Peanut butter crinkle cookies are sweet, salty, and chocolatey. These crunchy treats are sure to satisfy any peanut butter craving.
Whatever the season, whatever the reason, peanut butter cookies are always a good idea.
These chocolate dipped crinkle cookies are perfect all year long. Top them with heart sprinkles for Valentine’s Day or perhaps rainbow confetti for birthdays. They are excellent topped with chopped peanuts for the holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas!) or just the every day.
This has quickly become a family favorite. I make about six dozen or so to share with loved ones during the holiday season. These chocolate dipped peanut butter crinkle cookies are definitely a contender (if not the winner) of my annual holiday assorted cookie boxes.
Key Ingredients Notes
- Butter : Use unsalted butter to be in control of the amount of salt. If you choose to use salted butter, omit the salt listed in the recipe. Softened, room temperature butter is best for mixing.
- All-Purpose Flour : For best results, measure dry ingredients by weight. If you prefer volume measurements, please use the stir and spoon method to measure out flour.
- Brown Sugar : Use your choice of light brown or dark brown sugar. Darker sugar means more molasses. This lends to a richer, warmer flavor.
- Peanut Butter : This recipe works best with no-stir smooth peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butters which require stirring are prone to separating during baking. This may cause cookies to be oily on the outside and dry on the inside.
- Dark Chocolate : Use quality dark chocolate (preferably 55-72% dark chocolate). Scroll down below for detailed tips for how to melt chocolate.
How to Make Crinkle Dough
This super easy to make peanut butter crinkle cookies may be mixed together by hand or with the aid of a stand mixer (or electric hand mixer).
Dry Ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Wet Ingredients. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Add egg and vanilla. Then, add mixed dry ingredients.
Portion dough. Use a 1.5 tablespoon or #40 scoop to portion out peanut butter crinkle dough. Equal sized cookie dough balls result in evenly sized baked cookies. More importantly, equal size portions cook at the same rate
Roll in sugar. Roll dough in granulated sugar. Then, roll in confectioners’ sugar.
Bake. Place sugar coated dough on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes just until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops are cracked.
BAKING 101: Cookie Scoop Sizes
- The number size of a scooper is equal to how many scoops it would take to fill a quart container.
- For example, size 1 scoop takes one scoop to fill a quart. A size 20 scoop would take twenty scoops to fill a quart.
- In other words, the large the scoop number, the smaller to scoop capacity. Or, the smaller the scoop number, the bigger the scooper size.
How to Achieve Crinkle or Earthquake Cookie Effect
To achieve that iconic earthquake cookie texture, roll the portioned cookie dough in two types of sugar. First in granulated sugar and then in confectioners’ sugar (also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar).
Why two sugars? You could pick one or use both. Using both sugar produces a distinct texture. The resulting peanut butter cookies are both soft and chewy, yet sturdy and crisp.
The same technique is used for cashew cookies and ube sugar cookies.
At this point, the peanut butter cookies are ready to be shared and enjoyed! However, if you’d like to take it a step further, dip the cookies in chocolate! Peanut butter and chocolate are a wonderful pairing. It takes these cookies from simple to decadent.
Chocolate Dipping Tips
Mis en place is key when working with melted chocolate! You don’t need to be a professional chocolatier. You simply need to be organized.
Prepare your work station like the image above. Have the melted chocolate ready, along with the cooled peanut butter cookies, optional chopped peanuts topping, and a cooling rack.
Chocolate melts at different temperature depending on the type of chocolate. Milk chocolate melts at a lower temperature than dark chocolate.
For best results, gently melt chopped chocolate over a bain-marie (or double boiler). Heat until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Work quickly, dipping cookies into melted chocolate. Place on wire cooling rack and immediately sprinkle chopped peanuts on top. For extra sweetness, use chopped honey roasted peanuts. And, voila– your new favorite Christmas cookie!
Cookie Storage
Cool cookies to room temperature before dipping in melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to harden and set before stacking cookies.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Keep in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight.
For the best experience, enjoy cookies within three days of baking. Overtime the cookies will stale.
Related Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Pinwheels
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie
- Peanut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Cookie:
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, (184 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g) room temp
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, (200 g) packed
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter, (215 g)
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings:
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (100 g)
- ½ cup powdered sugar, (60 g)
- 8.5 oz dark chocolate, (240 g) roughly chopped
- honey roasted peanuts, or salted peanuts, roughly chopped, as needed to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream butter until smooth. Add brown sugar and peanut butter. Beat until mixture is creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the peanut butter dough. Roll dough in granulated sugar. Then rolled dough in powdered sugar until coated. Place cookie balls at least 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and the cookies are cracked on top. Allow cookies to cool in pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Gently melt chopped chocolate over a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Dip room temperature cookies in melted chocolate. Set on a wire rack and sprinkle chopped peanuts over cookie. Allow chocolate to set up at room temperature before eating.
Notes
- *If chocolate is overheated and out of temper, you can set up the chocolate dipped cookies by letting them cool in the fridge for 5 minutes. Do not leave the cookies in the fridge for too long.
- I used this 1.5 tablespoon (#40) cookie scoop to portion out the dough
- COOKIE RECIPE ADAPTED FROM FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2016
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Can I use confectioner’s sugar instead of powdered sugar?
Confectioners’ sugar, powdered sugar, 10x sugar, and icing sugar are all the same product.
Oh my word, as a novice baker, I was unsure how these would turn out…….They are gorgeous!!!!!! So glad it does 24 because these will be gone in no time…..just deciding who I deem fit to share them with now, haha! 10/10
Thank you for trying the recipe! That’s wonderful to hear! Glad you enjoyed them :)