Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips
Chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips are easy to bake ahead and freeze for special treats. Mix and match the chips for an endless variety of cookie flavors.
Over the years, I've baked a lot of different cookies and treats. In all this time, my husband's very top favorite cookie that I make are these chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips.
We've perfected the recipe over time and any batch of this recipe will disappear in days.
The crispy chewy chocolate cookie is filled to nearly overflowing with peanut butter chips, just the way he loves them. If you prefer a stronger cookie-to-chip ratio, you can absolutely use less peanut butter chips.
No matter how you mix them, plan to put a few in the freezer. We enjoy them ice cold with a tall glass of milk!
Why This is the Best Recipe
Homemade cookies beat store bought cookies every day of the week. I think this is the best chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips recipe because:
- Easy Ingredients: You probably have it all hiding in your pantry right now.
- Quick Mixing: It takes almost no time to mix together the chocolate cookie dough.
- Easy Variations: Peanut butter chips are a must-try but don't stop there! I have several fun flavor variations for you, too.
Ingredients
All you need to make this classic chocolate cookie recipe is:
- Unsweetened Cocoa: I tend to use Hershey's 100% cacao powder because it is easily available and budget-friendly.
- Butter: I always use salted in my cookies, we love that hint of saltiness.
- Peanut Butter Chips: I used two whole 10 oz bags in the cookies you see featured in this post. If you want your cookies less chunky, you'll want to use less.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
Make the Chocolate Cookie Dough
To prep the chocolate cookie dough base, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
I love my hand mixer, but for thick cookie dough like this recipe, my stand mixer is my tool of choice.
Cream the butter and sugars on medium-high until they are light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix them into the dough. Scrape the sides.
Add the cocoa powder and stir it into the dough.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. With the mixer turning on low, slowly pour in the flour. Mix until just combined.
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Add the Peanut Butter Chips
Now it's time to add your sweet candy chips to the cookie dough.
For chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips, pour the peanut butter chips in and let the mixer fold them in.
I used 2 (10oz) bags of peanut butter chips and, as you can see in my pictures, the cookies are very chunky with chips. This is how my husband loves them.
If you're less intense about peanut butter, you may want to use 1.5 bags. If you love the cookie part best and only want a few chips per cookie, just use 1 bag.
Easy Variations
You're going to find that this classic chocolate cookie dough is the perfect base for using with other flavored chips and candies, too.
During the Christmas season, I love to use peppermint crunch candies or white chocolate chips.
You could also fold in mint-flavored M&M candies for a pop of color to your Christmas cookie tray.
Chopped nuts or even regular chocolate chips for a chocolate chocolate chip cookie would be an excellent choice, too.
Chill the Dough
My favorite part about making homemade cookies is that you don't have to do all the work in one day.
You could go right ahead and bake the cookies as soon as the dough is ready or you can chill it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
You could even freeze the cookie dough for baking later. Just let it thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking pans with parchment paper.
Use a large table spoon to scoop rounded portions of cookie dough, about 2 tablespoons worth of dough, and shape the portions into round balls.
Use your hands to gently flatten the balls into disc shapes like this:
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes exactly. They will seem a little underdone but let them cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage Tips
Keep the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week.
Our favorite storage method is to bundle completely cooled cookies into freezer bags and store them in the freezer.
We can't resist eating them ice cold straight from the freezer. I'm not sure why they taste so good that way, but they really, really do.
Serving Suggestions
Freshly baked chocolate cookies are the perfect treat any time but this fantastic recipe makes an excellent Christmas cookie recipe for adding some chocolate to your cookie tray.
They'd also be a sweet Easter treat to bake for the kids. Serve them in big platters for a college graduation party dessert.
Cookies are so portable, they make a perfect easy party dessert any time.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
If you love baking cookies with chocolate chips and other flavored chips, you won't want to miss these other delicious recipes:
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 (10 oz) bags of peanut butter chips for less chunky cookies use just 1 bag
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. With the stand mixer on low, slowly add the flour until just combined. Fold in the peanut butter chips.
- Drop the dough on the prepared baking sheets using a rounded table spoon. Slightly dampen your hands and flatten the dough into thick discs.
- Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone).
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Editor's Note: This is one of the original recipes I first shared on this website. I've since updated it with all new photos and better instructions. You may be more familiar with this original photo but this is still the same excellent recipe:
My wife made these for me and I love them!
Superb post! Love what you do!
Me too!