Brown Butter Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies might be a mouthful name but I guarantee they will win you over with just one bite. The brown butter adds notes of toffee, making these cookies absolutely irresistible.
This Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is a mashup of these perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies and these delicious brown butter Peanut Butter Cookies. Two iconic cookie recipes in one, enhanced with a hint of toffee from the brown butter, what’s not to love?
I’ve tested these cookies multiple times over the past few months to address a crumbly dough issue that readers have reported. A slight variance in ingredients can result in a different texture in the cookie dough. But I can say with certainty that they will still bake up deliciously each time.
How to make Brown Butter Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can make these cookies with just regular butter, but why not take it up a notch by starting with brown butter instead. It takes an extra 10 minutes or so of cooking the butter until it caramelizes and nutty, your effort will be rewarded.
Making Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in a Stand Mixer (Step 1 – 6)
- Start by beating together brown butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until combined and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla.
- Beat again until light and fluffy.
- Add dry ingredients.
- Beat until soft dough forms.
- Stir in chocolate chips or chocolate wafers.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough. Level the scoop with a spatula.
- Place dough balls on a baking sheet. I like to pre-portion the dough before refrigerating because it is easier to scoop.
Portioning Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Step 7 – 8)
At this point, you can bake the cookies from room temperature. If the kitchen is warm, keep the rest of the dough balls in the fridge while they’re waiting for their turn. You can also refrigerate them overnight or freeze them for later if desired.
Tips for perfect Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
To strain or not to strain brown butter?
I’ve written a detailed post about how to make brown butter last week. Straining brown butter will result in less total butter going into the recipe. And how you strain it could result in even less butter yet.
For this recipe, you do not need to strain the brown butter. You can use it straight from the pan with the browned milk solids.
What type of peanut butter to use?
I always use Skippy brand natural honey peanut butter to make these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. You can use other commercial brands or homemade peanut butter.
Note that natural peanut butter tends to separate, so make sure to use one that is well-mixed or you could end up with inconsistent cookie dough from one batch to the next.
Variance in ingredients will yield different textures
A. The cookie dough on the left is made with strained brown butter and bottom-of-the-jar peanut butter which is a little thicker. All the ingredients are the same, measured with a scale, but the dough is thicker and drier.
B. The cookie dough on the right is made with unstrained brown butter and top-of-the-jar peanut butter with the separated oil mixed back in. The peanut butter in this batch is slightly runnier. The dough is wetter.
Even though these two cookie doughs are different, they both bake up fine. The dough pictured in ‘A’ is something you can scoop up and roll into a ball, it won’t spread as much. Whereas the dough picture in ‘B’ will spread a little more. However, the taste difference is hardly noticeable.
How you measure flour matters
Sifted and unsifted flour will measure differently and will yield different quality cookie dough. I’ve given the measurements in grams for this recipe if you want to get more precise.
Sifted flour lightly scooped and leveled will yield about 120 grams per cup. This is what I used in this updated recipe. You’ll need 2 ¼ cups of flour. The original recipe uses 2 ½ cups of flour and yields a slightly drier dough and some readers find it to be crumbly.
Unsifted flour scooped and leveled will yield anywhere between 135 – 140 grams per cup. You’ll end up with about 30 grams more if using the same 2 ¼ cup measurement, resulting in a drier dough.
Most store-bought flour is pre-sifted but if you want to make sure you’re getting the same measurement without a scale, just sift some flour into a large bowl using a fine-mesh sieve, then measure with your measuring cup.
Varying textures in different batches of dough
C. This dough is from the original recipe which uses 2 ½ cups of flour. It is the driest, and some readers find it to be crumbly. But that doesn’t mean a bad cookie when baked. It’s just a lot thicker and chewier. It doesn’t spread unless you force it to, using the pan banging method.
D. This dough uses 2 ¼ cups of flour, strained brown butter and thicker peanut butter. The texture of the dough is almost the same as “C”, slightly softer. It spreads a little more.
E. This dough uses 2 ¼ cups of flour, unstrained brown butter, and thinner peanut butter. The consistency of the dough is a little wetter. It definitely spreads more, be sure to refrigerate this cookie dough when the kitchen is warm with the oven on.
