The Original and Best Fluffernutter Cookies Recipe
Fluffernutter cookies are the classic New England fluffernutter sandwich turned into a cookie and one of the most popular cookie recipes on this site! Thin, chewy peanut butter cookies are filled with swirls of marshmallow fluff. If you like these, try these fluffernutter bars or fluffernutter rice krispie treats.
Stephanie said: “I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and since then, I’ve made them maybe 4 times (in less than 4 months lol) they are absolutely amazing! My husband's coworkers go bananas over them. Thank you for such an amazing cookie! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“
Is fluffernutter a New England thing?
Classic fluffernutter sandwiches are a New England staple. So much so, in fact, that it's considered the unofficial sandwich of Massachusetts (and has been proposed to be the official sandwich).
Additionally, there is a festival in Somerville, Massachusetts every year called “What the Fluff?” that celebrates the sandwich's sticky and sweet goodness. AND October 8th is National Fluffernutter Day.
So… what I'm getting at, is that its popularity in New England is well-established. The fact that they don't hand you a t-shirt with a fluffernutter sandwich on it when you move here is almost shocking.
Some people are hardcore fluffernutter loyalists and seeing me do things like that makes them cringe. If you are one of those people, you may want to leave this page. Because now I've transformed fluffernutter sandwiches into a cookie and it's my new favorite thing in the entire world. As people from Massachusetts would say, they're “fluffanutta cookies”.
Peanut butter marshmallow cookies are infinitely better than the fluffernutter sandwich, sorrynotsorry.
Key Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – I've never tried it with another kind of flour, so can't speak to the results you might see with anything else. Just make sure your flour is measured properly!
- Baking soda – Baking soda, not powder! My goal was for these to be on the thinner side, and powder would puff them up more than I'd like.
- Salt – I add a little to balance out the sweetness, but if the peanut butter you're using is particularly salty, you might not need to add the extra salt.
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature butter is key here – make sure you know what room temperature butter looks like so that you're not using butter that's too cold or too melty.
- Peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter is best for this, and make sure you're giving your peanut butter a really good stir if you're using natural peanut butter with oil.
- Light brown sugar – We're only using light brown sugar, and not a combination of granulated and light or dark. This keeps the cookie from being too sweet, but still having a fully developed flavor.
- Egg – You want to lightly beat the egg before adding it to the dough. Room-temperature eggs incorporate into the dough easier than cold eggs.
- Pure vanilla bean paste or extract – This really rounds out the flavors in the cookie.
- Marshmallow Fluff – Fluff is the star of the show! I give you guidelines on how much to use, but really, measure with your heart. Just don't use too much, because then your cookies won't hold together.
Is marshmallow fluff the same as marshmallow creme?
Nope, marshmallow fluff and marshmallow creme are actually different products. Funny enough, it’s right there in the name – marshmallow creme is more creamy, and marshmallow fluff is fluffier. I very much prefer and recommend Fluff for this recipe – look for Fluff in the white container with a red lid.
How to make fluffernutter cookies
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined.
Step 3: Add egg and vanilla extract.
Step 4: Beat to combine.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the bowl of the peanut butter mixture.
Step 6: Beat again (starting on low speed to avoid splashing the flour mixture everywhere and then increasing speed) to combine until you have a thick dough.
Step 7: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably up to 1 hour.
Step 8: Grab a medium cookie scoop and fill it halfway with dough, pressing it into the bottom and up the sides. Make an indentation in the middle and pipe about a teaspoon of marshmallow fluff into the center of the dough.
Step 9: Top with more dough to fill the scoop.
Step 10: Place each ball of dough on the prepared baking sheet, with no more than 6 on each sheet, evenly spaced out with plenty of room for the cookies to spread.
Step 11: Bake for 8-9 minutes until the cookies have spread and started to crinkle on top. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for at least 15 minutes on the cookie sheet itself – they will continue to spread and set a bit more as they cool.
Step 12: Carefully move the baked cookies to wire racks to cool completely. You'll notice they've spread a bit more and crinkled! Now grab a glass of milk and get ready to dig in.
