These chewy Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies are reminiscent of those little nostalgic peanut butter sandwich cookies you grew up eating, but better! This elevated version is made with nutty brown butter, topped with a peanut butter drizzle and then finished with flaky sea salt for the ultimate sweet and salty treat!
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♡ Why You Will Love These Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut butter lovers. Not only is there peanut butter in the dough, we're also baking a drizzle of melted peanut butter on top of the cookies. As it bakes, the melty peanut butter bakes into the cracks and crevasse. If you love peanut butter, check out my Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie or Snickers Cheesecake Bars.
- Incredible textures. The edges are perfectly crisp and the center is delightfully soft and chewy. Seriously, these are the best brown butter peanut butter cookies!
- Brown butter. These aren't just regular peanut butter cookies. The nutty aroma of brown butter paired with creamy peanut butter is match made in cookie heaven! If you're looking for more brown butter recipes, check out my Brown Butter Bourbon Blondies, White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies, or Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Salty sweet combo. These peanut butter cookies are the perfect balance of salty and sweet, which makes them dangerously addictive!
- No chilling required. I developed this recipe specifically to be baked right away. However, if you'd like a thicker cookie, you can chill it.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used in these chewy Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
- Brown Butter - We'll be browning some unsalted butter and then solidifying it before adding to the cookie dough.
- Creamy Peanut Butter - Use conventional peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, not natural peanut butter. Peanut butter will be added to the dough and drizzled on top of the cookies.
- Brown Sugar - Adds flavor, moisture and contributes to the chewy texture.
- White Sugar - Adding a bit of white sugar creates those crispy edges. We're also sprinkling a pinch of white sugar to the top of the cookies to create those irresistible cracks.
- Egg - Emulsifies the batter and adds structure.
- Vanilla - I used vanilla paste, but you can use vanilla extract.
- Flour - We're keeping it simple with all-purpose flour.
- Cream of Tartar - Helps creates the cracks in the cookies and makes the cookies soft.
- Baking Soda - Helps the cookies spread and brown.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness. We're also topping these cookies with flaky sea salt.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
💡Tip
Using a light-colored pan allows you to see the color of your butter as it browns. The milk solids can burn quickly, so being able to see the color progression is helpful.
Step 1. Make Brown Butter - In a light colored saucepan and over medium heat, cook butter until browned. Quickly pour the brown butter into a small glass bowl, making sure to scrape in all the little brown bits.
Step 2. Cool Brown Butter - Place in the fridge for about 45 minutes to solidify to a soft and spreadable consistency. You'll want to stir it every 10 to 15 minutes. You can also speed things up by placing it in the freezer, making sure to stir every 5 minutes. Don't go too long in the freezer though as it can harden too much. Just keep an eye on it.
Step 3. Combine Dry Ingredients - In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 4. Combine Wet Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, combine softened brown butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar and white sugar. With an electric mixer, whisk on medium high speed for 3 to 4 minutes. Mixture should be thick and pale in color.
Step 5. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix for an additional minute.
Step 6. Mix in Dry Ingredients - Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Step 7. On the lowest speed, mix the ingredients together until just combined. Do not overmix.
Step 8. Scoop & Roll - Using a large cookie scoop, drop 6 cookie dough balls onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each piece of dough into smooth balls, and then coat in white sugar.
Step 9. Top with Melted Peanut Butter - Flatten the tops slightly to create a ledge, then spoon 1 teaspoon of peanut butter over each dough ball.
Step 10. Bake - Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Top with flaky sea salt and enjoy!
Substitutions
- Cream of Tartar - The cream of tartar helps create cracks in the cookies. If you don't have any in your pantry, you can add ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
- Brown Butter - If you decided not to brown the butter (although highly recommended), you can use regular softened butter. You'll need to reduce the amount to 6 ½ tablespoons (92g), instead of ½ cup (113g). Butter contains some water, so when it cooks, the water evaporates leaving you with less volume.
- Brown Sugar - I used light brown sugar, but you can also use dark brown sugar.
- Peanut Butter - I used regular creamy peanut butter. Feel free to use crunchy peanut butter for added crunch.
Variations
- Make Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies - You can bake smaller cookies with a small or medium sized cookie scoop and then sandwich 2 cookies together with melted peanut butter in the middle. Remember to reduce your baking time.
- Add Chocolate - You can add chocolate chips or chocolate chunks if you'd like to make it more decadent.
- Use Other Nut Butters - If you have a peanut allergy or not a fan of peanut butter, you can replace it with almond butter, sunflower butter, hazelnut butter or even cookie butter.
- Make it Gluten-Free - Use a 1 to 1 cup gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.
Key Equipment
- Electric Mixer - You can use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer. We'll be whipping a lot of air into the dough so having a mixer is helpful.
