Jif Peanut Butter Cookies

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Jif peanut butter cookies uses pantry staples and simple ingredients needed to make old fashioned peanut butter cookies. And we’ve included easy instructions.  These classic peanut butter cookies can be made soft or crispy. Just follow the recipe instructions to achieve your preferred outcome. And when you have the first bite, no doubt you’ll agree that they should be labeled Jif irresistible peanut butter cookies.

jif peanut butter cookies

Why you will love these cookies

If you like peanut butter, you’re going to love these easy Jif peanut butter cookies. Here’s why:

No chilling. The recipe doesn’t require you to spend time waiting for the dough to chill before they’re formed and baked. It’s the most efficient recipe time wise.

Easy. This recipe is an easy recipe. It’s good for those who aren’t as experienced and might consider themselves beginner bakers. All that’s required is to mix the dough, form it into balls, press with a fork, and bake the cookies. Easy as that!

Packed with peanut butter. If you love peanut butter, you’re going to love the flavor of these Jif peanut butter cookies because they’re packed with delicious flavor and the cookie is so melt in your mouth good.

Ingredient Notes

Room temperature eggs work best for this recipe.

If desired, you can use butter in place of shortening.

To make this recipe gluten free, just use an all-purpose 1:1 gluten free flour as a substitute for the regular flour.

jif peanut butter cookies stacked

How To Store Jif Peanut Butter Cookies

The best way to store Jif peanut butter cookies is in an airtight container at room temperature. These will maintain freshness for up to 4 days using this method of storage.

For longer storage, place your cookies in an airtight container or a zipped freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Expert baking tips for making Jif peanut butter cookies

Following are tips and tricks for making the best peanut butter cookies.

Roll in sugar. Roll out your ball of cookie dough then roll it in granulated sugar to give it a professional finishing appearance. Or if using a cookie scoop, scoop the cookie and flatten it with a criss-cross fork pattern, then sprinkle each one with granulated sugar before baking.

Use room temp eggs. This recipe works best when using a room temperature egg. However, if all your eggs are chilled, it’s not going to ruin the recipe to use a cold egg.

Add chocolate chips. If you like deluxe rich flavors of peanut butter and chocolate, consider loading them up with chocolate chips for additional flavor.

Smooth peanut butter. Smooth peanut better works best for a creamy smooth cookie. But if you like texture, crunchy peanut butter will also work.

Don’t use natural peanut butter. We don’t recommend using natural peanut butter for these peanut butter cookies because you’ll lose the stabilization of the cookie’s shape.

If using butter, chill dough first. It’s a good idea to chill the dough first before shaping it when you’re using butter. Also, if you decide to use butter, room temperature soft butter works better than cold butter.

jif peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet

How to make 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies:

If you want to scale back your recipe and use only three ingredients, you can do just that with this 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe. However, don’t use natural peanut butter for this as you won’t have a same success.

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

Bake at 325F degrees for 12-14 minutes

peanut butter cookie dough made with jif

Frequently Asked Questions

Following are recipe FAQs that relate to making Jif peanut butter cookies. If you have a question that’s not listed here, feel free to post it in the comments box below and we’ll be happy to answer it.

Can I use crunchy peanut butter in these cookies?

Yes, either crunchy or creamy works fine. We just don’t recommend using natural peanut butter because it doesn’t turn out as well.

How do I adjust the recipe if I only have salted butter on hand?

We recommend reducing the salt in the recipe by 1/4 tsp per stick of butter called for.

Can these cookies be frozen?

Yes, Jif peanut butter cookies taste delicious straight from the freezer, or after they’ve been frozen. Place them in an airtight container or zipped freezer bag to keep them fresh. They last up to 3 months in the freezer.

Can I prepare the cookie dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance. Place it in the refrigerator and cover it with plastic wrap or place it in a sealed airtight container. If you need to prepare it further than 3 days in advance, you’ll want to store it in the freezer.

jif peanut butter cookies with sugar

Why do peanut butter cookies have crosshatch fork marks?

Peanut butter cookies traditionally have crosshatch fork marks because the peanut butter cookie batter is quite dense. Placing crosshatch marks helps to thin out the dough before the cookies are baked.

How long do homemade peanut butter cookies last?

Homemade peanut butter cookies last about 4 days when they’re stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Why can’t I use natural peanut butter in this cookie recipe?

We don’t recommend using natural peanut butter in this cookie recipe because there are no stabilizers in it. It makes for a mess when baked, rather than a nicely formed cookie.

What’s the best way to store peanut butter cookies?

How do I store peanut butter cookies? The best way to store peanut butter cookies for short-term storage is in airtight container at room temperature. Or store them in the freezer in an airtight container for long-term storage.

Can I use butter instead of shortening?

Yes, using butter instead of shortening will work just fine. You can use butter as a 1:1 substitute for shortening.

Egg size?

This recipe assumes that a large egg size will be used. A good rule of thumb is to assume that any recipe refers to using a large egg unless its specified otherwise.

jif peanut butter cookies on a plate

Main Ingredients Needed

Following are the ingredients needed to make Jif peanut butter cookies.

shortening
peanut butter
sugar
brown sugar
egg
all-purpose flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt

Can I use natural peanut butter for this recipe?

Sorry, natural peanut butter doesn’t work well for this recipe. You’ll want to use regular peanut butter so that your cookies maintain their shape and don’t turn into a gooey mess.

How to make peanut butter cookies

To make peanut butter cookies, you’ll want to follow our instructions for how to make Jif peanut butter cookies recipe – step by step below which includes preheating your oven and preparing your ingredients. Then make the dough, press the dough balls, and bake the cookies.

Step 1: Preheat + Prep

Preheat your oven to 375F degrees and gather your ingredients. Prepare a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Step 2: Make Cookie Dough

Make the cookie dough by mixing soft shortening, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and egg. Cream until well mixed. Slowly add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix until fully incorporated.

Step 3: Scoop + Press Dough

If you’d like to make uniform sized cookies, use your favorite cookie dough scoop to scoop the dough onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Otherwise, use your hands to form large walnut sized dough balls.

Use the tip of a fork to gently press the dough balls and form a cross hatch pattern on them.

Step 4: Bake + Cool

Bake your cookies in a 375F degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set. Remove from pan and let cool. Serve and enjoy!

jif peanut butter cookies on baking sheet

Keeping peanut butter cookies soft

Here is a storage trick for keeping your peanut butter cookies soft. If you’d like to keep your peanut butter cookies soft while they’re stored, the best way to do this is to place them in an airtight container and store them with a slice of white bread. The bread will provide moisture that will keep the cookies soft.

If you prefer more of a crisp cookie, you’ll not want to add the bread of course, but rather simply store them in an airtight container without it.

Nutrition Facts

Following is the estimated nutrition information for our expanded recipe above. These nutrition facts assume that one can make 12 cookies from this recipe and that each cookie is a serving. Nutrition facts will vary based on the ingredients used as well as the brand of ingredient. Be sure to calculate your nutrition information according to the ingredients you use.

Calories 232
Total Fat 13.4 g
Saturated Fat 6.1 g
Cholesterol 34 mg
Sodium 241 mg
Total Carbohydrate 25.7 g
Dietary Fiber 1.1 g
Total Sugars 15.7 g
Protein 4.5 g

Calories in Irresistible Jif Peanut Butter Cookies

There are estimated to be 232 calories in a single cookie, when the recipe above makes 12 cookies.

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Sarah
Sarah is known for her extra fancy yeast breads, melt in your mouth pies, and everything salads. She has won awards as a home cook, and is passionate about helping others feel smarter in the kitchen. Sarah is the cooking genius of the sister duo.

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