With dough “C” and “D”, you’ll notice some crumbs on the baking sheet next to the dough balls. I’m guessing this is what some readers are experiencing and referring to as “crumbly”.
With a drier dough, you’ll need to pack it into the cookie scoop with a spatula and it may be easier to just roll it between your hands to make a ball so crumbs don’t flake off. Again, a drier dough doesn’t make it a bad cookie. They will bake up a little differently, a little taller, spread a little less, but they are still delicious.
If you don’t have a scale and are unsure how much flour you should use, start with 2 cups and keep the other ¼ cup on reserved until you get to Step 5 (Photo 5) and see what the texture of the dough looks like. If the dough is not somewhere between “A” and “B”, add more flour to get to at least “B”.
Does baking pan matter?
Not really, I baked these with shorter rim baking pan, taller rim baking pan, with parchment paper, with a silicone mat, they all come out pretty much the same.
The only type of baking sheet that would make a difference is an insulated baking sheet. The bottom of the cookies won’t brown as much and they will spread more if you use this type of baking sheet. I personally prefer my cookies with a darker crispier bottom.
What if I don’t want to use brown butter?
You can make this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe without brown butter. I’ve done it before. But remember that regular butter contains water that cooks off when browned, so I would increase the amount of flour to 2 ½ cups to compensate for the extra liquid.
Do the type of chocolate chips matter?
Nope, as you can see from the collage above, I used large milk chocolate chips, smaller milk chocolate chips, and milk chocolate wafers. They all work. You can use semi-sweet if you prefer, or chocolate chunks.
Storing and Making Ahead
This cookie dough can be baked straight from room temperature without any refrigeration needed. But if your kitchen is very warm from the oven being on, keep the dough in the refrigerator while you’re baking each batch.
I like to pre-portion cookie dough, this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe and other chocolate chip cookie recipes, before refrigeration because it is easier to scoop while it’s still soft. Once portioned into dough balls, they can be refrigerated 3 – 5 days.
You can also freeze the dough balls on the baking sheet until frozen solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag or an airtight container. They will last through the holiday season and beyond (3 – 6 months). Increase baking time by 2 minutes when baked straight from frozen.
Unique Variations of the Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
- Big Island Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies
- Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies were a hit every time I made them, so I can guarantee you’ll love them too. They aren’t hard to love, brown butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips, all in one delicious package you won’t be able to resist.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, send me a photo, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Brown Butter Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounce (2 sticks) unsalted butter (yields 169 - 188 g brown butter)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (263 g)
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed, 300 g)
- 2 large eggs (97 g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour (270 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 bag (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chip ( 326 g)
Instructions
- To brown butter, heat unsalted butter in a light color saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking once butter has melted, the butter will become foamy, you don’t have to whisk yet. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter starts to brown, watch the color carefully, when the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty, turn off the heat. This will take approximately 8 minutes and 30 seconds.
- Allow the butter to cool completely before making the cookie dough. It’s okay if the butter resolidified, but is still soft.
- To make the cookie dough, combine cooled butter with creamy peanut butter and brown sugar in the stand mixer bowl, beat with the paddle attachment for 1 - 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg, and vanilla extract, beat for another minute or two until combined and fluffy.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sifted flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Slowly add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir until incorporated. Add the chocolate chip and stir until evenly distributed.
- Divide the dough using a large cookie scoop and refrigerate while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place pre-portioned cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, 2" apart. Bake for 14 - 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- This cookie dough doesn’t need to be refrigerated before baking, but it is a good idea to keep them refrigerated if the kitchen is warm from the oven preheating or while the first batch is baking.
- Only bake one tray at a time to ensure even baking.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 12/13/2018. The recipe has been updated and republished on 10/29/2019 with the latest improvements, extra tips, and process photos to help you in the kitchen.