Storage
- Baked Cookies at Room Temperature - Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Baked Cookies in the Freezer - Did you know these baked cookies freeze and thaw incredibly well? You can store baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before eating. It takes about 40 minutes to thaw.
- Raw Cookie Dough in the Fridge - Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Scoop them onto a paper-lined baking tray and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Raw Cookie Dough in the Freezer - Freeze for up to 2 months. Scoop them onto a paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze uncovered for an hour. Then transfer to freezer-safe bags. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 11 to 13 minutes.
💡 Expert Tips
Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams, rather than volume, is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur's Weight Chart.
If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
Use a large cookie scoop. For soft and chewy cookies, bake large cookies. I'm using a #20 cookies scoop which holds 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) of dough.
Do not overbake. I found that baking them for a total of 10 minutes yielded the best texture for me. It had the perfect about of crispy and chewy bite. You can go a tad longer if you'd like them to be crispier.
Use the right peanut butter. Use conventional, no-stir, peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.
Don't skip the peanut butter drizzle. Most of the peanut butter flavor is from the drizzle.
Don't skip the flaky seas salt. The sweet and salty combo is AMAZING!
FAQ
Regular or "no stir" peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy contains sugar and hydrogenated fats to keep it from separating. Natural peanut butter only contains peanuts and salt, which naturally separates. You would need to stir together.
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📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
INGREDIENTS
Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- ½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter browned and solidified to a soft spread
- 1 ½ Cup (180g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Fine Salt
- ¼ Cup (72g) Creamy Peanut Butter (like Jif or Skippy)
- ½ Cup (100g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup (50g) Granulated White Sugar
- 1 Large Whole Egg room temp
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
Additional Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Granulated White Sugar for coating
- Heaping ¼ Cup Peanut Butter melted
- Flaky Sea Salt for garnish
Instructions
- Make Brown Butter - In a light colored saucepan and over medium heat, add unsalted butter. Swirl the pan and keep the butter moving around constantly. Once completely melted, the butter will foam and sizzle and gradually start to brown and deepen in color. You'll notice a nutty aroma and tiny brown specks at the bottom of the pan. The whole process should take about 7 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. ½ Cup (113g) Unsalted Butter
- Cool - Immediately transfer to a small glass bowl, making sure to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. That's where all the flavor is! Place in the fridge for about 45 minutes to solidify to a soft and spreadable consistency. You'll want to stir it every 15 minutes or so. Once it's in a softened spreadable consistency, you're done!
- Preheat Oven - Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prep Coating & Peanut Butter Drizzle - Pour sugar in a small bowl and set aside.3 Tablespoons Granulated White SugarHeat peanut butter in the microwave until melted. About 20 to 30 seconds and set aside.¼ Cup (72g) Creamy Peanut Butter (like Jif or Skippy)
- Combine Dry Ingredients - In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.1 ½ Cup (180g) All-Purpose Flour1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar½ Teaspoon Baking Soda½ Teaspoon Fine Salt
- Combine Wet Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, combine softened brown butter, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar and white sugar. With an electric mixer, whisk on medium high speed for 3 to 4 minutes. Mixture should be thick and pale in color. ¼ Cup (72g) Creamy Peanut Butter (like Jif or Skippy)½ Cup (100g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar¼ Cup (50g) Granulated White SugarThen add the egg and vanilla, and mix on medium speed for an additional minute.1 Large Whole Egg1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients - Sift in the dry ingredient and mix on low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Scoop & Roll - Using a large cookie scoop, which holds 3 tablespoons, drop 6 cookie dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet. Cover the remaining cookie dough and keep on the counter to bake after.Roll each piece of dough into smooth balls, and then coat completely in white sugar. Next, flatten the tops of the dough balls slightly to create a ledge, then spoon 1 teaspoon of melted peanut butter on top. If the peanut butter has firmed up, pop it back in the microwave.
- Bake - Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Top with flaky sea salt and enjoy!
Sarah says
Ok, these were really addicting. I made a batch for a family get together this weekend and got nothing but rave reviews. Everyone asked for the recipe too. The extra peanut butter on top was a nice touch. Would make these again 1000%!
Lisa says
Yay, I'm so happy it was a hit with your family! They truly are addicting! Thank you for your wonderful review 😊
Miranda Nguyen says
These really hit the spot for a peanut butter lover like myself. The extra drizzle of peanut butter on top was the icing on the cake. My "go to" peanut butter cookie now.
Lisa says
I love hearing that! I appreciate you trying this recipe and for your amazing review! 😊
Heather Janak says
The perfect texture and flavor! The brown butter really adds to PB's nuttiness and the dollop of extra PB really makes this cookie feel luxurious. Such an easy recipe to follow too!
Lisa says
Yay, so happy you enjoyed them! Thank you so much for trying it!! ❤️