Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks – A Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
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Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks are a perfectly soft peanut butter cookie with a salty coating that complements the big chocolate chunks inside. What makes these so special? Each cookie is rolled in coarse salt and sugar before baking.
Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks
WE LOVE COOKIES! This is no secret. Our go-to in our family is chocolate chip cookies. Need proof? Try our Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, and our Dainty Log Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips.
We decided that our chocolate chip cookie needed an upgrade.
How did we do this? We added peanut butter, swapped out chocolate chips for chocolate chunks, and the rolled the cookies in a mixture of coarse salt and sugar before baking. The result is this irresistible cookie!
Barbara took these to a friend’s house on a Saturday night get-together, and the salty sweetness of the coating was a huge hit.
Ingredient List for Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate
Butter Flavored Crisco
Granulated Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Smooth Peanut Butter
Large Eggs
Vanilla Extract
All-Purpose Flour
Baking Soda
Salt
Chocolate Chunks (or chocolate chips)
Coarse Sea Salt
Recipe FAQs
- We use butter-flavored Crisco in most of our cookies. We find that it gives a soft texture but a little hint of crispness on the edges. You could certainly use butter, but we would recommend a ratio of 3/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening.
- If you like a little crunch, swap crunchy peanut butter for the regular kind.
- No chocolate chunks in the house, use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or even mini chocolate chips.
- The chocolate chunks could be left out completely, if desired, or change it up by using peanut butter chips.
- Use your clean hands to press the dough into balls.
How to Make Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks
Step by Step Instructions
- With an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream the Crisco, brown sugar and white sugar until the sugars are incorporated, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Mix in peanut butter until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, until mixed completely. Add vanilla and mix.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add flour mixture to wet mixture in small additions just blending until mixed. Do not over mix this step.
- Stir in chocolate chunks.
- Make small dough balls using a small cookie scoop. Use your hands to roll into balls. Roll in a mixture of sugar and coarse salt.
- Bake on a baking sheet for 8 – 9 minutes at 375 degrees F. As soon as you remove from the oven, use a fork to make a crisscross pattern in the cookies.
- Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack.
The full recipe steps and ingredient amounts are at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Why are there criss crosses on peanut butter cookies?
The crisscross pattern on peanut butter cookies serves two purpose. The pattern helps to flatten the cookies and create a more even shape during baking. The tines of a fork are pressed into the dough, creating indentations that allow the cookies to spread evenly and bake more consistently.
In addition, the crisscross pattern has become a traditional characteristic of peanut butter cookies. It makes the cookies pretty and helps to identify them as peanut butter cookies.
How do you keep peanut butter cookies from crumbling?
Peanut butter cookies can sometimes turn out dry and crumbly due to a few common reasons.
1. Lack of moisture: Peanut butter naturally absorbs moisture, so if there isn’t enough moisture in the recipe, the cookies can become dry. Make sure to use moist ingredients like butter, eggs, or even a touch of oil to keep the cookies moist.
2. Overbaking: Baking peanut butter cookies for too long can lead to dryness. These cookies should be baked until just set and slightly golden around the edges. Be sure to follow the recommended baking time and keep a close eye on them to prevent overbaking.
3. Using too much flour: Adding too much flour can affect the moisture balance in the cookie dough. Make sure to measure your flour accurately, either by using a kitchen scale or by lightly spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
4. Using natural peanut butter: Natural peanut butter, which tends to have a thicker consistency and sometimes contains less oil, can result in drier cookies. Consider using a commercial peanut butter that is creamy and smooth for better texture and moisture.
To combat dryness, try adjusting the recipe by adding a bit more moisture, reducing the baking time slightly, or experimenting with different types of peanut butter. These adjustments can help you achieve moist and delicious peanut butter cookies.
Christmas Cookie Recipes
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Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks – A Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter-Flavored Crisco
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chunks
- 1 Tablespoon coarse salt
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Using a kitchen mixer, cream crisco, brown sugar and white sugar until the sugars are completely incorporated and not gritty, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add peanut butter and mix.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between. Add vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet mixture in small additions, mixing on low until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Stir in chocolate chunks.
- Make small balls of dough using a small cookie scoop. Use your hands to press dough together and to roll into balls.
- In a small bowl, mix coarse salt and sugar. Roll the balls of cookie dough in the mixture until completely coated.
- Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 8 – 9 minutes.
- As soon as you remove from oven, use a fork to make a crisscross pattern in the cookies.
Notes
- We use butter-flavored Crisco in most of our cookies. We find that it gives a soft texture but a little hint of crispness on the edges. You could certainly use butter, but we would recommend a ratio of 3/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening.
- If you like a little crunch, swap crunchy peanut butter for the regular kind.
- No chocolate chunks in the house, use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or even mini chocolate chips.
- The chocolate chunks could be left out completely, if desired, or change it up by using peanut butter chips.
- You will need to use your clean hands to press the dough into balls.
- Love Peanut Butter? Try Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls.
Nutrition
