Portion & Bake The Cookies
- Roll. Scoop the dough out of the bowl and roll it into 1-inch balls. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow dish and roll the balls in it until completely coated with sugar.
- Press. Place the sugar-coated balls onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space in between them. Then, use a fork to lightly press a criss-cross pattern into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges have just set.
- Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
These cookies are perfect alongside a nice cold glass of milk. They would also make an amazing sundae with some vanilla ice cream and whipped cream! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You don't want to use natural peanut butter for this recipe, as it will add way too much oil and throw off the ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients. Instead, choose your favorite crunchy or creamy brand!
- Both cocoa powder and flour need to be properly measured by scooping them into the measuring cup and then leveling off the top. If you use the measuring cup to scoop the powders, you'll pack in too much flour, making your cookies dry and dense.
- Add some chocolate or peanut butter chips to make these rich cookies extra indulgent!
- I love the crunch and shimmer that the outer coating of sugar adds. However, it is completely personal preference, and you don't have to roll the cookie dough in sugar if you don't have the time. They will still be just as delicious!
🥡 Storing
Keep your chocolate peanut butter cookies stored in an airtight container. You can keep them in either the fridge or at room temperature, lasting for about 2 weeks.
Freezing Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Peanut butter is pretty dense, and when added to cookies, it can make the dough denser than your standard cookie variety. Using a fork to press indentions into the cookies leaves a fun appearance and flattens the balls so that they cook more evenly.
Yes! Let your cookies cool completely, then place them into a freezer-safe storage bag or an airtight container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder for my cookies, which tasted fantastic! You can also try out Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a dark chocolate flavor. Just remember that cocoa powder and cacao powder are not the same things (take a look at my post comparing them here!)
🍪 Best Cookie Recipes To Bake
- Amaretti Cookies - Almond-flavored cookies that are naturally gluten-free.
- Thumbprint Cookies - Sugar cookie dough is rolled in sugar, indented, and filled with jam or jelly.
- Lemon Almond Cookies - Gluten-free almond cookies topped with citrus lemon icing.
- Greek Almond Cookies (Kourabiedes) - Crunchy cookies filled with slivered almonds and then dusted with powdered sugar.
- Red Hot Cookies - Sugar cookies chock full of crushed cinnamon candy.
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - Incredibly chewy oatmeal cookies studded with sweet raisins.
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📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1½ cups peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
- 1 cup sugar (plus more for rolling)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- With either a stand mixer or an electric mixer, cream together the room-temperature 1 cup butter, 1½ cups peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup light brown sugar until creamy.
- Add the 2 large eggs, one at a time, and mix well between each one. Then, mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Sift the 2½ cups all-purpose flour and ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until the flour has just been incorporated.
- Scoop the dough out of the bowl and roll it into 1-inch balls. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow dish and roll the balls in it until completely coated with sugar.
- Place the sugar-coated balls onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space in between them. Then, use a fork to lightly press a criss-cross pattern into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges have just set.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- You don't want to use natural peanut butter for this recipe, as it will add way too much oil and throw off the ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients. Instead, choose your favorite crunchy or creamy brand!
- Both cocoa powder and flour need to be properly measured by scooping them into the measuring cup and then leveling off the top. If you use the measuring cup to scoop the powders, you'll be packing in too much product which will make your cookies dry and dense.
- Add in some chocolate or peanut butter chips to make these rich cookies extra indulgent!
- I love the crunch and shimmer that the outer coating of sugar adds. However, it is completely personal preference and you don't have to roll the cookie dough in sugar if you don't have the time. They will still be just as delicious!
- To store: Keep your chocolate peanut butter cookies stored in an airtight container. You can choose to keep them in either the fridge or at room temperature and they will last for about 2 weeks.
- To freeze: These cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
LB says
These were a great way to use up some crunchy PB I had lying around! Delicious, and I added chocolate chips for extra decadence. Thank you for the recipe!!!