There may almost be as many versions of peanut butter cookies as there are chocolate chip cookies. Not surprisingly they rank in the top three of the most popular and universally loved cookies. If peanut butter cookies are part of your language or if these salty, sweet confections are your go-to, comfort food cookies, well the recipe for these extraordinary Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies may just become your newest favorite. These are ginormous, monstrously large cookies. Similar in heft and texture to the famed Levain Style Cookies. Some might say it's the kind of cookie you share with a friend or eat only a half at a time. I promise not to tell anyone if you refuse to share or devour this divinely decadent Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie in one sitting. It will be our little secret.
I tinkered with using either Reese's Peanut Butter Pieces or semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips. After deciding to go with using the peanut butter chips (because I wanted a purely peanut butter flavored cookie), I had the (great) idea of dipping half of the cookies in some melted chocolate. A kind of best of both worlds option. But I can say confidently, these Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies are other worldly incredible with or without the addition of the chocolate.
Like most of the other Levain Style-esq cookies on the blog, these too require chilling time. Preferably overnight, but at a minimum you should chill them for at least 6 hours. Chilling not only helps to prevent them from spreading during baking, but it also creates a much thicker cookie. To get the thickest possible cookie, shape them slightly more cone-like than round. In other words, they should be slightly taller than they are wide. Remember, portioning the dough helps to ensure all of the cookies bake evenly on the cookie sheet.
In a preheated 375-degree (F) oven, the baking time for these cookies ranges from 18-20 minutes. Or just until they are golden around the edges, but slightly soft in the center. The cookies will remain on the cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes after they come out of the oven, so they will continue to bake. If you happen to overbake them, you will end up with a crunchier cookie. Slightly underbaked in the center and crispy along the edge is the texture you want to achieve when baking these cookies.
These Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies don't need the richer, more decadent finishing touch of being dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with chopped honey roasted peanuts. Although if you are someone who absolutely loves the flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate, then by all means, go for it!
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The combination of the peanut butter chips and the creamy peanut butter give these cookies the most ethereal peanut butter flavor. In just one bite, peanut butter lovers will have discovered the true meaning of peanut butter bliss.
These large, decadent, deeply satisfying Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies are the ones you want to make for the people in your life that you truly love. They are the ones you would want to enter in a Peanut Butter Cookie throw down or even your local county fair. They are the ones you want to make if 'bribing with cookies' is your thing. Because you can freeze the balls of dough and bake them when you have a craving, you can make them just for yourself!
Recipe
Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie - Two Ways
Makes 9 Ginormous Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
9 Tablespoons (125g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon (100g) creamy peanut butter
1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons good quality vanilla
12 ounces (340g) peanut butter chips
Flaky sea salt (e.g., Maldon)
Optional: 8 ounces milk chocolate wafers and 1/4 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts
Directions
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended.
2. Add in the peanut butter and mix until creamy.
3. Add in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until well blended.
4. Mix in the vanilla.
5. In a medium-large size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Kosher salt and cornstarch.
6. Add in the dry ingredients in two batches. Mix just until combined.
7. Mix in the peanut butter chips.
8. Portion the dough into nine 5.5oz/156g) balls of dough. Shaping so they are taller rather than rounder. Place on a small baking sheet, cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F).
10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 4 of the balls of dough, spaced well apart, on the baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
11. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden around the edges but still slightly soft in the center. Note: If your baked cookies are too high domed when they come out, gently press down with a spatula.
12. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
13. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and finish baking the remaining dough balls.
14. For the chocolate dipped version, melt your chocolate. Dip half of the cooled cookie into the chocolate. Lightly sprinkle with chopped honey roasted peanuts. Let the chocolate set completely before serving or packaging. Note: Cookies stored well at room temperature will be good for 3 to 4 days. If you don't dip in chocolate, you can reheat them in the microwave for 10 seconds on high to give them that freshly baked taste.
Notes: (1) I used chocolate wafers from a local chocolatier, but the Ghirardelli Melting Wafters work equally well. (2) After chilling the dough for several hours, you can transfer to ziplock freezer bags and place in the freezer. Baking time might increase slightly. (3) I use JIF peanut butter. Do not use natural, organic peanut butter when making these cookies as it will significantly affect the spread of the baked cookie. (4) The Reese's Peanut Butter Chips come in 10-ounce packages. You will need to buy two of them to get the required 12 ounces.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan (July 2026)