8 tips for making fluffernutter cookies
Here's what I learned in all my trial and error:
1. The butter needs to be at room temperature. If you use cold butter, they're puffier. If you use melted butter, you end up with a thin and crispy mess.
2. They need to be 100% light brown sugar, not a combination of granulated and brown sugar. This was more of a flavor thing for me – I wanted them to be less sweet than a traditional peanut butter cookie.
3. You have to omit baking powder altogether. I tried using smaller and smaller amounts of it in the peanut butter cookie dough, but any amount seemed to cause them to puff up more than I wanted. I was afraid that completely omitting it would cause them to be flat and crispy, but my fears were unfounded! Chewy, thin cookies with crinkles on top are key.
4. I needed to use less flour than I felt made sense. I thought that 1 cup was as low as I could go, but it still didn't have the texture I wanted until I cut it down to 2/3 cup. And to be totally honest, 3/4 cup came out the same way for me so you could try that, too.
5. Chilling the dough is essential. Non-optional. Don't even think about not chilling the dough! It might even be the most important step out of all of the steps in this recipe.
6. I highly recommend doubling this recipe since it only makes 12 relatively large cookies, and they're going to be hard to part with. You know… maybe triple it. Yeah, go ahead and triple it.
7. Put the marshmallow Fluff in a piping bag to make things easier. That way, you can put some of the peanut butter dough in the cookie scoop, pipe in some of the fluff, then top it with more dough.
8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They're going to come out of the oven a bit puffy, but they will flatten and crinkle while they cool and set on the pan. After 15 minutes or so, you can move them to a wire cooling rack.
How to store fluffernutter cookies
Store cookies for up to 1 week in an airtight container, with parchment paper between layers.
Variations
Some of my readers have written me to tell me the different methods of how they've made my fluffernutter cookies, and I'd like to share them with you, too!
- Adding peanut butter chips
- Adding mini marshmallows
- Using a large cookie scoop and sticking large marshmallows in the center of each cookie instead of fluff
- Omitting the marshmallow aspect altogether and just enjoying them as thin, chewy, soft peanut butter cookies
Everyone will rave about these peanut butter and fluff cookies
I brought these cookies to work a few days after I made them and while I was sitting around, I overheard one of my coworkers telling others in a meeting: “They're SO GOOD. No joke, one of the top five cookies of MY LIFE.”
And this is coming from someone who isn't much of a cookie person – she'd take a cake over a cookie any day of the week. I don't take feedback like that lightly.
If your friends are anything like mine, fluffernutter cookies are going to be in high demand after the first time you make them – so prepare yourself.
Product Recommendations
For what it's worth, here's what I use for these fluffernutter cookies (affiliate links):
Other Recipes with Marshmallow Fluff
- If you want a marshmallow fluff dessert with a little less work, try my ooey-gooey fluffernutter rice krispie treats
- Or if you're okay with a little extra effort, these fluffernutter bars have a thick peanut butter bar base with homemade marshmallow frosting
- You could go the s'mores route with these easy s'mores cookies that are filled with fluff
FAQs
Fluffernutter is a combination of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.
Nope, marshmallow fluff and marshmallow creme are actually different products. Funny enough, it’s right there in the name – marshmallow creme is more creamy, and marshmallow fluff is fluffier. I very much prefer and recommend Fluff for this recipe – look for Fluff in the white container with a red lid.
Store cookies for up to 1 week in an airtight container, with parchment paper between layers.
They are! So much so, in fact, that fluffernutters are considered the unofficial sandwich of Massachusetts (and has been proposed to be the official sandwich). Additionally, there is a festival in Somerville, Massachusetts every year called “What the Fluff?” that celebrates the sandwich's sticky and sweet goodness. AND October 8th is National Fluffernutter Day.
Funny enough, marshmallow fluff isn't even made with marshmallows – but it does taste similar to marshmallows.
Leaving a comment and star rating is a great (and free) way to support Stress Baking. After you've enjoyed this recipe, click on the stars below and leave a comment to share your experience – thank you!
