Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
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Rich and buttery peanut butter cookies filled with crunchy honey roasted peanuts and topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting.
A PEANUT BUTTER FAN FAVORITE COOKIE
If you are a fan of peanut butter (and textured peanut butter at that!), you’ve come to the right homemade peanut butter cookie recipe. This is no classic peanut butter cookie, but rather the epitome of an epic peanut butter cookie. This recipe yields a base of soft peanut butter cookies filled with crunchy honey roasted peanuts and topped off with my favorite peanut butter frosting and a sprinkle of more crunchy peanuts.
You will love the ultimate chewy peanut butter cookies base and I’m telling you now, if you take one bite before adding the buttercream on top, you’ll wonder how they can be better. One swipe of that peanut butter frosting and you’ll know… These soft cookies are where it’s at for the peanut butter lovers.
FROSTED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES INGREDIENTS
If you are a fan of peanut butter or bake with peanut butter often, it’s highly likely you have some alongside all of the classic cookie ingredients you’ll need to make these cookies. Be sure to see my ingredient notes so you’re choosing the ingredients that will get you the best and desired results.
CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
This recipe is based on my ultimate peanut butter cookies which is adapted from my peanut butter blossoms recipe. It’s a reliable and delicious peanut butter cookie base that yields chewy cookies that don’t crumble. They simply melt into peanut butter oblivion and are one of my favorite cookies in my frosted cookie series.
For these frosted peanut butter cookies, you will need:
• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• salt
• ground cinnamon
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• light brown sugar
• creamy peanut butter
• egg
• vanilla extract
• honey roasted peanuts
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
This peanut butter frosting is what I slather all over my dark chocolate cake. You’ll want to eat it with a spoon– you’ve been warned!
For the peanut butter frosting, you will need:
• creamy peanut butter
• unsalted butter
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• milk, cream, or water (see recipe note)
HOW TO MAKE THESE COOKIES
Making these frosted peanut butter cookies is simple. Bake the cookies, make the frosting, then assemble. You can make the cookies and frosting up to 1 day in advance of serving them if you want to save time.
MAKE THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES AS THE BASE
While you will need to let the cookie dough chill before baking, it’s a quick chill! Just 45 minutes. You can make the frosting while the cookie dough chills if you want to speed up the process.
STEP #1
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then set this mixture aside.
STEP #2
Next, cream butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the peanut butter and beat again on medium speed until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until completely combined.
STEP #3
Turn the speed down to low and slowly add the flour mixture until a cookie dough forms. Add the honey roasted peanuts and mix on low again until evenly dispersed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days.
STEP #4
When you are ready to bake the cookies, roll chilled dough into balls with your hands and place on the prepared baking sheet, then bake.
MAKE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
As I mentioned, you can make the frosting while the cookie dough chills or while the baked cookies cool. Just be sure your cookies are completely cool before you add the frosting.
STEP #5
Start by beating the butter and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
STEP #6
Decrease the mixer speed to low, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk/cream/water. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until completely combined, 2-3 minutes. If frosting is too thick add more liquid to desired consistency. Peanut butter frosting can tend to be thick– you’re looking for an easy spreading consistency.
STEP #7
Use a small offset spatula to spread frosting onto the top of the peanut butter cookies. Add more chopped honey roasted peanuts to the top before the frosting sets, if desired.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS
PEANUT BUTTER: I recommend using creamy peanut butter since we are adding honey roasted peanut pieces for a nice crunch. Be sure you’re not using a natural peanut butter since the taste and consistency will not be right for this recipe as written. If you want to skip the additional peanuts, feel free to use crunchy peanut butter instead (in the cookie and in the frosting).
PEANUTS: while we tested these cookies with both brand name and store brand peanuts, we preferred the cookies that were made with brand name honey roasted peanuts because they have a more sugary coating. You can use traditional dry roasted honey roasted peanuts, just know they won’t have that “candied” taste or crunch (but still be absolutely delicious).
MILK/CREAM/WATER: this is totally based on what you have on hand to thin out your frosting. I have used all of these ingredients as a thinner and don’t prefer one over the other, as the creaminess comes mostly from the peanut butter.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: these cookies are a peanut butter flavor bomb with peanut butter in the cookies and in the frosting, but you can switch it up and top these cookies off with a different buttercream that pairs well with peanut butter. Try my chocolate buttercream, simple vanilla buttercream, brown butter cream cheese frosting, or strawberry frosting for some PB&J vibes!
Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- 1 and ¼ cup (150g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (180g) creamy peanut butter1
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (72g) honey roasted peanuts2 coarsely chopped
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
- ¾ cup (188g) creamy peanut butter1
- 4 Tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 and ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons (40-60mL) milk, cream, or water3
Instructions
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the peanut butter and beat again on medium speed until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until completely combined.
- Turn the speed down to low and slowly add the flour mixture until dough forms. Add the honey roasted peanuts and mix on low again until evenly dispersed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a cookie scoop (I use this #50 cookie scoop for all of my standard size cookies), roll chilled dough into balls with your hands and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the sides begin to form slight cracks. Cookies will look under-baked. For crunchier cookies, bake for 12 minutes. If the cookies are too puffy for you, press down on them gently when they come out of the oven. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
- In a medium size bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth (about 3 minutes).
- Decrease mixer speed to low. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk/cream/water. Increase mixer speed to to high and beat until completely combined (approximately 2-3 minutes). Frosting may turn clumpy, but keep beating it and be sure to add more liquid if necessary to keep it moving. If frosting is too thick, add more liquid to desired consistency.
- Turn off the mixer and use a spatula to stir the buttercream by hand to remove air bubbles and make it smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 3-5 minutes.
- When your buttercream is smooth, use a small offset spatula to spread frosting onto each cookie. Add more chopped honey roasted peanuts to the top before the frosting sets, if desired. Store leftovers covered tightly at room temperature up to 5 days. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Notes
- Peanut butter: do not use natural peanut butter for these cookies.
- Honey roasted peanuts: I much prefer brand name honey roasted peanuts because they have a more sugary coating. You can use traditional dry roasted honey roasted peanuts, just know they won’t have that “candied” taste or crunch (but still be absolutely delicious– we tried them both ways).
- Liquid for frosting: this is totally based on what you have on hand. I have used all of these ingredients and don’t prefer one over the other, as the creaminess comes mostly from the peanut butter.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Peanut butter is my love language! I am just cooling them (and might have taste-tested one) and have the frosting made — they are amazing! Ultimate PB cookie!
Totally a great peanut butter lover cookie! Thanks, Kathleen 🙂
I would have told you (before I ate these) that peanut butter cookies don’t need frosting. But, these were amazing and I might never go back to plain again.
You took my favorite cookie and made it better by adding frosting. These are absolutely delicious.
I have yet to be disappointed by one of your recipes. These cookies rocked my world. I love the honey roasted peanuts on top for extra crunch!
Thanks so much, Amy!
I’m a cookie lover and this recipe has it all! A delicious cookie amped up with more peanut butter flavor in the amazing frosting. I dream about these!
Thanks so much, Jules!
These cookies were INSANELY DELICIOUS! I wanted to just eat the frosting with a spoon! LOL
Yep, sounds about right, haha. Thanks, Laura!
Made these for bunco and they were gone in seconds! So yummy!!
Thanks, Jennifer!
The honey peanuts were really the highlight of this recipe. I loved the extra crunch!
Right? They totally just BELONG in those cookies!
What if you only have salted butter can you use that
Yes, you can.