How to Make Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Step 1 - Preheat the oven: Set the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using parchment is important here because flourless cookies have no dry coating of flour to prevent sticking, so they will adhere firmly to an unlined or ungreased pan and break apart when you try to lift them.

Step 2 - Mix the dough: Combine the peanut butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture comes together into a thick, uniform dough. If you are using vanilla extract or baking soda, add them at this stage and mix until fully incorporated. The dough will look quite stiff and dense, which is exactly right, because this consistency is what allows it to hold its shape in the oven without spreading too thin.

Step 3 - Portion the dough: Scoop the dough using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop and roll each portion between your palms into a smooth, round ball about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Keeping the portions consistent in size is important because cookies that are different sizes will bake at different rates, so the smaller ones will overbake while you wait for the larger ones to finish.

Step 4 - Press the crosshatch: Place each dough ball on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart, then press down with the tines of a fork in one direction and again in the perpendicular direction to create the classic crosshatch pattern. This step does more than decorate the cookie. It also flattens the ball into a disc shape that bakes evenly, because an unflattened ball would remain rounded and the center would stay raw while the outside dried out.

Step 5 - Add the finishing touch: If you are using flaky sea salt, sprinkle a small pinch over the top of each cookie right before the pan goes into the oven. The salt crystals melt slightly during baking and create a subtle, complex contrast against the sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the peanut butter that makes each bite taste noticeably more refined.

Step 6 - Bake until just set: Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, checking at the 9-minute mark to assess the edges. The edges should look lightly golden and feel just set to a gentle touch, while the center should still appear slightly soft and underdone. Do not wait for the cookies to look fully baked in the oven, because they will continue firming up from the residual heat of the pan for several minutes after you remove them.

Step 7 - Cool on the pan: Let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet for at least 5 full minutes before attempting to move them. Flourless cookies are significantly more fragile when warm than flour-based versions because there is no gluten network to hold them together before they cool, so moving them too early can cause cracking or crumbling at the edges even if they looked perfectly baked.

Step 8 - Transfer and serve: Once the cookies feel firm enough to lift without flexing, transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. They are excellent eaten slightly warm with a glass of cold milk, but they also improve after resting for a few hours as the sugar fully sets and the texture becomes even more tender and consistent throughout the center.