These crinkle cookies are inspired by Muddy Buddies. I thought about calling them muddy buddy or puppy chow cookies, but those brought to mind an unappetizing image featuring smashed Chex. I wanted to create a cookie that tastes like a muddy buddy, complete with powdered sugar on the outside. Peanut butter and chocolate desserts are a favorite around here (and for everyone, right?). The flavors are just meant to be together. These cookies are the perfect option for that flavor combination. They are soft and chewy and both flavors come through beautifully.
Quick & Easy
Like most desserts, these cookies come together quickly and easily. With no chill time, you can have them start to finish in 20 minutes. I love quick desserts that the family loves. These are fun to whip up for a family game night dessert or other family activity.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies:
First we’ll start with my best ever peanut butter cookie recipe. Guys, this recipe is SO SO good, and I’ll tell you why. So if I’m going to have something with peanut butter, I don’t want it overly sweet. But most peanut butter cookie recipes call for normal peanut butter. Which has a LOT of sugar in it. When you add already sweetened peanut butter to cookies that have even more sugar, I feel like they get too sweet and the flavor of peanut butter is drastically minimized. So I set out on a quest to make the perfect peanut butter cookie with natural peanut butter. A peanut butter like Adam’s that doesn’t have anything besides peanuts and salt.
These cookies are so chewy and so flavorful and perfectly sweetened. They are truly the best peanut butter cookies in the world. I then subbed out some of the flour for cocoa powder, then rolled them in powdered sugar and voila! My puppy chow cookie was born! Don't worry! If all you have is regular peanut butter, I included a modification to the recipe.
First-Combine the butter and sugars on medium speed until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and has lightened in color. Next add the peanut butter and beat 30 seconds more.
Add the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until incorporated. Spoon the dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Make them about 1.5 times as big as a usual cookie. The dough ball is about 3 tablespoons. Measure powdered sugar into a bowl and roll the balls through the powdered sugar until they're liberally coated.
Spread them out on a cookie sheet, only 12 per full size sheet. Smash them down partway (not too far, maybe ⅓ of the way).
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. At minute 9, take them out and bang the bottom of the pan (quite hard) agains the top of the oven 3 or 4 times. This helps them flatten and “crinkle” and become more chewy. Return to the oven and bake the additional 3 minutes.
Other fun cookies to try:
Oatmeal Toffee Bars, Chocolate Revel Bars, StrawberryCookies, S'Mores Cookies and Caramel Brownie Cookies
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar (light brown works too, but I recommend dark!)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup natural peanut butter (if using regular, up the butter to 1 cube, and lessen pb to ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- ⅜ cup (6 Tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt (cut down to ⅛ if you like your peanut butter things less salty)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine the butter and sugars on medium speed until well mixed.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and has lightened in color.
- Next add the peanut butter and beat 30 seconds more.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix just until incorporated.
- These cookies are large. Make them about 1.5 times as big as a usual cookie. The dough ball is about 3 tablespoons.
- Measure powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll the dough liberally in powdered sugar. Get a nice thick coating.
- Spread them out on a cookie sheet, only 12 per full size sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. At minute 9, take them out and bang the bottom of the pan (quite hard) agains the top of the oven 3 or 4 times. This helps them flatten and “crinkle” and become more chewy.
- Return to the oven and bake the additional 2-3 minutes, for 11-12 minutes total.
Notes
Cookies are always better fresh, but these store well on the counter for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freeze cooked cookies immediately for up to 2 months in an airtight container or freeze the dough for up to 2 months. If using frozen dough, allow to thaw completely before baking.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
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Amy Hirschi
These were a great alternative to our go- to cookie recipes. They were easy and yummy. The tapping the pan trick was brilliant!
★★★★★
Zach
Peanut butter and chocolate is one of favorite combos, so these are PERFECT. It's worth it just to feel the consistency of the dough, though. It's perfect for rolling into balls without getting your hands all sticky.
★★★★★
Jacob
These were really fun. The kids loved the idea of "muddy buddy cookies" and keep asking for more. Great flavor, you can really taste the peanut butter and the chocolate and they aren't overly sweet.
★★★★★