These Peanut Butter Cookies without brown sugar are light, airy, and crisp! They are really simple to make with minimal ingredients. Along with my White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies, these are a must try Christmas Cookie recipe!
It's almost time to make those Holiday cookies! These peanut butter cookies are great to make with the kiddos for Christmas. You've got to have a batch of peanut butter cookies for that Christmas platter.
Do you have a dedicated Christmas cookie baking day? We do. I like to think of it as the day we destroy every square inch of my kitchen, haha! It's seriously so fun though, especially with the kiddos.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- They are so yummy with loads of peanut butter flavor.
- They bake in about 15 minutes and are ready to eat in no time.
- I love peanut butter cookies in my Christmas cookie line up, and these are the easiest recipe.
Looking for more Christmas treats? Try these Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares, Peanut Butter Fudge, and Christmas Puppy Chow.
Ingredients:
Peanut Butter: The Star of the show and the base of this recipe. You want to use a brand like Jif or Skippy, not a natural peanut butter. The texture isn't the same in natural peanut butter as it is more oily. You could use chunky peanut butter instead of Creamy, but stick with the Jif or Skippy type of peanut butter. Try these Monster Bars and Banana Peanut Butter Bites with Peanut Butter too!
Flour: Brings in shape and helps the cookies rise.
Granulated Sugar: Brings in sweetness and keeps these cookies really light and airy.
Baking Soda: Helps with rising.
Egg: For texture, taste and to bind the cookie dough ingredients. While it isn't as important as the butter, a room temperature egg helps to keep the air in the batter and blend better.
Butter: Adds a savory component and brings a bit of fat into the cookies to help them from falling apart. Make sure to allow the butter to soften to room temperature, so it creams correctly with the sugar.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies without Brown Sugar:
Step 1: Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt.
Step 2: In a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until it resembles soft powdered snow, about 1 minute on medium speed.
Step 3: Add egg and vanilla extract and blend on medium speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 4: Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on slow speed, just until combined. Add in the peanut butter and mix for 15 seconds on low until completely incorporated into the cookie batter.
Step 5: Transfer the cookie dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon size balls and place with some distance apart on a cookie sheet. Note: I would only place between 10-12 cookies on a standard half cookie sheet to avoid them from touching when baking.
Step 7: Use a fork to create a cross hatch pattern on the tops of the cookies. Bake each cookie tray for 15-17 minutes.
Step 8: Peanut butter cookies are delicate to work with, so allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to allow them to cool completely.
Step 9: Serve and enjoy! These cookies go great with a glass of milk or hot cocoa.
Expert Tips:
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature or it will not cream with the sugar correctly.
- The dough needs an hour of fridge time to create the best results.
- This dough uses minimal flour and can get pretty sticky. Handle as little as possible. I like to grab the dough with a spoon, then use my hands to roll it quickly into a ball.
- If the fork is sticking into the dough really bad when making the cross hatch pattern, dip it into some warm water.
- Bake on middle rack in the oven.
For more Christmas cookie recipes, try these White Chocolate Cookies, Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies with Marshmallow, and Lemon Blueberry Cookies.
Recipe FAQs:
They are light, airy, and have a slight crispy texture, but not a hard crunch. While, they are light and soft in texture, they are certainly not chewy.
Yes, you can leave the dough in the fridge up to overnight. Make sure it is covered well with plastic wrap. If it is brick hard when you pull it out of the fridge, allow it to sit at room temperature until it is easier to roll into balls. Do not leave the dough in the fridge for less than an hour and or will be very gooey to work with.
I like to eat them within 3 days, but they will stay good for up to a week.
Storage:
Allow to cool completely before storing in a sealed container or a gallon sized ziploc bag. Eat within 3 days for the freshest cookies, but they will stay good for a week.
Freezing the Dough:
If you are freezing the dough, use within 3 months. When baking, allow the dough to unthaw, then bake. You may need to add an additional minute or so of cook time. Make sure to keep an eye on them, so they don't burn.
More Holiday Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Peanut Butter Cookies without Brown Sugar
- Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
These Peanut Butter Cookies without brown sugar are light, airy, and crisp! They are really simple to make with minimal ingredients. These are a must try Christmas Cookie recipe!
Ingredients
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, like Jif or Skippy
Instructions
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until it resembles soft powdered snow, about 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and blend on medium speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on slow speed, just until combined. Add in the peanut butter and mix for 15 seconds on low until completely incorporated into the cookie batter.
- Transfer the cookie dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon size balls and place with some distance apart on a cookie sheet. Note: I would only place between 10-12 cookies on a standard half cookie sheet to avoid them from touching when baking.
- Use a fork to create a cross hatch pattern on the tops of the cookies. Bake each cookie tray for 15-17 minutes.
- Peanut butter cookies are delicate to work with. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to allow them to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature or it will not cream with the sugar correctly.
- The dough needs an hour of fridge time to create the best results.
- This dough uses minimal flour and can get pretty sticky. Handle as little as possible. I like to grab the dough with a spoon, then use my hands to roll it quickly into a ball.
- If the fork is sticking into the dough really bad when making the cross hatch pattern, dip it into some warm water.
- Bake on the middle rack in oven.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Refrigeration Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 16 minutes per batch
- Category: cookies
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: american
George says
So easy to make! Love these for Christmas.
Tara Smithson says
Yay! Thanks so much for trying them!