20-Minute Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Wouldn't it be great if all recipes required just 20 minutes in the kitchen? Well, not all of them can be that way, otherwise we'd have some under-baked casseroles, and sad, raw loaves of bread. Okay, maybe not every recipe should be a 20-minute one, but we sure do appreciate the ones that are — for example, these quick and easy 20-minute peanut butter cookies, courtesy of recipe developer Catherine Brookes. Not only do these cookies take just 20 minutes to make between prep and cooking time, but they only require a mere 4 ingredients!

"My favorite thing about this recipe is watching 4 simple ingredients transform into a batch of perfectly soft, sweet, delicious cookies," Brookes describes. "These are absolutely packed with peanut flavor." For those of you who think that chocolate chip cookies are a bit overrated, these peanut butter confections are definitely for you. Even the most novice of bakers can acquire these ingredients, and whip up a batch of these cookies, so without further ado, let's dive right in. 

Like we've covered, you'll only need 4 ingredients to make these cookies, and the star ingredient is none other than creamy peanut butter. You'll also need brown sugar, a single egg, and a bit of vanilla extract to round out the cookies. "You could certainly swap the creamy peanut butter for crunchy, and the brown sugar for white sugar, if preferred," Brookes notes. 

Kick things off by preheating your oven to 350 F, then line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Now, it's time to mix up some nutty batter. In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon to mix it all together — it may be a bit tough to mix at first because the peanut butter is so sticky, but you should get it to a nice, cohesive consistency with a little elbow grease.

With the dough all mixed up, you can start to form balls with your hands. Try to make sure that each cookie ball is roughly the same size — Brookes made hers about 1.4 ounces each. Lay each ball out on the baking sheet, and be sure to leave a little space in between each one. Then, use a fork to press down twice on each ball, which will flatten the cookies, and give them that classic criss-cross pattern. Then, into the oven the cookies go for 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes are up, remove the cookies from the oven. Leave them to cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes, then transfer them over to wire racks to finish the cooling process. Then, you're ready to dive in! "These cookies are great enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee, or dipped into milk," Brookes suggests. "You can also dip one half into melted chocolate for some extra indulgence."

And, if you happen to have leftovers, storage won't be a problem at all. "These should keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days," Brookes notes.