This irresistible sourdough peanut butter cookie recipe is soft, sweet and full of peanut butter flavor. This is the perfect way to use up extra sourdough starter discard.
Sourdough starter isn’t just for sourdough bread. Anything that has flour (for the most part) can be fermented and turned into a delicious recipe.
Some days I think I’ve thought about all the sourdough recipes I can possibly think of, but alas something new comes to mind. One of the many reasons I love homemaking. It allows the time to explore and create and breaks up the monotonous tasks of the day to day.
For me, there is nothing better than being in the kitchen creating new recipes for my family and friends to enjoy.
This recipe is one of those. Super yummy and hard to stop at just one. Everyone will enjoy this sourdough twist to a classic.
Why you will love this recipe:
Soft and chewy: These are the best chewy peanut butter cookies.
Great way to use sourdough discard: These days, I never toss my extra discard — I use them for recipes like these peanut butter sourdough cookies. Need more sourdough discard recipes? Check out a whole list of them here.
Can be made quick, or long fermented for more health benefits. If you can’t tolerate unfermented grains, no worries. These cookies can be long fermented for better digestion.
Tips:
- For easy clean up, line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For this recipe, an active sourdough starter or discard will work. It is a great way to use up extra starter, adds slight tanginess, and if long fermented will help break down the grains.
- If you are new to sourdough, check out how to make a sourdough starter here and how to take care of one here.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This makes the cookies soft and chewy.
- If using natural peanut butter, make sure to stir super well or get the no stir kind.
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Ingredients:
Butter – Unsalted butter, soft room temperature. This allows the butter and sugars to cream together until nice and fluffy.
Peanut butter – Preferably creamy peanut butter. I used a natural peanut butter.
Brown sugar – Dark brown sugar has the most flavor, light brown will also work.
Sugar – The combination of white sugar and brown sugar makes these cookies chewy.
Egg
Vanilla extract – Homemade or store-bought
Sourdough starter – sourdough discard or active starter will work for this recipe
All purpose flour
Leaveners – Baking powder and baking soda give the cookies the perfect amount of rise.
Salt
Tools you may need:
Stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl and hand mixer.
Parchment paper
Silicon spatula
FAQ:
Why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies?
Peanut butter can make the dough a bit dense, pressing the fork marks into the cookies ensures even baking.
Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking?
It is not required to refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking, but it can help reduce the cookie from spreading.
Why can’t you use natural peanut butter in cookies?
You can use natural peanut butter as long as it has been well mixed.
How To Make Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter. Cream together for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
Add egg and mix until well incorporated.
Add vanilla and sourdough starter and mix until just combined.
In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients about 1/3 at a time, and mix until just incorporated.
Roll the dough into balls and place on a prepared baking sheet.
Using a fork, gently press the dough ball with the prongs of the fork. Then, turn the fork 90 degrees and press again to flatten and make a criss cross pattern.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
Move to a cooling rack to cool. Serve with a cold glass of milk.
Long Fermented Peanut butter cookies:
- The night before, mix together butter, sugar, peanut butter, sourdough starter and flour in a stand mixer bowl and cover. Allow the grains to ferment for 8-24 hours.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 350.
- Add egg and vanilla to the sourdough starter mixture, and mix together well.
- Sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients into the bowl and stir.
- For best results, refrigerate dough for at least one hour or up to 24 hours prior to baking.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn a golden amber color.
Storage:
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 days, if they last that long! Freeze up to 6 month for longer term storage.
Peanut Butter Cookie Variations:
Add chocolate chips! I like using the mini chips. Switch it up and add white chocolate chips.
Peanut butter blossoms. Roll into balls of dough. Stick a Hershey Kiss on top of each dough ball and bake.
Swap out peanut butter for sunflower seed butter to make these nut free.
Mix in candied peanuts for a salty-sweet crunch.
Find More Delicious Cookie Recipes:
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sourdough Sugar Cookies
- Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
- Rustic Granola Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- The Best Lactation Cookies
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars!
Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, room temp
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter. Cream together for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and mix until well incorporated.
- Add vanilla and sourdough starter and mix until just combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients about 1/3 at a time, and mix until just incorporated.
- Roll the dough into balls and place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Using a fork, gently press the dough ball with the prongs of the fork. Then, turn the fork 90 degrees and press again to flatten and make a criss cross pattern.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Move to a cooling rack to cool.
