Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

I reimagined Renee’s Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies by folding in white chocolate pieces, and this recipe shows why Cookies With White Chips turn the familiar into something intriguingly new.

I never meant to remix the peanut butter cookie, but one afternoon I threw creamy peanut butter into a bowl with heaps of white chocolate chips and got obsessed. You think you know a peanut butter cookie, yet these flip that idea, salty and sweet playing a little game on your tongue.

Sometimes they come out soft, sometimes a touch crisp, and I can’t help but grab a second before anyone notices. It’s small, stubbornly different, like a secret only the bite reveals.

Try one warm or saved for later, you’ll catch something surprising every time. White Chocolate Chips Cookies

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter: brings rich flavor, tender crumb and helps cookies brown nicely.
• Peanut butter: provides protein, savory nuttiness, chewiness and sometimes salt, can be creamy or chunky.
• Sugars: brown sugar adds moisture and chew, granulated gives crisp edges and sweetness.
• Eggs: bind ingredients, add structure and fat, help rise slightly, make cookies soft.
• Vanilla extract: boosts aroma and depth, rounds flavors and makes them taste richer.
• White chocolate chips: sweet melty pockets, mostly carbs, creamy contrast to salty peanut.
• Coarse sea salt: optional sprinkle gives bright salt contrast, balances sweetness, makes flavors pop.

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, room temp, smooth or chunky both work
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (about 312 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz / 255 g) white chocolate chips
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling, optional

How to Make this

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat, rack in middle of oven.

2. In a large bowl cream 1 cup softened unsalted butter and 1 cup creamy peanut butter together with 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup packed light brown sugar until light and a bit fluffy, scrape the bowl down once or twice.

3. Add 2 room temp eggs one at a time, mixing after each, then stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

4. In a separate bowl whisk 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt so it’s evenly combined.

5. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet on low speed or stir by hand until just combined, dont overmix or the cookies get tough.

6. Fold in 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips with a spatula, reserve a few chips to press on top before baking if you want them pretty.

7. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop or a spoon form dough balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets, slightly flatten each ball with your fingers or a fork, sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top if you like sweet and salty.

8. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are set and centers still look a touch soft, rotate pans halfway through for even baking.

9. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet 4 to 5 minutes so they finish setting, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely; store in an airtight container at room temp for a few days or freeze for longer.

Equipment Needed

1. Oven plus 1 or 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, rack set in the middle
2. Two mixing bowls (one large for wet, one medium for dry)
3. Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (or a sturdy wooden spoon if you prefer to mix by hand)
4. Measuring cups and measuring spoons
5. Rubber or silicone spatula for scraping and folding in chips
6. Whisk for the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
7. 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or a tablespoon and a spoon for portioning
8. Wire cooling rack and a fork or your fingers to slightly flatten the dough before baking

FAQ

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Unsalted butter: swap with salted butter 1:1 but cut the recipe salt to 1/4 tsp or skip it, you’ll still get good flavor. For dairy-free, use solid coconut oil 1:1 (chill dough a bit, cookies spread more) or a vegan stick butter 1:1 for closest texture.
• Creamy peanut butter: use almond butter or cashew butter 1:1 for a milder nut flavor. If you need a nut-free option, sunflower seed butter 1:1 works great, it can be slightly thinner so chill the dough 15-30 minutes before scooping.
• White chocolate chips: swap 1:1 with milk or dark chocolate chips, or roughly chopped baking chocolate for chunkier bites. If you use a softer bar, press chips into dough after scooping so they dont melt away completely.
• All-purpose flour: use a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum 1:1 for gluten free cookies, or try whole wheat pastry flour 1:1 for a nuttier, denser cookie. Watch dough texture, add 1 tbsp extra flour if too sticky or 1 tbsp milk if too dry.

Pro Tips

1) Weigh the flour if you can, otherwise spoon it into the cup and level it with a knife. Too much flour makes the cookies dry and tough, and overmixing the dough will do the same, so stop as soon as the streaks of flour disappear.

2) Get the butter, peanut butter and eggs truly at room temp. If the butter is too cold the dough wont cream properly, if its too warm the cookies spread like pancakes. If dough seems too soft, chill it 20 to 30 minutes so you get thicker, chewier cookies.

3) Press a few chips on top right before baking and sprinkle coarse sea salt either just before they go in or immediately after they come out, depending on if you want the salt to dissolve or stay crunchy. Also, using a mix of whole chips and some chopped white chocolate gives pockets of melty goodness without everything turning into one puddle.

4) For even baking use a cookie scoop so all balls are the same size, and rotate pans halfway through. Cool cookies on the sheet 4 to 5 minutes so they finish setting, then move to a rack. To store, keep them airtight with a slice of bread to maintain softness, or freeze raw scoops for quick fresh-baked cookies later.