Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a new way forward for an old beloved recipe. 

Best Natural Peanut Butter

I’m using what I believe to be the best natural peanut butter to make a classic peanut butter cookie.

“Natural” meaning nothing but salt is added to the peanut butter in the jar. That’s it!

We love a great cookie in this house ( just like these chocolate bomb buttermilk cookies! To die!), and these peanut butter cookies made with natural peanut butter fit that bill.

If you’d like to get right to the recipe without all the jibber jabber, hit the jump-to-recipe button!

(update at end of post of how we have changed our minds about natural organic peanut butter.)

Natural Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are a classic and the only true difference in this recipe is the use of all natural peanut butter (peanuts and salt) instead of the regular peanut butter (all the other ingredients, including sugar) most of us grew up on.

Think “natural peanut butter” used in peanut butter cookies!

Yummo!

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Is there anything that invokes home and love like a warm peanut butter cookie?

~keep thinking~

The twist on these lovelies is that the recipe calls for all-natural peanut butter.

Natural Peanut Butter Cookies

What I mean to say, however oddly stated, is that I made traditional peanut butter cookies with non-traditional peanut butter, aka natural peanut butter.

Can Natural Peanut Butter Be Used In Cookies?

Yep! All the yeps! And once you try using natural peanut butter in your favorite cookie recipe, you may never go back to processed peanut butter.

Does Natural Peanut Butter Work In Baking?

Again, so much yes! I think it deepens the peanut flavor of recipes to use natural peanut butter. There’s no added anything to compete with.

Natural Peanut Butter VS Processed Peanut Butter Cookies

Natural Peanut Butter

All Natural peanut butter is the stuff you gotta stir. 

The stuff with two ingredients: ground peanuts and salt. 

The stuff with no sugar added. 

The stuff that needs to be stored in the fridge.

Processed Peanut Butter

Regular peanut butter has added sugar and unhealthy oil (what?!) and whatever else the company decided to make it delicious.

And it is delicious!

It’s also the stuff that has been banned from our pantry because of its disappointing charade of trying like hell to be peanut butter.

Since we made the switch to natural peanut butter, I think of the regular stuff as peanut butter spread.

Peanut Butter Spread VS Peanut Butter

Peanut butter spread is easy to spread, easy to use and easy to eat.

Natural peanut butter is all those things too, but when kept in the fridge it can be a bit harder to spread.

In a “spread peanut butter” contest, the peanut butter we grew up on wins handily. 

Peanut Butter Lovers

We love peanut butter in our house. We can go through a jar like nobody’s biznezz.

Therein lies our problem (#peanutbutterloversproblems).

It’s not so good for you in the quantities we consume, so I had the bright/horrible idea to replace our sugar-laden peanut putter with the natural stuff. 

What Is Considered Natural Peanut Butter?

Again, natural peanut butter contains ground peanuts and maybe salt. That’s it.

No added anything.

It is nothing like traditional peanut butter other than the color.

If you buy JIF or Peter Pan peanut butter, you can pretty much know you aren’t buying natural peanut butter (yes, they do make their own version of natural, but their classics are waaay more popular).

Take a quick peek at the ingredients and you’ll know everything you need to.

Healthier Peanut Butter

I wanted to buy a healthier peanut butter, considering how much we consume.

What a disaster.

I also made the mistake of purchasing two jars, two GIANT jars, because hey! Costco had a great deal on their Kirkland organic peanut butter.

For a solid month after purchasing, I kept selling the idea of our new found healthy peanut butter to Garry. 

For a solid month, his reaction was to smile weakly in my direction, with a healthy dose of toddler side-eye. 

In other words, he wasn’t buying what I was selling.

What To Eat With Natural Peanut Butter

I had it on crackers.  I had it on sweet bread.  I spread it on toast.  I dipped apples in it. 

And every time I ate it, I told Garry that it would take some getting used to, but this was a good change to make.

I was a big fat liar. 

And one day, as I was curling my lip at the mess of brown “butter” on my bread, I decided to have a peanut butter intervention with myself.

STOP LYING TO EVERYONE YOU LOVE!  STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!  LEAVE THIS LIFESTYLE CHANGE BEHIND YOU! IT’S TIME TO GET CLEAN!

…and so I did, and there was great rejoicing throughout my house and with those I loved.

Trouble is, I hate to waste anything. 

So, what the hell was I going to do with my leftover natural peanut butter (I just came thisclose to calling it peanut sludge)?

MAKE HEALTHY(IER) PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES!

