These soft and chewy peanut butter snickerdoodles are packed with cinnamon and peanut butter flavor! This is a fun twist on a classic Snickerdoodle cookie. I added cinnamon to the cookie dough and then rolled each cookie dough ball in cinnamon sugar just before baking. Plus, you don't even need to chill the cookie dough!
Who else loves a Snickerdoodle during the holidays? 🙋🏻♀️ To me, snickerdoodles are just such a classic Christmas cookie but we need to be making these all year round! Do we need to start a petition to make these a year-round cookie??
These soft and chewy peanut butter snickerdoodles are based on my brown butter snickerdoodles. I've taken out the brown butter to save some time, and I feel like we get so much flavor from the cinnamon and peanut butter anyway.
If you want more Christmas cookies, you have to try my cut out shortbread cookies, Nutella thumbprint cookies, peppermint bark cookies, German gingerbread cookies, and cocoa blossom cookies!
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Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy Recipe: this is a really simple drop cookie recipe. No need for fancy cookie cutters or decorating with royal icing, just simple snickerdoodles that are loaded up with peanut butter!
- Cinnamon Flavor: these soft snickerdoodles are packed with cinnamon flavor not just in the cinnamon coating, but also in the cookie dough.
- No Dough Chilling: there's no need to chill the cookie dough, so they're ready to eat in under 30 minutes! No chill time is always a plus for me.
Grab your ingredients
- Sugar: you'll need both light brown sugar and granulated sugar for the cookie dough. Using a mixture of both is going to make these snickerdoodles super soft and chewy. You'll need a bit more white sugar for the cinnamon sugar coating!
- Peanut Butter: I've only tested this recipe with smooth peanut butter, I recommend using the type of creamy peanut butter and not natural peanut butter with oil in it. If you use natural peanut butter it'll change the texture of the cookie dough. I also don't recommend using crunchy peanut butter.
- Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted butter in my baking so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Cream of Tartar: this is a must-have ingredient for snickerdoodles! The cream of tartar gives that unique tangy flavor that snickerdoodles have and also makes the cookies soft, so don't leave this out.
- Cinnamon: usually snickerdoodles only have cinnamon in the cinnamon sugar coating, but I actually like adding it to the cookie dough too. Because of the peanut butter in the dough, I wanted to add just a bit more cinnamon flavor so it doesn't get lost.
- Flour: I've only tested these cookies with all-purpose flour! The flour is going to give these cookies structure.
- Eggs: I'm using an egg and an egg yolk. Why the extra egg yolk? It gives you a chewy texture and will make the cookies soft but not cakey.
Substitutions & Additions
- Peanut Butter: If you don't want to make peanut butter snickerdoodle cookies and instead want to make regular snickerdoodles, follow my browned butter snickerdoodle recipe instead.
How to make this recipe
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, ground cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Step 2: In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix. Then mix in the peanut butter.
- Step 4: Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined on low speed.
- Step 5: Whisk the remaining white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop out 3 tablespoons of cookie dough using a large cookie scoop and roll the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Step 6: Bake one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes. The edges should be set but the middles will still look slightly underbaked. When baking the first sheet, keep the other cookie sheet in the fridge. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire cooling rack.
My Baking Tips & Tricks
- Kitchen Scale: I'm going to sound like a broken record, but please use a kitchen scale! It's way more accurate, especially with the flour. It's super easy to add too much flour to your cookie dough, which is going to make the cookies dry (which is a no from me!)
- Biscuit Cutter: as soon as the cookies are out of the oven, I use a large biscuit cutter (but you could also use a mug or glass) to scoot the cookies into a perfectly round shape.
Serving Suggestions
- Holiday Cookie Box: how cute would these delicious peanut butter snickerdoodles be with some cut-out shortbread cookies, decorated sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and some gingerbread cookies!
Storage & Freezing
Keep the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them thaw before enjoying!
Make these holiday recipes next!
If you've made this recipe, make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! I love seeing when you make my recipes, so tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can see! You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!
Recipe
Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- 2 Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Kitchen Scale
- Measuring Spoons
- 2 Baking Sheets
- Large Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Butter room temperature
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg room temperature
- 1 Large Egg Yolk room temperature
- ½ cup Smooth Peanut Butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit/170°Celsius and line two baking pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt together. Set aside.2 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed for 2 minutes.1 cup Butter, ½ cup Brown Sugar, 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat again on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the peanut butter and mix.1 Large Egg, 1 Large Egg Yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup Smooth Peanut Butter
- Pour the dry ingredients in and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Whisk the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.1 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon, ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. You should have about 16 cookies. Roll each cookie dough ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture. You'll have a little bit of cinnamon sugar leftover.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. I put about 8 cookie dough balls per tray. For any cookie dough that isn't being baked right away, place in the fridge.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will have slightly puffed up and cracked.
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