Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies (Soft & Chewy!)
Buttery, soft, sweet, and salty - these cookies seriously taste like a peanut butter cup! Plus they are SO easy to bake with just a few ingredients!
*This post may contain affiliate links.
Why you’ll love peanut butter shortbread cookies
These cookies have a delightful melt-in-your-mouth texture and a delicious balance of salty and sweet.
Shortbread is easy to mix up in one bowl and easy to bake.
A fun baking project with kids - use any shape of cookie cutter and decorate them any way you please!
Recipe Tips for the best peanut butter shortbread cookies
Be careful not to overmix the dough, mix ingredients just until ingredients are well combined and dough sticks together. That will ensure the flakey texture that is signature to shortbread cookies.
It can be difficult to tell when shortbread cookies are done - if they are puffed up and have a light soft crust, they are done!
FAQ
-
No, toppings are just an added bonus! These cookies are soft and chewy and taste great on their own or dipped in chocolate.
-
Shortbread cookies primarily consist of flour, butter, a little bit of sugar, and salt. They have a high flour to butter ratio at 2:1, which is what makes gives them their signature delicate and crumbly texture. They do not contain rising agents which makes them an idea cookie for shaping with cookie cutters because they won’t spread.
-
The natural texture of shortbread cookies is slightly crumbly. If you find that your shortbread cookies are too crumbly you may need to add a little extra butter to help the dough stick together more. Try adding additional butter 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together when pressed into a ball.
-
Shortbread cookies should not spread during baking because there are no leavening agents included in the dough.
If your shortbread cookies spread, try leaving the dough in the refrigerator for a longer period of time or freeze the dough already cut into shapes prior to baking them.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Spatula
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Cling wrap
Sandwich bags
Heavy cup with a flat base
Necessary Kitchen Tools
baking sheet
1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter (or shape of choice)
Ingredients
Dough
3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter + two tablespoons
1/2 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Topping
¼ cup melting chocolate
¼ cup crushed peanuts
How to make peanut butter shortbread cookies
Make the dough
Beat the butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds.
Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add pure vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined.
Add flour and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Roll the dough into a ball and slice the ball in half. Wrap dough in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once the dough is chilled, sandwich one of the dough balls between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until the dough is evenly about 3/8 inch thick. Use the cookie cutter to cut out the dough and place each piece onto the pan.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until they puff up in the center. Let them dry on a cooling rack until completely cool.
Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Make the topping
Once cookies have cooled completely, place 1/4 cup peanuts into a ziplock bag and seal the bag. On a flat surface, use the base of a heavy cup to crush the peanuts into small pieces. Set aside.
Place cookies on a wire rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath.
Add the chocolate melting chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat them for 30 seconds. Stir and if they are not completely melted, put them in the microwave for another 15 seconds. Repeat until they are melted but be careful not to overheat.
Add the melted chocolate to a sandwich bag and trim the tip of one corner off to create a piping bag. Squeeze the chocolate through the hole to drizzle it onto each cookie.
As quickly as possible before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle peanuts onto each cookie. I do this in a rhythm of four cookies at a time - drizzle four cookies, then sprinkle them, then repeat on the next four cookies.
Let the chocolate harden completely before storing the cookies, at least 1 hour.
How to Store
Store peanut butter shortbread cookies at room temperature in an air tight container for up to two days, or store in the refrigerator for up to five days. If stored in the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or pop in the microwave for five to ten seconds to warm to room temperature.
You can also freeze peanut butter shortbread cookies easily. Just place (fully baked and cooled) in an air tight freezer container and store in the freezer for up to three months. Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator 24 hours prior to serving.
Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies (Soft and Chewy!)
Buttery, soft, sweet, and salty - these cookies seriously taste like a peanut butter cup! Plus they are SO easy to bake with just a few ingredients!
Ingredients
Directions
- Beat the butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds.
- Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add pure vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined.
- Add flour and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Roll the dough into a ball and slice the ball in half. Wrap dough in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is chilled, sandwich one of the dough balls between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until the dough is evenly about 3/8 inch thick. Use the cookie cutter to cut out the dough and place each piece onto the pan.
- Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until they puff up in the center. Let them dry on a cooling rack until completely cool.
- Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, place 1/4 cup peanuts into a ziplock bag and seal the bag. On a flat surface, use the base of a heavy cup to crush the peanuts into small pieces. Set aside.
- Place cookies on a wire rack with a piece of parchment paper underneath.
- Add the chocolate melting chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat them for 30 seconds. Stir and if they are not completely melted, put them in the microwave for another 15 seconds. Repeat until they are melted but be careful not to overheat.
- Add the melted chocolate to a sandwich bag and trim the tip of one corner off to create a piping bag. Squeeze the chocolate through the hole to drizzle it onto each cookie.
- As quickly as possible before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle peanuts onto each cookie. I do this in a rhythm of four cookies at a time - drizzle four cookies, then sprinkle them, then repeat on the next four cookies.
- Let the chocolate harden completely before storing the cookies, at least 1 hour.
*Nutrition is auto-calculated by recipes generator.
