Peanut Butter Cookie Cake
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This peanut butter cookie cake takes my favorite peanut butter cookie base and loads it up with creamy peanut butter chips and dollops of peanut butter buttercream. You can also top your cookie cake with chocolate fudge frosting, chocolate buttercream, vanilla buttercream, or any other buttercream you prefer.
COOKIE CAKES: MORE THAN JUST THE CLASSIC
Who said cookie cakes always have to be chocolate chip? Since 2014, I’ve been publishing a cookie cake recipe on my birthday, for no reason other than it’s just fun. Over the years, we’ve seen everything from the classic to fan favorites snickerdoodle and funfetti.
This peanut butter cookie cake originally debuted on my 32nd birthday, but over the years, it’s shown up in my own kitchen as an easy dessert option (when we know there’s no one with a peanut allergy celebrating with us, of course), so it was high time for an update to the photos and the recipe itself.
I’ve paired this cookie cake with everything from classic peanut butter frosting to chocolate frosting and back around again (sometimes even swirling it!). There’s really no wrong way to dress up a cookie cake, and if chocolate + peanut butter is your thing, go for one of my chocolate frostings. Otherwise, use the peanut butter frosting I share in the recipe card below or choose any of my other American buttercream recipes.
If you’re feeling fancy, a Swiss meringue buttercream or chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream would be fun! A little more elbow grease but fun and delicious nonetheless.
START WITH MY TRUSTED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE BASE
This peanut butter cookie cake stems from my ultimate peanut butter cookies, a recipe that’s been on rotation in my kitchen for many years. It has morphed into frosted peanut butter cookies, classic peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter Rolo cookies.
For this cookie cake, though, I changed some things up to accommodate the baking pan. First, we’re leaning into melted butter instead of softened since we don’t need to worry about spreading and we don’t need this cookie cake to be puffy.
I also add a touch more flour to the base to make up for the lack of structure without creaming the butter and sugar together and to help make more space for the peanut butter chips.
The result is a slightly dense (but in the best way possible) yet chewy cookie cake that’s simply bursting with peanut butter flavor. Want some extra texture? You can absolutely use crunchy peanut butter. So let’s talk about the other ingredients you’ll need.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
Here’s a visual of the ingredients you’ll need to make this peanut butter cookie cake (minus the peanut butter chips– this is a photo from my classic peanut butter cookies). You’ll find the exact ingredients and amounts you’ll need in the recipe card below. But let’s talk about the peanut butter because you definitely have options here.
CAN I USE CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER?
The answer is absolutely yes. If you want to use crunchy peanut butter, you’ll use the same amount, and you can also still use the peanut butter chips. While I’m typically a crunchy peanut butter gal, I prefer the creamy version in this cookie cake and let the texture come from the tender peanut butter chips.
I have also used crunchy peanut butter in the buttercream, but notable notes for that are to be sure you’re using a very open tip when piping it, otherwise those chunks will clog your tip and you’ll have a mess of a time getting nice dollops.
CAN I USE ALMOND BUTTER?
While you can use almond butter without issue, you’ll run into texture issues since most almond butters aren’t made the same way commercial peanut butter is. Almond butter is typically in its “natural” form, which is very oily and will not work well in this recipe. So if you’re wondering whether or not you can use natural style peanut butter, the answer is no UNLESS it’s the no-stir kind.
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CAKE
It could not be simpler to make this cookie cake. In fact, if you can pour ingredients together, you can make this cookie cake dough.
Since we’re using melted butter, you’re just adding ingredients to a bowl and stirring them together.
Once the dough is ready, press it into a pan. I like to use a 9″ springform pan for my cookie cakes, but you can also use an 8″ pan, traditional round cake or springform, or use an 8″ or 9″ pie plate.
If you use something other than a springform pan, you’ll just have to work a little harder to get the cookie cake out of the pan. The springform method lets you remove the outer ring and keep the cookie cake intact before slicing.
Peanut Butter Cookie Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180g) peanut butter1
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (57g) peanut butter chips
- SUGGESTED: full recipe for chocolate fudge frosting or ½ recipe peanut butter buttercream for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9" springform pan2 with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.1 and ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter chips to disperse evenly.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (180g) peanut butter1, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup (57g) peanut butter chips
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until cookie dough comes together. Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 21-23 minutes until edges begin to brown. You may cover the cake with foil to prevent browning, if preferred. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack completely before decorating with frosting.
- Remove cooled cookie cake from springform pan and place on serving platter. Fill a piping bag with the frosting of your choice and decorate the cookie cake. I like to use a Wilton 1M tip. If using, add sprinkles before frosting sets. Cookie cake remains fresh covered tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days. Undecorated cookie cake may be frozen, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before decorating.
Notes
- Peanut butter: I like creamy peanut butter in this recipe since it uses peanut butter chips for texture, but you can use crunchy peanut butter with the same results. Do not use natural style nut butter.
- Pan: alternatively, you may use a 9″ pie plate or a 8″ or 9″ round or square baking pan.
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.
Happy, happy birthday!!!!! Girl – I’m right there with you on the oatmeal cookies – best ever (yet another reason we’re friends, right? haha) but this giant peanut butter cookie looks like the PERFECT way to celebrate. Hope your day is filled with much joy and laughter!
Thank you so much, Leah! I’m so glad we agree on lots of things, including oatmeal cookies! xoxo
Wow, looks amazing !! I am right there with you on loving the oatmeal cookies–anyway you want to make them long as I can eat them!! Happy Happy Birthday!!
Thanks so much, Cindy!
Happy birthday Lynn! I think this would be an excellent birthday treat! And oatmeal cookies in any form and whoever loves them is a friend of mine 🙂 hope you had a great day!
Thanks so much, Courtney!
Happy, happy birthday! I hope this is the best one yet!
Thanks so much, Julie!
Happy birthday!!!! Lynn, you are one of the most talented, driven, passionate, creative women I know and I am so happy to call you a friend 🙂
I hope today is the best of days, and that your boys spoil you!
Also, need to make this cake ASAP because PB is LIFE!
Thank you so much, Amy! You are such a sweet friend and I am so glad I have you in my life, even if it means different hemispheres, seasons, and time zones/days. Haha.
Happy bday, Lynn! This is the best possible cake to celebrate your big day. PB + Cookie + Cake? It can’t get any better!
Thank you so much, Sabine!
I made your cake/cookie for a birthday cake. I worried my group had too much cake in the recent week and would prefer something different. I called it right because someone else had bought a cake (really?) for the birthday person. The group LOVE anything PB so I felt this would be right. I’ll admit mine wasn’t as fancy as yours but I used both frostings and decorated the top with sprinkles to make it look pretty and it was well received and the taste test was a big thumbs up! Thanks for a great recipe!!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing with your friends!
I am making this recipe now for our Memorial Day picnic! Just wondering when you add the pb chips? It’s listed in the ingredients but isn’t mentioned in the instructions.
That’s my bad for forgetting that in the steps. Recipe has been updated. Thanks!
Sounds yummy…definitely gonna make this on Monday!!!
Can’t wait to hear about it!