Peanut butter espresso cookies are large, thin, chewy peanut butter cookies infused with a smooth espresso taste! Combine it with Mexican hot chocolate cookies and fluffernutter cookies in your collection of chewy cookie recipes.

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I’m in full Christmas mode. The tree is up, the home is decorated, and I’ve already baked and sent a good number of Christmas cookies to neighbors.

I’m not certain that Christmas cookies must be Christmas cookies. They don’t have to be in the form of a snowflake or an ornament. They don’t have to be red and green.

They don’t have to be flavored with peppermint, eggnog, or gingerbread. But I do need cookies.

My taste testers loved these peanut butter espresso cookies, and they’d be a great addition to a Christmas cookie exchange or a plaid-patterned box full of cookies for your friendly local mailman.

And, yes, it is extremely particular since that is what he will be receiving this year (hello, Dave!).

Peanut butter + espresso flavors

I received the inspiration for these cookies from my husband, who enjoys a shot of espresso with toast covered with peanut butter and cinnamon sugar.

It all smells great together and tastes great together, so why not mix them all into one delicious treat?

Peanut butter cookie base recipe

Since you all like my fluffernutter cookies, I chose to base this recipe on the peanut butter foundation recipe. To make them a little thicker, I added a little extra flour and baking powder.

They’re still deliciously chewy, and they smell incredible. I was really disappointed when we finished the final one. Then I may or may not have prepared another batch right away.

I’m not sorry at all.

Ingredients for peanut butter espresso cookies

• Flour, all-purpose
• Coffee powder
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon dust
• Salt
• room temperature unsalted butter
• The peanut butter
• packed with light brown sugar
• Egg
• Authentic vanilla extract

How to make peanut butter espresso cookies

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
2. Combine wet components in a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment (aff link).
3. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until a thick dough forms.
5. Refrigerate the bowl for at least 30 minutes, ideally up to 1 hour, after wrapping it in plastic wrap.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop (affiliate link), divide out each ball of dough on prepared baking sheets, no more than 6 per sheet, equally spaced out with enough of room for the cookies to spread. Gently press down on the top of each cookie until it is approximately half its original height.
7. Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the cookies have spread and begun to crumple on top, at 375°F. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 15 minutes on the baking sheet itself; the cookies will continue to spread and solidify as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack to cool entirely.

Can you use natural peanut butter for cookies?

Yes, technically. Since it’s thinner and (obviously) more oily, natural peanut butter where the oil separates and you have to mix might provide unpredictable results.

or sugar in the recipe since they contain less (or none at all). They spread more and make a crisper cookie, so you may need to modify the quantity of salt and sugar.

Overall, I don’t suggest it, but a creamy natural peanut butter that doesn’t need stirring works well.

How should you store peanut butter cookies?

First and foremost, ensure that they are completely cold before storing them. If you enclose them in a container while they are still warm, they will emit steam and become crumbly or overly soft.

Keep them at room temperature in an airtight jar for up to a week. The cookie jar on the counter may be nice, but it will enable the cookies to become stale, and you don’t want stale cookies!

Put a slice of bread in with them if you see they’re losing their chewiness as the week goes on (she says as if they’ll still be there after that long). The moisture from the bread will permeate into the cookies, keeping them wonderful and chewy!

Tips for making the perfect peanut butter espresso cookies

• Utilize components that are at room temperature. Make sure the butter and egg are at room temperature, since this makes everything simpler to combine with more consistent results because there won’t be any pockets of cooler components that didn’t get entirely mixed in.
• If possible, use freshly ground espresso. Don’t worry if you don’t have an espresso machine (aff link). Pre-ground espresso or espresso powder may be used. In a pinch, ground coffee will suffice, but it will lack the powerful taste of espresso.
• Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Absolutely, the dough must be chilled. If you don’t, they’ll spread too much and lack the wonderfully chewy texture we’re looking for. It also allows the espresso taste to fully blend into the remainder of the dough.
• 2 tablespoons of dough), hence the baking directions are shown below. Reduce the baking time by a minute or two if you like smaller cookies. Add a few minutes if you want them even larger. Make them large! I use a medium cookie scoop (aff link) to divide my out (approximately 1 12 cup).