Fluffernutter Cookies Recipe (Peanut Butter and Marshmallow)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature* (see notes below)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, well-stirred if using natural
- 1 ⅓ cups light brown sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup marshmallow fluff, depending on how much you add to each cookie
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.2/3 cup (83 ⅓ g) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking sodaPinch salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined.8 tablespoons unsalted butter1 cup (258 g) creamy peanut butter1 1/3 cups (293 ⅓ g) light brown sugar
- Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine.1 egg1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl of peanut butter mixture and beat again (starting on low speed to avoid splashing the flour mixture everywhere and then increasing speed) to combine until you have a thick dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably up to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare two baking sheets with nonstick silicone mats or parchment paper and set aside.
- Grab a medium cookie scoop and fill it halfway with dough, pressing it into the bottom and up the sides. Make an indentation in the middle and pipe or spoon about a teaspoon of marshmallow fluff into the center of the dough. Top with more dough to cover the marshmallow filling.2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup marshmallow fluff
- Place each ball of dough on prepared baking sheets, with no more than 6 on each, evenly spaced out with plenty of room for the cookies to spread.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes until the cookies have spread and started to crinkle on top. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for at least 15 minutes on the cookie sheet itself – they will continue to spread and set a bit more as they cool. Carefully move to wire racks to cool completely. You’ll notice they’ve spread a bit more and crinkled. Now grab a glass of milk and get dig in – enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The butter needs to be at room temperature. If you use cold butter, they're puffier. If you use melted butter, you end up with a thin and crispy mess. Make sure you know what room temperature butter looks like so that you’re not using butter that’s too cold or too melty.
- They need to be 100% light brown sugar, not a combination of granulated and brown sugar.
- Chilling the dough is essential! If you find the dough too wet after chilling in the fridge and needing a bit more flour to work with it, you can use up to 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour and get similar results.
- Put the marshmallow Fluff in a piping bag to make things easier. That way, you can put some of the peanut butter dough in the cookie scoop, pipe in some of the fluff, then top it with more dough.
- Storage: Store cookies for up to 1 week in an airtight container, with parchment paper between layers.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
I haven’t made these yet but they sound like exactly what I am looking for! My question is this… do you think omitting the fluff entirely would be ok? I plan to make these for camping and want to use them to make sandwiches with roasted marshmallows instead. Thought?
Absolutely, you can! I know a lot of people do that. You’ll just have thin, crinkled, chewy peanut butter cookies :)
Can I make the dough and chill it over night?
Yep! Just let it sit out for 20 minutes or so at room temperature before baking.
Not too pleased – these cookies are overly sweet and not well balanced at all. I believe the ratio ids off, seems to be too much sugar and not enough flour.
Sorry to hear that you feel that way, as this is a favorite of so many (including myself)! The ratios are intended as written for a sweet, soft and chewy cookie.
I found using Jif no sugar added creamy peanut butter is perfect for this recipe it also has a lower sodium content than regular peanut butter and they come out perfect
Glad that works for you, thanks for sharing!
These are by far the best peanut butter cookies…ever!! I would buy cookie dough from school fundraisers as I could never find a recipe that would satisfy our peanut butter cookie connoisseur family. Even without the marshmallow fluff they are terrific. Thank you so much for this recipe.
This makes me so happy, I’m so glad you like it so much! Thank you for coming back to leave a comment and rating and share your experience
Has anyone tried this as gluten free? And has anyone tried freezings the dough or the baked cookies
I can’t speak to the gluten free aspect because I haven’t tried that personally, but I will say that freezing the dough prior to cooking never worked for me because the fluff got rock hard and didn’t get back to the right consistency after baking.
That said, I have been able to freeze the peanut butter dough (in pre-portioned balls), and then let it thaw before moving forward with adding the fluff and following the rest of the recipe as written.
After a year of having these pinned onto my baking board on Pinterest, I finally made them! They were an instant favorite in my home! SO delicious, these are a staple now!
I’m so glad you finally made them (AND love them) – thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, too!
This recipe is AMAZING! What a great idea, everyone loves peanut butter and fluff! I made a batch last week and they disappeared so quickly! I made another today and perfected my cookie batter/fluff ratio and technique, lol. I used Earth Balance Vegan Butter instead of regular butter (my daughter and I are dairy free, therefore, I bake dairy free) and they came out amazing. I have a “favorites” section in my recipe binder. This one was just added! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad that you love it, and thank you for sharing your experience and a rating!
