Name: Spooky Halloween Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 57 min
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 113 gm (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened*; 264 gm (1 cup) creamy peanut butter (not natural or organic); 180 gm (3/4 cup, firmly packed) light brown sugar; 100 gm (1/2 cup) granulated sugar; 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 187 gm (1 1/2 cups, spoon & leveled) all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 73 gm (1/3 cup) peanut butter chips; 73 gm (1/3 cup) semisweet chocolate chips; 73 gm (1/3 cup) candy M&Ms; 73 gm (1/3 cup) candy corn; 20 gm (1/3 cup) pretzels, broken into pieces; Candy eyeballs for decoration

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A thick, soft, & moist peanut butter cookie that is packed with Halloween goodies! Peanut butter & chocolate chips, M&M’s, candy corn, and pretzels make for the perfect sweet & salty combo. Decorated with cute candy eyeballs for a little spooky twist!

Current obsession: these Spooky Halloween Peanut Butter Cookies. I almost named them Halloween Kitchen Sink Cookies because I’ve managed to pack so much into these, but that just sounded strange. Also thought about Halloween Monster Cookies, but that’s too on the nose.

So “Spooky Halloween Peanut Butter Cookies” it is.

But regardless of what they’re called, these are Halloween treat perfection. First of all, they are ADORABLE. Second of all, they are DELICIOUS. Third of all, they are way fun to make with kiddos. Again, Halloween treat perfection. The Halloween treat trifecta, if you will.

A peanut butter cookie that’s thick, super soft, and oh so moist. Your teeth just sink in so easily. It’s delightful. I packed these cookies with all sorts of fun Halloween-y goodies & mix-ins like M&M’s, candy corn, pretzels, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips. Sounds like a lot, but trust me, it works. It’s the ultimate sweet-salty fix. You can call these “balanced” if you want to be all sophisticated, but also, let’s not take ourselves too seriously because there are candy eyeballs involved.

Speaking of candy eyeballs, did I mention these are way fun to make with kiddos? Quick soapbox: if you have babies in your home, bake with them! It’s messy & requires patience, but it creates memories and fun and teaches them life skills. Okay, soapbox over.

I hope y’all love these cookies as much as I do! Happy baking, friends!

What you’ll need to make these cookies:

Butter: Adds moisture, flavor, & helps cookies spread in the oven.

Creamy Peanut Butter: Brings lots of peanut butter flavor! I used JIF peanut butter for these cookies. Just be sure to avoid the natural or organic peanut butter that requires stirring.

Brown sugar: Adds moisture, sweetness, and a little chewiness.

Sugar: Adds sweetness, tenderizes the cookie dough, and helps cookies spread in the oven.

Eggs: For binding and structure. Using an additional egg yolk adds moisture, richness, and chewiness.

Vanilla: For flavor.

Flour: For structure.

Baking soda: For leavening.

Kosher salt: To balance out all the sweetness. TIP: While I recommend kosher salt, if you don’t have it on hand, use ½ the amount of table salt.

Peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, candy M&M’s, candy corn, & pretzels to make these extra fun and delish. Plus some decorative candy eyeballs to make these super cute for Halloween.

FAQs:

Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!

What kind of peanut butter should I use? Be sure to use a creamy, processed peanut butter like JIF or Skippy. I used JIF peanut butter in my recipe. Don’t use natural or organic peanut butter that requires stirring.

How will I know when these are done? Be careful not to overbake these cookies or they will lose their yummy softness & moisture. Take these out of the oven once the edges are very lightly browned. Don’t wait for the tops to brown or you will end up overbaking them.

Why chill the dough? Chilling the dough allows the flavors to deepen. Also, putting chilled dough in the oven keeps it from spreading too much.

Can I use a smaller or larger cookie scoop? Yes, you can! I went for the big cookie scoop and used a #16 to ensure that each cookie was packed with the various goodies I put in the dough. But if you use a different size scoop, just be sure to adjust your bake times. Smaller cookies will require a few minutes less in the oven and larger cookies will require a few minutes more.

A few notes before you bake:

These cookies don’t spread a ton in the oven, which makes them thick, soft & delicious. But to help them spread a little bit, carefully bang the cookie sheet on the counter a few times after you remove them from the oven. This will help the cookies “deflate” & spread a bit more as they cool.