These soft, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies are studded with crunchy pieces of homemade praline for the perfect nutty treat.
A good peanut butter cookies should be stuffed full of peanut butter flavor in every bite. These cookies take that a step further with a crunchy, nutty, carmel-y praline bits.
These cookies have plenty of peanut butter and are super soft and fluffy. They don’t require any chilling, so you can make them start to finish in about 30 minutes!
How to make praline
Praline is a candy made from nuts and sugar. It sounds fancy, but it’s really easy to make at home. All you need is a skillet and some parchment paper. Here’s how:
- Crush your nuts by placing them in a ziplock bag and smashing with a rolling pin
- Pour your sugar in an even layer in the skillet and add a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness
- Heat on low-medium heat until the sugar melts completely and turns a light golden brown
- Pour the melted sugar onto the parchment paper and immediately sprinkle with the crushed nuts
- Let cool until solid, then smash into small pieces
Tips for perfect praline
- Keep an eye on your sugar, as it will start melting quickly and can burn easily
- Prep the parchment paper ahead of time so you can smoothly transfer the melted sugar from the pan to the sheet
- You can use any nuts that you’d like. I use almonds, but I think peanuts or hazelnuts would also work very well with this recipe.
How to make soft peanut butter cookies
These cookies come together quickly and don’t require any chilling. First, cream together room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. These cookies have more brown sugar than granulated sugar, which keeps them very soft and prevents them from spreading. You’ll then add a heaping half cup of creamy peanut butter. Honestly I just use the cheapest stuff from the grocery store, but any creamy peanut butter should work.
Then, add the eggs and vanilla and finally, mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda until a dough forms. Fold in the praline pieces and shape into balls about 2 tbsp in size.
I bake each tray of cookies one a time to make sure they come out nice and even!
Other cookie recipes to love:
- Super chunky chocolate chip cookies
- White rabbit chocolate cookies
- Ruby and white chocolate chewy matcha cookies
- Cranberry oatmeal cookies
- Fudgy tahini brownie cookies
These cookies are perfect for peanut butters lovers and I hope you love them!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! I always love to see what my readers are baking. You can comment below or tag me on Instagram @halicopteraway.
Soft peanut butter praline cookies
Equipment
- Skillet
- Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
Ingredients
Praline
- 1/4 cup nuts of your choice (I use almonds)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Cookie dough
- 2 cup (250g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (75g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the praline
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
- Place the nuts in a ziptop bag and smash with a rolling pin until coarsely crushed. You can also use a food processor if you have one.
- In a small skillet, add the sugar and salt and spread evenly across the surface of the pan. Over low-medium heat, melt the sugar, stirring occasionally to help evenly distribute the heat.
- Once the sugar is completely melted and golden brown, remove from the stove and quickly pour onto the parchment paper. Immediately sprinkle the surface of the melted sugar with nuts and use a spatula or spoon to press the nuts into the sugar. If you have leftover nuts, set the aside to add to the dough later.
- Once the sugar has completely hardened, use your rolling pin to smash it into small pieces. You can also use a food processor if you have one. Make sure not to crush the pieces too finely.
Make the cookie dough
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a small bowl, mix together the all purpose flour, salt, and baking soda
- In a medium bowl, add your unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to cream together until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and mix until well-incorporated. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well-incorporated.
- Add half the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms. Add the praline pieces and any leftover crushed nuts, and use a spatula to fold them in
- Shape the dough into balls about 2 tbsp large. Place them 1 – 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 13 – 14 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes to firm up.
Hello,
I try your recipe and was fabulous for me, but other didnt like the taste of peanut butter . can i just remove it and will be ok the recipe….
thanks
Hi Maria, you could try replacing the peanut butter with a stick of butter (1/2 cup) instead