Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Name: Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Shortening; 1/2 cup Unsalted butter (softened); 1 cup Creamy peanut butter; 1 cup Granulate sugar; 1 cup Dark brown sugar (packed); 2 large Eggs (room temperature); 2 cups All-purpose flour; 1 tsp Baking soda; 1/2 tsp Salt ((or 1/4 tsp, this will depend on your taste))

These old-fashioned peanut butter cookies are crispy, crunchy, and full of peanut butter flavor! Easy to make and always a favorite.

Peanut butter cookies on a wire rack in a baking sheet.

If you are looking for the texture of the classic peanut butter cookies your mom or grandmother made look no further.

Peanut butter cookies stacked on a wire rack.

Why You’ll Love These

These are not soft, chewy bakery-type peanut butter cookies. These have a crunch that doesn’t crumble!
They have the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor.

The key is shortening and butter. They bake up perfectly, no need for that classic criss-cross pattern using fork tines to flatten. Also, no chilling is required.

Peanut butter cookies stacked on a wire rack in a baking sheet.

Ingredients

Shortening – Shortening tends to give cookies tenderness and a little more height.
Unsalted Butter – Butter gives the cookies a better flavor.
Creamy Peanut Butter – Well, naturally you need peanut butter for peanut butter cookies.
Granulated Sugar and Dark Brown Sugar – I rarely buy light brown sugar, so most of my recipes call for dark brown sugar. I just love the deeper molasses flavor.
Eggs – Room temperature.
All-purpose flour and Baking Soda
Salt – We use 1/2 tsp kosher salt in these cookies because we like the bit of saltiness it adds. If you prefer, lower it to 1/4 teaspoon for less saltiness.

Optional Add-Ins

Salted dry roasted peanuts – chopped
Reese’s Pieces
Chocolate chips (if you must)

Tips

This recipe makes about 72 cookies. You can easily cut the recipe in half if desired.
Measure the flour correctly. Aerate, spoon, and swoop level.
Use room temperature butter, eggs, and peanut butter.
Use regular peanut butter like Jiff or Skippy. I do not recommend all-natural runny peanut butter you have to stir the separated oil.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Shortening, butter, and peanut butter creamed together in a glass bowl.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer cream together the shortening, softened butter, and peanut butter for 2 -3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the granulated sugar and dark brown sugar until combined.

Mix in the eggs one at a time until combined.

Peanut butter cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl.

Add the dry ingredients and hand mix just until combined. Do not beat them in with the mixer. You don’t want to overmix the peanut butter cookie dough.

Cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Drop by tablespoon size cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. They spread but not too much. There is no need to roll into balls. They bake up perfectly round.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let them cool for about 1 minute on the baking pan. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crunchy peanut butter cookies stacked on top of each other.

Serve and enjoy this old-fashioned peanut butter cookie recipe!

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Can you substitute butter for shortening in peanut butter cookies?

Yes, but we highly recommend you give shortening a chance. It gives them a slightly chewy interior with a crispy, crunchy exterior.

How to Store Peanut Butter Cookies

Place them in an airtight container or zip-lock bag and store them at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Freezing

You can freeze them baked or unbaked. To freeze unbaked, place shaped cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes until hard. Place the frozen dough in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Bake them from frozen but you may need to add another minute or two to the baking time.