Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
Learn how to make the best sourdough peanut butter cookies with your sourdough starter discard.
These cookies are soft and chewy, loaded with peanut butter flavor, and have the perfect amount of sweetness in every bite!
If you are looking for a delicious and easy way to use up leftover sourdough discard, you've found it!
Just like our sourdough ginger molasses cookies, sourdough snickerdoodles, sourdough oatmeal cookies, and sourdough chocolate chip cookies, this is one easy cookie recipe you'll want to make on repeat!
Because there is no need to refrigerate the cookie dough, the cookies can be baked right away or long fermented to get the most benefit from your sourdough starter.
Not only will you love how easy these sourdough discard peanut butter cookies are to make, but your family will go crazy over how delicious they are!
Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients
- peanut butter: Either creamy or chunky peanut butter with peanuts can be used in this cookie recipe depending on your preference. I used creamy natural peanut butter with no added ingredients.
- sourdough starter discard: This recipe was created as a way to use up discarded starter but it also works with active starter. Let the starter come to room temperature if it has been in the fridge for easy mixing.
- butter: Make sure to use unsalted butter that has been brought to room temperature. This will help make it easy to cream with the sugar.
- brown and white sugar: The combination of the two sugars elevates the flavor of the peanut butter. The brown sugar helps to add moisture to a chewy peanut butter cookie.
- egg: Let the egg come to room temperature for easier mixing.
- vanilla extract: Make your own homemade vanilla extract or use store-bought.
- all-purpose flour: We use organic all-purpose flour but it could also be made with bread flour.
- baking soda and baking powder: Used as leavening agents so the cookies rise and keep their shape as they bake.
- salt: A small amount of salt helps to bring all of the flavors together.
TIP: Add a cup of chocolate chips to the dough for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
How to make sourdough peanut butter cookies from scratch
Start by adjusting the baking rack to the center position. If baking right away, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
The dough can be mixed by hand or in a stand mixer. If using a stand mixer, you'll want to use the paddle attachment to mix the dough.
Step 1: Mix the batter
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter, sourdough starter, peanut butter, brown and white sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
NOTE: At this point, you can bake right away or cover the bowl and transfer the dough to the fridge for up to 3 days for a long ferment.
Step 2: Scoop onto a baking sheet
Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to portion the dough and transfer each one to the prepared baking sheet. You should be able to fit 12 per cookie sheet.
Use the back of a fork, dipped in flour, to make a criss cross pattern on the top of each dough ball. Press the round mound of dough into a flat disc while making the pattern.
Step 3: Bake
Bake the peanut butter cookies for 9-11 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to remain on the baking sheet for 10 minutes so they are easy to pick up without falling apart. They need this time to cool down and set up properly.
Step 4: Cool
Carefully transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to continue to cool.
How to store
Keep your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, and they will stay fresh for up to a week. If you prefer, you can also store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container, and they will stay good for up to 6 months.
I like to keep some in the freezer so I can have one whenever I want. They taste great with my morning coffee!
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Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies
INGREDIENTS
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¾ cup (175 g) creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup (100 g) sourdough discard (room temperature)
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- To get started, place the oven rack in the middle position. If you're ready to bake now, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. You can mix the dough by hand or use a stand mixer. When using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment for mixing the dough.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl and set them aside. In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter, sourdough starter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. (At this point, you can cover the bowl and transfer the dough to the fridge for up to 3 days for a long ferment.)
- Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop out portions of the dough and place each one on the prepared baking sheet. You should be able to fit 12 portions on each cookie sheet. Take the back of a fork, dip it in flour, and press it down in a criss-cross pattern on the top of each dough ball. While making the pattern, gently flatten the round mound of dough into a disc shape.
- Bake the peanut butter cookies for 9-11 minutes or until they are golden brown. Take the tray out of the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. This will allow them to cool down and firm up, making it easier to handle without falling apart.
- Carefully transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack and allow them to continue to cool. Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can also be stored in the fridge in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.
Could I make these with browned butter?
Yes you can.
Delicious. Thank you!
So good! Thank you for the recipe! My starter was still pretty active when I made it but my family loved it. They were so soft and the perfect sweetness.
Very enjoyable PB cookie. Thank you for sharing the recipe. This one held up nice with using half the sugar and subbing granulated sugar instead of flour on the fork to press them down before baking.
can you use crunchy peanut butter?
Yes
These look so good - Can I sub maple syrup or honey for the refined sugar or will that mess up the cookie texture?
Hi Liz, yes you can! You may just want to cut the honey or maple syrup in half since it's much sweeter than sugar.
Literally the best peanut butter cookies I've ever had!
These are so good!
First time not giving 5 stars simply b/c these were not sweet enough, which is something I never say. I followed the recipe and did not long ferment the dough but they just felt more like a breakfast cookie rather than a treat. Which might not be all bad, I was just surprised and had made them to be a sweet treat at the holiday.
Hi Anita, Thank you for your feedback! I'm sorry the sweetness wasn’t quite what you were expecting. If you'd like them to be a bit more of a treat next time, you could try adding an extra two tablespoons or so of sugar. I appreciate you giving the recipe a shot, and I hope they still found a happy place on the holiday table! If you try adjusting the sweetness, let me know how it turns out—I’d love to hear!
If I wanted yo add 1/4 cup more PB to give more flavor can I just add it or do I need to adjust other ingredients? Best recipe I have found for PB cookies. Excellent..