These chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies are thick, soft and loaded with peanut butter flavor, pockets of melty chocolate and topped a hint of sea salt! If you like peanut butter, try my fluffernutter cookies or peanut butter espresso cookies next.

Close up of a peanut butter cookie with large chocolate chunks

I have a not-so-secret affection for my fluffernutter cookies. Sure, they’re a bit more work than I would normally want to put into a cookie recipe, but good lord are they worth it.

I adore thin, chewy cookies and they’re exactly what I want in a peanut butter cookie.

… until I want something else. And that something else is a thick, soft peanut butter cookie. But I tend to get bored with only a single flavor, so I add big chunks of chocolate to satisfy my tastebud’s requirement for variety.

Close up of a peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie with a bite taken out showing the soft inside with melted chocolate

And then I also add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt because I also adore sweet and salty combinations. This isn’t a requirement, and not even something I do every time – but it’s a solid assumption that of given the option, I will.

Thankfully, these chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies aren’t difficult to make, and a single batch can yield between 16 and 20 cookies, so it will keep me happy for a while… you know, if I limit myself to one cookie a day.

But let’s be honest – I don’t have that much self control.

Tips for making chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies

Use nonstick spray on a measuring cup for your peanut butter. I’ve been doing this trick for years – spray a measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray, spoon in your peanut butter (and level off the top), and then flip it upside down into your bowl.

It should come out easily and your measuring cup will be mostly clean!

Three photo collage showing the process of coating a measuring cup with nonstick spray to easily measure and remove peanut butter

Use creamy peanut butter. The natural kind of peanut butter you need to stir could be too oily (but if it’s well combined, you might get lucky), and chunky peanut butter will yield different results, texture wise, potentially creating a more crumbly cookie.

Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature egg and peanut butter will incorporate more easily.

Fold in your chocolate chunks with a spatula. You can use the lowest speed on your mixer for a few seconds, but I find that it could accidentally overmix the dough – so I always fold them in using a spatula or wooden spoon.

Four photo collage showing the process of beginning to make peanut butter cookie dough

You do need to let the dough chill. Not long – only 30 minutes. If you’re making them the night before and they’re spending that long in the fridge, just let them come back to room temperature a bit (15-30 minutes) before baking.

If they’re too chill, they won’t spread much at all and they’re have a tough time cooking through in the middle without burning on the edges.

Four photo collage showing the process of making peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie dough

Press a chocolate chunk or two into the top. This is really just for presentation’s sake, but I like to set aside 1 ounce of chocolate chunks to add to the top of each cookie before baking.

Add flaky sea salt! I almost always do this, but you don’t have to. Right before baking I add a small sprinkle of Maldon flake salt to the top of each cookie – but don’t overdo it, a little goes a long way.

Overhead shot of a pile of peanut butter cookies with large chocolate chunks and sprinkles of sea salt

I brought these to a little gathering with friends shortly after Christmas, and everyone was a huge fan. I swear, I can still smell their intoxicating aroma wafting through my mind.

… that feels like as good a reason as any to go make some more right now. Ready, set, go!