Soft, chewy Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies are anything but regular old peanut butter cookies. Luscious browned butter adds rich flavor that somehow makes the peanut butter taste even nuttier. They're truly the best peanut butter cookies I've ever had.
Peanut butter lovers, be sure to try Nutter Butter Bars, Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies, and gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars next!
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🎥Video: How to Make Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
Jump to:
- 🎥Video: How to Make Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- ❤️At a Glance: Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- 🧈How to Brown Butter for Cookies
- 🥜Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients
- 🥣How to Make Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- ✅Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookie Tips
- ❓FAQs
- ✨More Delicious Peanut Butter Recipes
- 💌Let's Stay in Touch
- 📖 Recipe
- Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- Storage & Freezing
❤️At a Glance: Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
- Basic pantry ingredients elevated with simple browned butter.
- Browning the butter adds another layer of flavor that makes these classic peanut butter cookies anything but ordinary.
- One-bowl peanut butter cookie recipe with minimal cleanup.
- Soft, chewy peanut butter cookie with the slightly sandy texture you expect.
The first time I tried these peanut butter cookies with browned butter, I couldn't believe just how much more peanut buttery they tasted than regular peanut butter cookies.
It was also my first time making browned butter, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I loved the rich flavor so much that I started adding it to other recipes, including the cream cheese frosting on these gingerbread cookies without molasses.
🧈How to Brown Butter for Cookies
Browned butter is simply butter that has been melted and cooked until the milk solids turn golden brown and toasty. This gives the butter a rich, nutty flavor that makes these peanut butter cookies extra special.
To brown butter, melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat. As it cooks, it will foam, then the milk solids will begin to turn golden brown. Once you see golden-brown specks and smell a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat. That's it!
For more non chocolate cookie recipes, try my Soft Chocolate Chipless Cookies or take a spin through this roundup of more cookie recipes without chocolate.
🥜Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted butter. Start with 9 tablespoons of butter. Browning reduces it to about 8. Salted butter works too; just reduce added salt to taste.
- Brown sugar. Dark brown sugar adds rich molasses flavor, but light brown sugar also works just fine.
- Large egg. Bring the egg to room temp by leaving it out for 30 minutes or placing it in warm water for 10 minutes.
- Creamy peanut butter. Use regular, smooth peanut butter like Skippy. Natural peanut butter is too oily for this recipe.
- Flaky sea salt, optional. A sprinkle of salt adds crunch and contrast. Large flakes can go on before baking; finer sea salt is best added after, so it doesn't melt into the cookie.
🥣How to Make Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
Step 1: Melt butter in a light-colored small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until foamy and bubbly. After 5-8 minutes, it will settle with brown specks and a nutty aroma.
Step 2: Remove browned butter from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl to halt cooking. Measure to ensure you have ½ cup. Cool to room temp -- you can speed this up in the fridge.
Step 3: In a large bowl, beat browned butter and sugars. Mix in egg, then peanut butter and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours.
Step 4: Use a cookie scoop to portion dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Press into ¾-inch pucks and, if desired, sprinkle flaky salt onto the tops of the cookies.
Step 5: Bake cookies at 350°F for 9-11 minutes, until edges are set and tops are lightly golden. Don't overbake.
Step 6: Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then on a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a warm cup of coffee or tea.
✅Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookie Tips
- To yield 8 tablespoons of brown butter, start with 9 tablespoons of butter, as some liquid cooks off.
- Pay close attention to the browned butter; it can burn fast.
- Chilling the dough for 1-2 hours improves flavor and texture. It's not needed to control spread because these don't spread much. So it isn't required, but I highly recommend it.
- Let chilled dough sit out 5-10 minutes before scooping to make it easier to work with.
❓FAQs
Once the butter has melted and starts to bubble and foam, it browns in 5-8 minutes.
This brown butter peanut butter cookie dough doesn't spread, so why take the time to chill it? Even a brief 30-minute chill enhances the flavor and results in a softer, chewier texture. So, it's worth it for a better cookie experience!
Yes! Browned butter is so much more flavorful than regular butter. The rich, nutty flavor of the browned butter amplifies the flavor of the peanut butter and makes the best peanut butter cookies.
You can use either salted or unsalted butter to make browned butter. In baking, unsalted butter is most often used so you can best control the salt levels.
Peanut butter cookie dough is quite thick and dense and doesn't really spread much. Most peanut butter cookie recipes call for flattening the dough with a spatula or the tines of a fork to allow the cookie to bake evenly.
✨More Delicious Peanut Butter Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Browned Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Make browned butter. Cut the butter into cubes and place it in a medium, light-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir while it becomes foamy and bubbly. After 5-8 minutes, it will begin to toast and you'll see little brown flecks. Immediately pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking process. Measure the browned butter to make sure you have ½ cup. Cool to room temperature.
- Beat ½ cup browned butter and both sugars on medium speed until combined. Mix in the egg for one minute. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix for one minute. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Do not over-mix. For best flavor, chill the dough for 1-2 hours, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes so it's easy to work with.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon dough balls and set them onto a baking sheet. Use your hand or a greased silicone spatula to gently press the cookie dough balls into ¾ inch thick pucks. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops are very light brown. The centers will still be very soft. Be careful not to overbake or the cookies will be dry.
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Notes
- When making browned butter, some of the liquid will evaporate. Start with 9 tablespoons of butter so you can end up with 8 tablespoons of browned butter.
- Don't walk away from the stove when making browned butter -- it can go from toasted and lovely to burned and bitter in no time.
- For the richest flavor and softest texture, chill the dough for 1-2 hours.
Charisa McBee says
These peanut butter cookies were the BEST I have ever had! So delicious! All I had was honey peanut butter- and it tasted so good in this recipe!
Cara Lanz says
Thank you so much for trying the recipe. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookies -- and honey peanut butter sounds delicious!