30-Minute Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies
I can't stop making these small batch peanut butter cookies. They are super chewy, loaded with peanut butter, and have a lightly crisp, sugared exterior. With just a few pantry staple ingredients, you'll end up with 6 ridiculously easy-to-make, easier-to-eat cookies! Even better, they're one bowl, zero chill, and come together in under 30 minutes.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Whisk or hand mixer
- Medium mixing bowl
- 1 sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- #20 cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled (¼ cup)
- 105 grams dark brown sugar (½ cup packed)
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 66 grams creamy peanut butter like Skippy or Jif (¼ cup)
- 45 grams all-purpose flour (6 Tablespoons)
- 5 grams cornstarch (½ Tablespoon)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 25 grams granulated sugar for rolling (2 Tablespoons)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Pour the melted, cooled butter and dark brown sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture is thickened and lighter in color, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Then, stir in the creamy peanut butter. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt into the peanut butter mixture, just until the dough comes together and there are no more streaks of flour. Don't over-mix!
- Using a #20 cookie scoop, divide the dough into 6 big balls. Roll the cookie dough balls between your palms until they're smooth and then roll them in the granulated sugar. (The dough may be soft, but do your best to roll them into balls or pucks.)
- Place the cookie dough balls 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes. Then, using oven mitts, grip the sides of the pan and "bang" the pan on the wire rack a few times, until the cookies crinkle on the edges. Bake for 4-5 more minutes, just until they're set on the edges and a little under-done in the centers.
- Cool the cookies on the sheet pan for 5-10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
When it comes to small-batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. If you don't have a scale, here's how to measure the flour. First, whisk the flour until it's light and fluffy. Then, spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup until it's overflowing. Lastly, use a straight edge to level it off without packing the flour into the cup.
Make sure the butter is mostly cooled before you mix in the brown sugar! It helps with the creaming process and keeps the cookies from spreading too much.
If you don't have brown sugar, you can use granulated white sugar. The cookies might just not be quite as chewy.
Feel free to add 65 grams (⅓ cup) of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 30 grams (¼ cup) of unsalted, chopped peanuts, or 50 grams (¼ cup) of mini M&Ms to the dough. The cookies may just come out thicker.
These cookies are better fresh. They're still good after 1-2 days but they will lose their chew over time!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 294mgPotassium: 99mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 22gCalcium: 27mgIron: 0.8mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!