Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, with soft, gooey centers, crispy edges, and the perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter. An easy cookie recipe and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. We packed each cookie with Reese's peanut butter chips for that old-fashioned, bakery-style feel.
Why This Recipe is the Best
This is the best chocolate peanut butter cookie recipe because it checks all the boxes: easy to make, ultra-chewy, and rich with real chocolate flavor.
We tested these Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies multiple times to nail the ultimate texture-soft in the center, slightly crisp at the edges, and thick enough to feel like a true bakery cookie. Whether you're making them with Reese's chips, peanut butter cups, or white chocolate chips, you'll end up with gooey, homemade cookies that taste like they came straight from a gourmet bake shop.
If you love these, don't miss our Double Chocolate Chip Cookies and Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies!
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Key Ingredients
This recipe is built with classic ingredients and thoughtful technique to ensure rich flavor and perfect texture.
- Butter - Our secret key to having the best-shaped cookies is to make sure the butter isn't too soft. You should be able to make a small indentation with your finger, but not squish it through.
- Cocoa Powder - Brings deep chocolate flavor and brownie-like texture. Use a high-quality Dutch or natural cocoa powder.
- Peanut Butter Chips or Peanut Butter Cups - Reese's chips are a classic choice, but chopped peanut butter cups bring extra decadence.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (optional) - For a double chocolate version, add an extra cup of chips to get melty, gooey chocolate in every bite.
How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Learn how to bake Chocoalte Peanut Butter Chip Cookies with these easy to follow step by step process photos.
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gently mix the dry ingredients using a rubber scraper to get the sides. Don't overmix or you will have tough cookies.
- Add in the peanut butter chips and gently fold them in.
- Roll the dough into 1" balls. Add the cookies to a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes.
Hint: Want to level up even more? Swap in chopped peanut butter cups and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt before baking for a rich, Levain Bakery-style cookie at home.
Common Mistakes
One of the biggest mistakes with these cookies is waiting too long to take them out of the oven. If the centers look fully baked, they've likely gone too far. For the best soft and chewy texture, remove the cookies while the middles still appear slightly underdone. They'll finish baking on the pan from residual heat, giving you that perfect gooey center instead of a dry or cakey bite.
Top tip
Don't over-soften your butter! Slightly softened means it's still cool and firm-you should be able to make a dent with your finger, but it shouldn't feel mushy. This helps keep the cookies thick and chewy, not flat. Pull them out of the oven when the centers still look soft. The residual heat will finish baking them on the pan, giving you that perfect gooey center.
Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter salted, SLIGHTLY softened, see note 1
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder unsweetened and unpacked
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 oz bag peanut butter chips about 1 ⅔ cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Whisk to combine or combine with a fork and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium high until well combined and no butter chunks remain. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat on medium high until the mixture has lightened in color a bit, about 30-60 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until about 90% combined (see note 2). Add the peanut butter chips and mix just until combined, no longer.
- Form into dough balls about 1.5 Tablespoons in size and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 or so minutes until the cookies have puffed up. The edges will be set and the tops will be matte (the creases may not be 100% matte). Remove from the oven and allow to continue baking on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The most important thing you can do with these cookies is make sure the butter is only slightly softened and NOT smooshy.
- You want the butter cool and fairly firm. When pressing on the butter you should be able to make an indent with your finger, but it should not be soft enough your finger goes in easily.
- You want to stop when the mixture is only 90% combined so that you don't end up over mixing the dough after you add the peanut butter chips. Over mixed cookie dough will produce stiff tough cookies instead of soft and chewy.
- A couple of our taste testers preferred more peanut butter chips. If you have a family full of peanut butter lovers, add 15 oz (1.5 bags) of peanut butter chips.
- These cookies are so good as leftovers. For that same fresh from the oven texture, microwave for 8-10 seconds.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days (we think they taste best when eaten in 2 days though!)
- Freeze formed dough balls. To bake, place on parchment lined baking sheet and allow to thaw for 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.
- The baked cookies can also be frozen! We love to enjoy them slightly frozen or thawed in the microwave.
Nutrition
Substitutions and Variations
There are so many ways to make this cookie your own:
- Mix-ins - Add white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, or chopped nuts for extra texture.
- Peanut Butter Cups - Substitute the Reese's chips for chopped peanut butter cups for a more indulgent cookie.
- Gluten-Free - Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend like King Arthur or Cup4Cup.
- Salted - Sprinkle a little sea salt on top before baking to enhance the chocolate and peanut butter flavors.
- Bakery-Style - Make the dough balls larger and add 1-2 minutes to the bake time for that iconic Levain look.
Storing Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days, but they taste best within the first two. To recreate that fresh-baked texture, microwave leftovers for 8-10 seconds.
Want to freeze? You've got options. Scoop dough into balls and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake, thaw for 30 minutes before popping in the oven. You can also freeze baked cookies-either enjoy slightly frozen or microwave for a warm, gooey treat.
Andrea says
These cookies are a perfect combo of chocolate and peanut butter. And they are easy to make!