Briefly chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer for about 15 minutes. This helps firm up the butter and fat in the peanut butter to prevent the cookies from overly spreading. The dough should reach between 65 to 70ºF (18 to 21ºC). When it doesn’t feel excessively sticky, that’s a good indication the flour has been fully hydrated and ready to shape.

Portion the dough

Measure out 3 tablespoon-sized dough balls. Press them into 3/4-inch flattened discs. The cookie dough won’t spread as much as typical chocolate chip cookies due to the additional solids from the ground peanuts.

They need to be flattened, or they will stay very thick and tall. Press some chocolate chips on top to expose more pieces.

Bake time

Place the dough balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, eight per tray. Bake one pan at a time at 375 degrees; the edges should be set and the centers puffy and slightly underbaked, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Let it sit on the warm baking sheet for no more than 5 minutes to finish cooking, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool. The chocolate chip peanut butter cookies taste delicious at room temperature when the sugars crystallize on the surface for extra crispness.

Frequently asked questions

How to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies not taste dry
The pureed nut is naturally dry to taste due to the protein and fat in the peanut butter, creating a pasty texture. Using the proper ratio of butter, sugar, and eggs in the cookie dough prevents a dry and crumbly consistency. The extra fat in the nut butter will make the cookies crispier, so don’t let it sit on the warm cookie tray for longer than 5 minutes. Otherwise, it will get too crunchy and taste drier.

Can I use a different type of nut butter?
Almond butteror cashew butter are delicious substitutes for peanut butter. The cookies may taste slightly drier because they contain less fat than peanuts.