…and so I did.

I made what I assumed was a healthy peanut butter cookie.

The question that remained, or more accurately, loomed, was twofold:

Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies 

Lawsy, could they be good?!

Truth is the cookies were good; I ate quite a few of them and so did Garry. 

I’m not a fan of peanut butter cookies, but these were perfect.

A definite hit.

I was concerned that the lack of sugar in the natural peanut butter would leave the cookies lacking. 

I even thought about fiddling with the recipe to add a bit more sugar, but left it as is for a fun-time experiment.

The verdict? 

I would happily make these again if I’m ever in the position to use up a giant jar of natural peanut butter. 

Right. 

I can’t see that ever happening again.

Healthy Peanut Putter Cookies?

Maybe not in the strictest sense, but are these at least healthier than than regular peanut butter cookie made with a brand name classic peanut butter?

They were light.

No heavy peanut butter taste. 

Way less greasy.  

I’m calling it: they are a healthier version of the classic peanut butter cookie.

Do You Buy Natural Peanut Butter?

If you guys have natural peanut butter in your pantry, these cookies are worth baking. 

This recipe worked great.

Cross Hatching

Why do peanut butter cookies have a crosshatch (the design the fork makes when you press it into the cookie dough)?

There are a few theories, one of which is to simply identify the cookies as peanut butter. 

There is another thought that crosshatching allows the cookies to bake evenly.

Another, is that a fun cross cross hatching art is purely pleasing aesthetically.

Kids Love Peanut Butter Cookies

I took these to Sweet E‘s birthday celebration and even he liked them. 

Cute kiddo approved!

You can’t argue with cute.

Peanut Allergy

Of course, the caveat is this: peanut butter allergies are becoming increasingly common in kiddos, so before you bake and serve peanut butter cookies, classic or natural, please check with parents and care-givers to make sure everyone you’re serving is not allergic.

Happy Baking (or eliminating the sludgy peanut butter from your lives), Y’all!

Scroll to bottom of page for the printable recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies With Natural Peanut Butter

If you like this recipe, I would love for you to leave a rating. Much appreciated!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup natural peanut butter

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy and well blended.
2. Beat in egg yolk and peanut butter.
3. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
4. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour until just blended.
5. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic.
6. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°.
8. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
9. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
10. Bake until the cookies are evenly golden brown, 6 to 10 minutes.

Notes:

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Happy Baking, my babies!

Original Post: July 6, 2015 ~ Updated post: May 7, 2025

Now that you have this recipe – did ya know I created a PDF for others?

Tired of searching for a popular OMT! recipe?

Rest yer weary fingers.

Except to click on the image.

You still have enough strength for that.

COME ON!

YOU CAN DO IT!

 

UPDATE SINCE ORIGINAL POST in 2015:

Garry and I have come to LOVE natural peanut butter and it has been years since we bought a name brand of the regular stuff.

We exclusively use the natural Kirkland peanut butter now, but I think any brand that keeps it’s ingredients to peanuts and salt is worth trying.

It’s simply easier for us to pick up a two-pack at Costco. I keep them in the pantry until opened and then store in the fridge.

I also turn the upside down and then back again when in and out of pantry, so they don’t separate.

Making this switch took a but of time, but once we realized how unhealthy peanut butter could be, we were resolute.

Peanut Butter Cookies made with natural peanut butter are the only kind I make now.

One more note:

Is Peanut Butter Inflammatory?

The answer is a bit complicated, but because peanuts grow in the ground they can have mold, which affects some worse than others.

Dr Axe talks about the reason why peanut butter can be inflammatory (spoiler alert: omega 6 fats and mold) in this post:

Peanut Butter Nutrition Facts.

The trick to healthy peanut butter is moderation, as in all things!

Life is an amazing journey – never stop looking for ways to make it better.

Get to baking, y’all!

If you liked this post (and why wouldn’t you?!), here are a few more you might like:

Waffles!

You have smeared peanut butter on waffles, right?

If not – get your favorite natural peanut butter and get to spreading!

Rolled Biscuits

Sure, we slather buttah on biscuits, but what about peanut buttah?

The recipe is begging for some!

Coconut Palm Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Oh, momma.

Take some natural peanut butter and spread it between two oatmeal cookies and get ready to fall in love with a new snack!

Yes, and yes!

Thank you for spending your time here. I know you have a busy life and you are appreciated.

Tell me what you think: Natural Peanut Butter Cookies with Natural Peanut Butter?

Yay or Nay?