It is one of the best cookies I have ever made!!!
I’m so glad you think so! Thank you so much for leaving a comment and rating, too!
I love these so so much. I made them last year during Christmas baking time and hated the process (argh fluff) but loved the taste so I made them again this year. Great idea from the comments about using a pastry bag for the fluff!! I used the triple batch measurements and WHOA that was a lot of dough, but each and every one was eaten! Already had a request for more and will definitely oblige :)
They’re certainly a bit more work than most of my recipes, but I agree they’re totally worth it! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating.
I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and since then, I’ve made them maybe 4 times (in less than 4 months lol) they are absolutely amazing! My husbands coworkers go bananas over them.
Thank you for such an amazing cookie!
Thank you so much for coming back to share your experience and leave a rating – I LOVE these cookies so much myself! But I’d say you have me beat on the frequency of making them ;)
Any suggestions on baking these on a stone? I made some on a silpat and they were perfect! But when baked on a stone I had to cook longer and they actually cooked a tad too much I think
I’ve never made cookies on a stone before, but I’ve always heard that the trick is to NOT preheat the stone, and then just bake a few minutes longer. I hope I can give it a try myself someday!
There’s so many more than 12 cookies per batch! I didn’t use a “cookie scoop”, used a 1/3 cup measuring cup instead. Ended up with 20 huge cookies. Unfortunately I made 3 batches to hopefully get 40 cookies for a work party. I now have enough to feed the town. Delicious! But drowning in pastries
That’s really surprising – there’s definitely variations based on altitude and such for some people, but I’ve never heard of THAT much variation. Glad you like them, but sorry to hear your experience was less than ideal.
There’s so much sugar in this in comparison to the flour that when they bake, the sugar gets all chewy and hard. Did not have a great experience making these.
Sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you, this is such a favorite for so many people it’s especially disappointing to hear! Any chance the Fluff you used may have been old? I do know from experience that if it’s not “fresh” it can be difficult to work with and produce is less-than-ideal results. Other troubleshooting thoughts I have are that they may have been overmixed, or overbaked. Regardless, I’m sorry again to hear about your experience.
Hi, I am eager to bake these for my cookie exchange next week but nervous they won’t come out right given the comment above. Can you provide the brand / type of PB and Fluff you specifically used? Also that vanilla bean paste is $26 – anything else you recommend? Thank you!
There are many, many other people who have made these successfully so I wouldn’t put all your worry into a single person’s experience :)
I’ve used a bunch of different kinds of peanut butter, but I find that using the non-oily/no stir kinds work the best. And as for Fluff, I only know of a single kind: Marshmallow Fluff.
That vanilla bean paste is my personal favorite, but you can use any brand of vanilla bean paste or extract that you want.
I have no idea what I’m doing wrong :( I was looking forward to this cookie recipe to use for my cookie party because I love fluffernutter sandwiches. I didnt get the crinkles, the flatness, or the chewy center! Can you post a video to youtube or something so I know what to do please? Thank you
I’m sorry to hear that these didn’t work out for you and that you had a 2 star experience :( Thank you for your suggestion for a video, maybe after the holidays I’ll film a video for these (it’s unfortunately a time consuming process).
I don’t know the details of your personal experience, but I’d like to try to offer a few troubleshooting ideas:
– Be sure you’re not over-measuring the flour. When you’re measuring flour you want to fluff it, then spoon it into your measuring cup, and then level it off. If it’s packed into the measuring cup, you’ll end up with more flour than you want, which could lead to a fluffier or drier cookie.
– Also make sure you don’t over-mix the dough, because then it can be become tougher and denser, which would lead to it being less spread out and chewy.
– You also want to be sure not to bake them for too long – they’ll look under-baked when you take them out of the oven and just have started to crinkle. As they set on the baking sheet they’ll spread a little more and develop those pretty crinkles.
– Just to note, the type of peanut butter used could have an effect on the final product too, but normally that means that a more oily peanut butter was used and the cookies spread too much, which doesn’t sound like the problem you had.