Long Fermented Version
- The night before, mix together butter, sugar, peanut butter, sourdough starter and flour in a stand mixer bowl and cover. Allow the grains to ferment for 8-24 hours.
- The next day, preheat oven to 350.
- Add egg and vanilla to the sourdough starter mixture, and mix together well.
- Sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients into the bowl and stir.
- For best results, refrigerate dough for at least one hour or up to 24 hours prior to baking.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden amber color.
Notes
- For easy clean up, line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For this recipe, active sourdough starter or discard will work. It is a great way to use up extra starter, adds slight tanginess, and if long fermented will help bread down the flour.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This makes the cookies soft and chewy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Please post your recipe measurements both by volume and by weight, which I prefer, especially for flour and sourdough starter.
Thanks!
I am working on converting all my recipes to weight as well. However, it takes time to go through them all. In the meantime, you can use this conversion chart: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/baking-conversion-chart
Used lard instead of butter (out if butter), all natural peanut butter and added chocolate chips, per the kids request and they turned out amazing. These will be a regular cookie recipe in our house!
That is amazing to hear!
Hi Lisa, my favorite cookie in the whole world is oatmeal peanut butter cookie that my grandpa used to make when I was a kid. I’ve been looking for a sourdough version but I haven’t found any with a long overnight ferment. I am wondering about adding old fashion oats to this recipe with the long ferment but not sure if I should add them before or after the long ferment. Do you have any input? I keep hearing from a lot of you tubers that you are the queen of sourdough. I’ve been making your no knead sourdough bread for about 6 months now and my whole family loves it.
I think that would work out just fine. I would add it to the dough for the long ferment since it would help ferment the phytic acid in the oats as well. Not sure if anything would need to change in the recipe to accommodate for the added oats. Thank you for such a kind comment. Glad you love the bread.
I made these with a twist, I added 1/3 cup Pure Sorghum Molasses, 1/3 cup of flour and I cup mini-Chocolate chips. OMG, they turned out great .
Thanks for sharing this with us, Herb! Sounds delicious!
Looking forward to trying this recipe! I’m so grateful my best friend shared your blog, podcast, and videos with me. It’s truly transformed my family’s diet and we are all feeling so much better. You’re a blessing, Lisa.
Do you mind sharing exactly what peanut butter you used? Plain/Natural peanut butters are tricky in baking recipes and I’m looking for more guidance. Thank you!
That warms my heart! So glad these recipes have touched you and your family so much. I used creamy natural peanut butter and made sure to mix it up well before using it in the recipe. Enjoy!
Have you tried this recipe with Einkorn AP flour and starter?
I have not. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.
I couldn’t long ferment and so I used whole wheat Einkorn. Came out fine. Maybe a bit drier than AP, but it’s the first time I’ve made them so can’t really compare.
In the fermentation stage ot says mix the melted butter but the ingredients call for room temp butter. Which should I use for fermentation? Thanks
Either one will work just fine, but I find it a bit easier to incorporate when it is melted.
First time trying this & it was a success! I let it long ferment covered on the counter for about 20 hours, mixed the remaining ingredients & popped it in the fridge for 1 hour to chill. Then used my small PC batter scoop to make uniform 1 Tbsp cookies & pressed with a fork for even cooking. ABSOLUTELY perfect – we love how the sourdough enhances the flavor. I have a GF kiddo & we had no issues. SO thankful I was pointed to sourdough & your blog – made bread & baking fun again 🙂
That is wonderful to hear! Yay. That is just the best. Thankful that fermentation.
Thank you for sharing about the gluten reaction! I can’t tolerate gluten and I am always looking for options!
Hi Lisa! I’m trying out these cookies using the long ferment. I’m not seeing when to add the sugar in your instructions for the long ferment. Thanks!
Jen
Oopsies. Add it in the first step. I’ll get that fixed. Thanks.
Thank you! I ended up just doing the quick version this time, and they turned out amazing! So moist!
FYI, You added it in the body but not in the recipe portion.
Updated! Thank you!
Not sure what I may have done wrong, but the cookies were dry and cakey, not chewy at all. I always like to read other people’s reviews for tips before starting, but no reviews are posted under the recipe.