Measured and weighed exactly, dry crumbly cookie that doesn’t flatten down when baked. Used Jiff creamy peanut butter. Worst dough I have ever came across to work with. Taste was not there. Waste of ingredients to say the least. This is not a winner for me..sorry.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you Tammy. I have heard from some readers that they experienced crumbly dough. I had detailed explanation of how to make these cookies and what issues you might run into in the post. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the Jiff peanut butter is a lot thicker than what I used. I’m really sorry you didn’t end up with a good batch of cookies, I understand how disappointing it is to waste time and ingredients. I hope you’ll give something else a try another time.
This is the best peanut butter cookies I have ever made. Thank you! This will be my go to pb cookie recipe from now on! Thank you 😊
Thank you Pam! I’m glad you like these and I appreciate the review 🙂
They were so crumbly and didnt stay together the taste was good but had to scoop with a spoon because to crumbly
It could be due to the type of peanut butter you used. I had some readers mentioned the same thing and I’ve retested this recipe so many times but couldn’t replicate the crumbliness.
When browned butter replaces regular butter, there is a loss of water. I just add 1-2 teaspoons of cream & the dough is perfect!
Thank you Cynthia! You’re exactly right!
I have made these cookies several times and they always turn out great. My family likes a combination of chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips best. The browned butter puts these over the top.
Thick and cakey and the peanut butter flavor was very weak. Couldn’t really taste the browned butter once baked. Unfortunate. Didn’t add the chocolate chips because I had hoped the cookie would be good on its own.
Sorry to hear these didn’t come out to your liking. Thank you for giving it a try. If you aren’t looking for peanut butter cookies with chocolate chip, these will fit the bill better.
I made a half batch and they turned out great! I made sure the brown butter sat and cooled for a long time before starting.
Do you think this recipe would work to make a large skillet cookie? Thanks in advance!
Hi Amanda, you can use the dough for skillet cookies, but I don’t really know whether it would make 1 or 2 skillet cookies. The one issue I can think of with this is if you make it too thick or too large, it might take longer to bake and might be a bit overbaked. But if you tried it, be sure to come back and let me know how it turns out! I do have a recipe for an 8″ pizookie.
I’m making these tonight and doing a half batch. Have you ever done a half batch? I hope it comes out ok! I measured flour on a scale half of 270 g to 135. I love all the science you included with varying batches and info! I’ll be making these in one hour! Please let me know any tips you have. Can’t wait to try!
Yes, half batch should be very easy with these since you can just use 1 egg and divide all other ingredients by half. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Hi
I am measuring my ingredients and 1 1/2 c brown sugar weighs way less than 300g.
Should I just use the measuring cup instead of the scale? I am new at this but the recipe
looks so good.
Hi Jean, cup measurement can be so fickle. I would definitely recommend using the scale instead especially if your measurement is way off! Let me know if you run into any other issue.
Made cookies tonight and they are very good. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
So I ran out of brown sugar so I put in half a cup of white still came out great.
Great to hear Martha! Thanks for trying the recipe 🙂
Made these today on day 2189 of Covid Quarantine 😳. Made exactly as written with mini chocolate chips. I can see how others said they were crumbly—but more like pie crust before you amass it together. I’ve made a brown butter chocolate chip recipe that calls for a Tbsp of Greek yogurt. That might help here…that said…they are moist and delicious! I might add maldon sea salt on the next dozen as I love the sweet v salt contrast. Thank you!
Thanks for the Greek yogurt tip, Alicia! I’m with you on quarantine, keep on baking and we’ll get through it!
DEEEEEELISH!!!
I’m not sure what these other folks did, but if you follow the recipe as described, you will make some fantastic peanut butter cookies!
Be sure to let that brown butter cool down COMPLETELY. Mine solidified a bit too and I think that was helpful (throw it in the freezer for 5 minutes). Also, I used Trader Joe’s Organic creamy peanut butter and it tastes divine!
Thank you so much Danielle! I’m so happy to hear you liked these, one of my favorites as well, so your comment really made my day 🙂 🙂
I made these tonight, sort of. All was going well until adding the flour. It went from good, to great, to crumbles in a matter of seconds. I used my hands to try to form it into dough. It was too oily, so I figured I should add some more flour, but it just made the crumbling worse. I don’t have anymore butter, so I can’t add more to get it back, but I think it might have been a waste at this point. I really don’t want to throw out all I put into the dough. What do I do to make it like a cookie dough instead of crumbles?
