Nicely baked, chewy cookies aren't just made with white flour! These Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies are nutty, lightly crunchy, chewy, and full of peanut butter flavor.
This recipe was originally published on March 27, 2020. It was updated with new photos and additional recipe information on August 16, 2023.
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Table of contents
It's baking time again, everybody! On today's menu: chewy whole wheat peanut butter cookies!
These cookies are buttery, butty, sweet, sugary, and chewy -- essentially everything we know and love about peanut butter cookies!
They bake at high-altitude, have super easy roll-out instructions, and are a great baking recipe to make with the family. So get that butter thawing and join me in the kitchen for some first-class baking therapy!
These Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies Are...
- Crunchy
- Chewy
- Nutty
- Soft
- Sweet
- Rich in Whole Grains
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Softened to room temperature.
- Natural Creamy Natural Peanut Butter: Stir the peanut butter well and let it come to room temperature.
- Granulated White Sugar: Adds sweetness and chew to the cookies!
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure extract for the best flavor.
- Large Eggs: Binds the cookies together and adds depth of flavor.
- Milk: Just 1 teaspoon adds tenderness and a touch of moisture to the cookies.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Nutty and delicious, wheat flour is the perfect compliment to peanut butter.
- Baking Powder: Gives the cookies just the right amount of loft.
- Salt: Naturally enhances the delicious peanut flavor.
Substitutions
- Vanilla: Pure powdered vanilla extract should work in place of the liquid vanilla extract
- Peanut Butter: Traditional, or non-natural, peanut butter can replace natural peanut butter in a pinch. Natural, however, will make the cookies more chewy!
- All-Purpose Flour: The same amount of all-purpose flour can substitute for the whole wheat flour.
How to Make Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line the baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugar.
Step 3: Add in the vanilla, eggs, and milk and cream the mixture together until smooth and tan-colored.
Step 4: In a small mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
Step 5: Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture until a thick batter forms. Do not overmix.
Step 6: Roll the peanut butter dough into scant 2-tablespoon balls and place them 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Step 7: Spray a drinking glass with non-stick spray. Dip the drinking glass in a small dish of granulated sugar and gently press down on the top of the peanut butter balls until flattened to ¼ inch, re-sugaring the glass between cookies.
Step 8: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- To make uniform cookies, use a cookie scoop.
- Measure the flour by weighing it. This will give the cookies the best texture. Alternatively, you can measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off the top with a knife.
- Check the bottom of the cookies to know when they are done. When they are golden brown they are ready to take out of the oven!
- Variation: use other nut or seed butter. Almond butter, cashew butter, and even sunflower seed butter would all be tasty in these cookies.
Dietary Adaptations
- Gluten-Free: To make gluten-free chewy peanut butter cookies, just substitute the same amount of 1-to-1 gluten-free flour in place of the whole wheat flour.
- Dairy-Free: To make these peanut butter cookies dairy-free, simply substitute vegan butter for unsalted butter.
High-Altitude Baking Directions
Yes, you definitely can make these cookies at high altitude! I regularly make them at 5000 feet in Colorado with no issue at all.
You don't need to adjust the recipe, either, so just bake away!
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- 2 large cookie baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- Large cookie scoop
More Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Brookies
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Andes Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Funfetti Cookies
- Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
More High-Altitude Baking Recipes
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Fudgy Bonbons
- High Altitude Sugar Cookies
- High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup natural creamy peanut butter brought to room temperature
- 1 ½ cup granulated white sugar DIVIDED
- ½ teaspoon liquid vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 ¾ cup or 210g whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and 1 ¼ cups of the granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture is a pale tan color, or for about 1-1.5 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the vanilla, eggs, and milk and cream the mixture again for 30-45 seconds, or until the egg is fully incorporated into the creamed mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- In a small or medium-size mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, until the powder and salt are incorporated into the flour.
- Add half of the flour to the creamed butter mixture in the mixing bowl and run on low speed for 20-30 seconds, or until no streaks of dry flour remain in the batter.
- Add the second half of the flour to the batter and run on low speed for 20-30 more seconds, or until it's fully incorporated as well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and run the mixer on medium speed for 15-30 seconds, or until a thick batter forms.
- Roll the peanut butter dough out into 2 tablespoon balls and place them 2-3 inches apart on the parchment paper.
- Pour the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Spray the bottom of a drinking class with non-stick spray and dip it in the granulated sugar. Lightly press down on a peanut butter ball until it's about ¼" thick. Repeat this step with the rest of the cookies, dipping the bottom of the glass in the sugar between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until they're lightly golden around the edges of the cookies, the bottoms are starting to brown, and the cookies are baked through.
- Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack. Then, gently move the cookies from the pan to the cooling rack and let them cool until they're room temperature. Enjoy!
Your recipe looks yummy. Question, what type of wheat berries did you grind for your flour? Soft white? Thanks for your help.
Hi, C!
Great question -- I used pre-ground white whole wheat flour. Hope that helps!
Chelsea