This Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe folds three kinds of chocolate into every soft and chewy bite, for rich and varied chocolate flavor. A little sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top makes all the flavors pop!
Cookies have a beautiful way of delivering happiness and comfort, and these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are no exception. If you have peanut butter + chocolate lovers in your life, I’ve set you up for guaranteed success with this easy cookie recipe – you’ll LOVE its depth of chocolate flavors and that irresistible little sprinkle of flaky sea salt. (For more PB + chocolate goodness, be sure to check out my Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Monster Cookies recipes!)
Why My Family loves these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
These cookies are dangerously good. Stash-the-rest-in-the-freezer-because-I-can’t-stop-eating-them good, even. Which is what I need to do, since every person in our family is a huge fan of PB & chocolate together. These cookies deliver everything we want from a great chocolate and peanut butter cookie:
- THREE different kinds of chocolate. A blend of dark chocolate chunks, my favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips, and my husband’s favorite milk chocolate chips creates layers of different flavor and texture in every bite.
- The texture you want in a peanut butter cookie. These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies have lightly crispy edges and a soft, chewy middle for the best of both worlds.
- A couple special ingredients that add some “Wow!” It’s no secret, really, that a pronounced touch of salt kicks most sweets up a notch. But so few dessert recipes embrace this fact. I finish these cookies with a sprinkle of crushed sea salt flakes, which makes everyone swoon! My other special ingredient is cinnamon. With my Apple Peanut Butter Cookies recipe, I learned that peanut butter + cinnamon is a fantastic combo. I just had to do that here, too!
Sea salt is the special ingredient that also pushes my soft and chewy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies over the top – do check out this recipe!
Enjoy!
“These were so easy to mix up & bake! AND they came out perfectly! Gifted to my sisters- & brothers-in-law at our Christmas gathering. Big hit! A keeper recipe for sure. Many thanks!!”
Angela in Baton Rouge
What You’ll Need
You’ll find that most of these ingredients are pantry staples! Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Peanut butter – I recommend using a “regular” peanut butter (not natural), such as Jif brand. Since it has a more uniform consistency, it also produces more consistent baked goods.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter, softened at room temperature.
- Sugar – A combination of light brown sugar and white sugar helps nail that soft-with-crispy-edges texture.
- Eggs – Bring to room temperature for easier mixing. These add binding power and moisture, plus rich flavor, to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the very best flavor.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda – For peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that are puffy and perfect.
- Cinnamon – One of my little secret ingredients! It’s not commonly used in peanut butter cookies or chocolate chip cookies, but I love the hint of warmth it adds.
- Salt – I use Morton kosher salt.
- Chocolate – My perfect combination is chopped dark chocolate chunks, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and milk chocolate chips. It makes EVERYONE happy!
- Sea salt flakes – My other little secret ingredient that makes these cookies extra special. Maldon sea salt flakes are my favorite! They’re exceptionally flaky — in the best kind of way.
How to Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here’s a step-by-step guide to the process of making these chewy, peanut butter-y chocolate chip cookies.
- Cream the butter and sugars. Beat the butter and sugars with a mixer set to medium-high speed. Once light and fluffy, beat in the peanut butter, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Finish the cookie dough. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the chocolate.
- Form the cookies. Drop 2 tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet for each cookie, spacing them 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each with sea salt.
- Bake, then let cool. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.
Brenda’s Tips & Variations
I have a few more notes to ensure that your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies turn out perfect. (And some ideas for making them your own!)
- Soften the butter. Working cold butter into cookie dough is next to impossible. If you forget and need to expedite the process, cut the butter into smaller pieces and it will soften faster. Another option – some microwaves have a “soften butter” setting that works well.
- Don’t over-bake. It’s always better to err on the side of under-baked with cookies, which is the key to cookies that are soft and chewy in the middle. Remember, they’ll continue baking from the residual heat on the pan after you pull them out of the oven.
- Give them some crunch. Swap one of the chocolate chip varieties with roughly chopped roasted peanuts.
- Add more PB + chocolate flavor. Replace one of the chocolate chip varieties with chopped mini Reese’s cups or the tiny Reese’s cups sold in the baking aisle. Or substitute some of the chocolate for Reese’s Pieces!
How to Store Cookies + Freeze The Dough
These cookies have a lovely contrast of textures, with soft centers and lightly crisped exteriors. Just know that once you store them, the exteriors do lose some of that just-from-the-oven crisped texture. This is very common when it comes to making homemade cookies.
- Storing cookies at room temperature: Let your peanut butter chocolate chip cookies cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing baked cookies: Freeze the cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving or warm them briefly in the microwave.
- Freezing the (unbaked) dough: You can drop balls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze them until solid, then transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Bake from frozen, adding a little extra time to the baking time if needed.
More Crowd-Pleasing Cookie Recipes
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (such as Jif)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chunks, chopped about ¼" or so in size (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao baking bar)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Guittard semi-sweet chips)
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)
- sea salt flakes ( I use Maldon sea salt flakes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl 2 to 3 times. Add peanut butter and mix to incorporate. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and mix just until fully incorporated. Add all three chocolates and fold until just evenly incorporated.
- Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough onto baking sheet, about 2” apart. I like to use a medium kitchen scoop (mine is 1-5/8″ in diameter, labeled a "2-tablespoon scoop"), loaded just a bit generously. Sprinkle dough with sea salt, crumbling the flakes between your fingers just a bit as you sprinkle.
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Take care to not over bake, as the cookies will set as they cool. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
This post was originally published in 2017, then updated in 2025.
Wow what a perfect cookie recipe. We absolutely loved these. Will definitely make again.
I love to hear this, Alex – thank you – and enjoy!
These were so easy to mix up & bake! AND they came out perfectly! Gifted to my sisters- & brothers-in-law at our Christmas gathering. Big hit! A keeper recipe for sure. Many thanks!!
I am obsessed with desserts! Definitely triple chocolate peanut butter cookies with sea-salt will be yummy! I’m seriously so inspired right now. I need to add honey to recipe and it would be perfect. Thx for sharing Brenda!
Another ‘favorite’ chocolate chip cookie for me. Thanks for sharing with us, as they are delicious!
You are most welcome! xo
Chocolate, peanut butter and sea salt, these are a few of my favorite things! Need these cookies in my life!
I’m digging that sea salt on top. I pretty much won’t eat a cookie without a sprinkle of salt. I know, it’s weird. :-)
These are the most gorgeous cookies I have ever seen!!
These cookies sound SO good! I love cookies with sea salt!
a nice triple treat, like this different version and with sea salt, especially since I’ll exhausted my very good chocolate chip recipe, thank you for this recipe!
que lindos e gostosos cookies ..gostei da receita .
Gostei muito da praticidade deles de poder comer e tomar um copo de leite gelado com eles.
abraços
Sadhia Hage
These cookies seem so finger-licking and an awesome treat, which I’d love to have with a cup of tea. Excellent way to include more peanut butter into my diet!
Those cookies are absolutely gorgeous! I want to lick my screen!!!! <3
hey girl- these cookies look amazing!
These cookies look so yummy, Brenda! Can’t wait to try them.
Oh my gosh, girl – these look fantastic! I love the extra dose of crunch and elegance that the sprinkled sea salt offers. So perfect!
Wow, these cookies with all the different chocolates (I side with your kids on the milk chocolate :)) and topped with the sea salt sound amazing! I will be making these for sure!
Oh hello, gorgeous cookies…and sweet friend! I see these going into some college care packages soon!