Hey Ashley, sorry you’re experiencing this. Several readers have reported this so I have been remaking this particular recipe for the past several weeks and I’m too at a lost. The dough texture to me is not a soft wet dough like a typical chocolate chip cookies but it does not fall apart like crumbles… When you say it crumbles, are you saying it crumbles like sand? Or does it fall apart in bigger pieces? I do not use my hands with this dough, I use a large ice cream scoop to form it and using a spatula to press it into the cookie scoop so each one is the same size. I would love to see a picture of the dough if you still have it. When you brown the butter, do you strain it with a sieve? When you leave the milk solid behind is there a lot of butter left behind in that as well? What about your peanut butter, is it a very thick or more creamy and oily peanut butter, that can make the dough a little dryer or softer. I would still bake it, because each time I make it trying to see if I can get a “crumbly” dough or a wetter dough, it still bakes up tasty. I suggest getting a cookie scoop and try baking a few and see, it may not spread at all if so dry, you might get cookie balls… You could also try to mix in 1 – 2 tablespoons of milk to thin out the dough (if trying this maybe take half the dough and mix it with 1 tbsp of milk in case it doesn’t work, I would do it with the mixer, not by hand). Please let me know, if anything works to fix it. I really want you to be able to enjoy these. I promise they taste really good.
I havent made this particular recipie for PB cookies but I found that the quality of the peanut butter makes a difference.
I guess I should have read the comments before making these. Definitely needs a little extra moisture. Used Skippy peanutbutter. Still crumbly.
I am in the process of making these and the dough is dry and crumbling, ugh. I use a kitchen scale and it is summer so not cold in or out of the kitchen. The cookies spread only slightly and I even tried the “banging”. The in and out of the oven for banging made the oven temp uneven too I believe causing the bottoms to darken. Frustrating. Brown butter and peanut butter seemed like a dream. Any hints to improve my results. I am a pretty experienced baker.
Hey Mary, I’m sorry this is happening. You used a kitchen scale to measure which ingredient? If dry and crumbly, it sounds like not enough liquid in the dough. How much butter did you use, how much PB did you use, eggs? How much flour did you measure? Lower your oven temperature because it could be running hotter than mine. The uneven temp has not caused any issue for me, make sure to rotate the pan each time you take it in and out.
I too am having the same problem ? such a bummer because the pictures of them look great.
Can you send me a photo of what your cookies look like? This is puzzling me and I’d like to troubleshoot this. Also what kind of peanut butter are you using?
When I first made these a couple weeks ago my dough was crumbling as well. The second time I tried to make them they came out perfect. I believe it way you transfer the butter from the pot. I put it in a small glass measuring cup and placed it in the freezer until it cooled. Then, I drained the butter and was able to get a lot more butter this time. Making more liquid in the dough and it came out perfectly. Baked them up and they were moist and delicious. I definitely have to bang the on a few times. Hope this helps.
Rachael, thank you for adding your tips. Can you tell me what you did with the butter the first time that gave you crumbly dough?
I tried making these cookies but didn’t get the same result! Once out of the refrigerator and into the oven the cookie balls remain spherical! They don’t “melt” to form a cookie! Any tips or video on how to make them? Thanks!
Hi Maya, I tested these in the summer so my guess is that the current ambient temperature is already cold enough that you don’t need to refrigerate them. Try to bake them without refrigerating. Let me know if that helps and I can add some notes to the recipe to help others with the same issue.
Hi Maya, I tested this recipe again over the holidays and while I don’t get a spherical cookies when baked, they are thicker than a typical chocolate chip cookies. I’ve updated the recipe with some tips if you want to get them to spread more (pan banging).
I. Want. These. Baaaaaaad!!! They look to me like the perfect cookie. I can just imagine the crispy edges and soft middle and I reckon that first bite, while their still warm would be just bliss.