I absolutely love anything with peanut butter flavour, so chewy peanut butter cookies are right up my street.
Brown sugar often gives cookies extra moisture and a deeper flavour, which helps create a chewy texture. If you don’t have brown sugar on hand (or can’t easily find it where you live), this version swaps it out with a few simple adjustments so you can still get soft, chewy cookies with crisp edges and intense peanut butter flavour.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies Without Using Brown Sugar
Brown sugar’s molasses adds both moisture and flavour. Replacing it with plain white sugar without any adjustments usually yields a flat, brittle cookie. To mimic the moisture and depth of flavour from brown sugar, this recipe uses browned butter and a touch of honey alongside caster (or granulated) sugar. The result is a classic peanut butter cookie texture and flavour without brown sugar.
Start by browning the butter. Browned butter brings caramel-like notes and complexity that replace the flavour contribution of molasses. Melt the butter over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally. The butter will foam, then the foam subsides and small brown flecks form on the pan. Pour the browned butter into a dish and let it cool to room temperature.
While the butter cools, toast the peanuts for extra crunch and deeper peanut flavour. Spread unsalted peanuts on a rimmed baking tray and toast at 180°C/350°F for about 5 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Allow them to cool slightly, then roughly chop and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together plain flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
To replace the molasses note from brown sugar, add honey to the sugar. Place caster (or granulated) sugar and the honey in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer. Mix on medium until the honey is fully incorporated and the mixture has the texture of damp sand—this helps mimic brown sugar’s moisture.
Add the cooled browned butter and creamy, homogenised peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter) to the sugar mixture. Mix on medium-high until pale and aerated, scraping the bowl as needed. Add vanilla, two whole eggs and one extra egg yolk—the yolk increases chewiness—and mix until combined.
Scrape down the bowl, then add the dry ingredients and mix on low just until the flour is incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Fold in the toasted chopped peanuts until evenly distributed.
If you prefer, fold in an equal weight of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Transfer the dough to plastic wrap, press into a compact rectangle, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. Chilling firms the dough and improves texture.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line baking trays with parchment. Portion the dough with a cookie scoop or a 2-tablespoon measure into roughly 24 balls and space them evenly on two trays.
You can freeze the formed dough balls on the trays until solid, then transfer to an airtight container and bake from frozen—adding 2–3 minutes to the baking time.
Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are crisp and browned while the centers remain soft. Let cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies Without Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 50 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 50 g (1/3 cup) unsalted peanuts
- 200 g (1 1/2 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
- 5 g (3/4 tsp) salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 250 g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
- 35 g (5 tsp) honey
- 250 g (1 cup) creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Flaky salt, optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Add the butter to a small saucepan and brown it over medium-high heat until you see brown flecks. Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
- Toast the peanuts on a rimmed tray for about 5 minutes until lightly golden. Cool slightly and roughly chop.
- Whisk flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
- Mix sugar and honey together until the texture resembles damp sand. Add the cooled browned butter and peanut butter and beat until pale and aerated. Add eggs, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Scrape the bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Fold in the chopped peanuts.
- Shape the dough into a rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two trays with parchment. Portion dough into 24 2-tablespoon balls and space evenly.
- Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes until edges are crisp and centers remain soft. Cool on the tray 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Use the weight measurement for salt when possible to ensure consistent seasoning.
- Caster (superfine) sugar is preferred; granulated sugar can be used measure-for-measure.
- Use classic homogenised creamy peanut butter (e.g., Jif or Skippy) rather than natural peanut butter.
- A stand mixer speeds the process but a hand mixer works fine.
- To freeze dough: portion first, freeze on trays until solid, then transfer to an airtight container. Bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes to baking time.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
These cookies are nutty, chewy and full of peanut flavour — a great family favourite any time of year.
Have questions or want to share how they turned out? Leave a comment below.
