Frosted Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
I’ve been wanting to make these peanut butter sugar cookies for years. I just couldn’t quite nail them until now. I finally got the loosely defined recipe from my brain into a reality that could go into my stomach. They’re buttery soft, tender, and worth the wait. Without a doubt, one of my favorite cookies on my blog to date. If you’re not familiar, Lofthouse Cookies are the incredibly soft cookies sold in grocery store bakeries, with a signature layer of frosting and sprinkles. So good, so soft, and the frosting hooks me in for bite after bite. My cookies are very similar to the real deal, but slightly less cakey, with just a touch more chewiness. They’re light, without being airy or crumbly. Nice and moist because I loathe dry, crumbly anything.
There’s no shortage of internet recipes for Lofthouse copycat versions for the classic soft sugar cookies, but I wanted to create a peanut butter-flavored soft sugar cookie. I kept toying with the idea of adding peanut butter, but that would weigh the cookies down, and they’re known for being lighter and soft. So instead of peanut butter in the dough, the cookies get their peanut butter flavor from both peanut butter chips and peanut butter frosting. Melty peanut butter chips, peanut butter buttercream, and soft cookies that melt in your mouth. Check. And lace up those running shoes. The cookies are easy to make and make a modest baker’s dozen. Most recipes I’ve seen for Lofthouse Cookies yield about 5 dozen, use 3 eggs (difficult to halve odd numbers of eggs), and use 5 or 6 cups of flour. Whoa, no thanks. I love Lofthouse Cookies, but I want to be able to fit in my clothes. So in general, smaller-batch recipes are better for us.
The recipe calls for cake flour. Normally I shy away from using anything you may not have on hand, but in this recipe, it’s irreplaceable and creates a classic soft, light, airy Lofthouse-style cookie. You can buy it in any grocery store baking aisle, Target, or other big box stores. It’s $3 and you can make these cookies with it, too. I also added cornstarch. It’s a true workhorse in cookie-baking because it helps create a super soft and supple texture. I’ve used it in at least 15 cookie recipes, including Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies, M&M’s Cookies, Snickers Cookies, Twix Bar Cookies, Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies, and S’mores Cookies. You’ll love the softbatch-style results. After the soft, sticky dough comes together, scoop it into mounds and chill your dough — no exceptions — so your cookies back up thicker and don’t spread into pancakes. The peanut butter chips add texture and flavor, and because I used one bag for just 13 cookies, every cookie is amply dotted with chips. The peanut butter frosting is soft, fluffy, creamy, and buttery. It’s dangerously good. Hide the spoons. It’s a good thing the batch size is small because I had to hide them from myself. They were that good. Most things I make I have one or two, and donate the rest. I hoarded these. They’re going to be a tough act to follow.
What’s in Peanut Butter Chip Cookies?
To make these frosted peanut butter sugar cookies, you’ll need:
Egg Unsalted butter Granulated sugar Light brown sugar Vanilla extract Cake flour Cornstarch Baking powder and baking soda Salt Peanut butter baking chips Creamy peanut butter Confectioners’ sugar Cream or milk Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Add the egg, butter, sugars, and vanilla to a large bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Then, add in the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Gently fold in the peanut butter chips last. Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two-tablespoon mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Once the cookie dough has chilled, bake until the edges have set and the tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not overbake because cookies will firm up as they cool. Let the peanut butter chip cookies cool completely before frosting.
How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting
This is such an easy peanut butter frosting recipe! Simply combine the butter and peanut butter to a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy (it’ll take about 3 minutes). Slowly add in the sugar and salt and beat until the frosting comes together. You may need to add a splash of cream or milk to loosen it up a bit. Add a generous dollop of peanut butter frosting to each cooled cookie, then top with sprinkles. This is the BEST sugar cookie frosting, you’re going to love it!
Can I Use a Cake Flour Substitute?
Yes! A makeshift DIY version of cake flour can be achieved by measuring out 1 cup all-purpose flour, removing 2 tablespoons of it, and in its place, add 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Then, sift the flour and cornstarch together at least 3 times for that ultra-fine, soft texture that cake flour is known for.
Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
Yes, you MUST chill the cookie dough. Do not bake with warm dough because the peanut butter sugar cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
For the easy sugar cookie frosting, you’ll need to use a traditional peanut butter brand like Jif or Skippy. Don’t use homemade or natural peanut butter because they’ll cause the frosting to separate. Note that there are no substitutions for the cornstarch or cake flour. You can make the DIY cake flour I mentioned above, but that’s about it. These peanut butter chip cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I’m okay with leaving buttercream frosting at room temperature for a couple days, but if you aren’t, refrigerate the cookies, knowing they’ll dry out more.
More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes:
Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies — Easy, soft, and chewy cookies that are full of rich peanut butter flavor!! The frosting is light, fluffy, AMAZING, and my new favorite! You’ll want to eat it by the spoonful!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (GF) – My favorite ‘basic’ peanut butter cookies on my blog. My other favorites are in my book. There’s NO Flour, NO Butter, and NO White sugar used! Soft, chewy, and oozing with dark chocolate!
Easy 4-Ingredient Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies — These 4-ingredient peanut butter cookies are made with a secret ingredient…and lots of peanut butter, of course! These are so easy and fast to make!
Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies – No butter used in these soft, tender cookies with dough so good you won’t even want to bake them.
Thick and Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – Richly and intensely chocolate-flavored cookies with NO Flour, NO Butter, and NO White sugar used. They’re thick, dense, soft, chewy and almost brownie-like!
Big Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies — These soft peanut butter cookies are the peanut butter version of a molasses crinkle. They’re soft, supremely chewy, and have an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie flavor!
The BEST Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies — Soft, chewy and they’ll be your new fave PB cookies!! One bowl, no mixer, no butter, naturally gluten-free! Love it when something so easy tastes so amazing!!
