Fluffernutter cookies are the classic New England fluffernutter sandwich is turned into a cookie! 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.
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.
Fluffernutter cookies are infinitely better than the sandwich, sorrynotsorry.
Chewy, thin cookies are key
To be completely honest, these started out as a simple peanut butter cookie recipe. I’ve been trying for a long time to come up with a peanut butter cookie recipe that matched what I had in my head.
I wanted them to be thin, not puffy. Chewy, not crispy or crumbly. I wanted them to have crinkles on top, not the fork crosshatch. And I also didn’t want to roll them in sugar, so… yeah, I just didn’t want to do that.
I’m very picky, my friends. It took many, many, many batches of cookies over the last year or so before I finally got what I wanted.
8 tips for making fluffernutter cookies
Here’s what I learned in all my trial and error:
1. The butter needs to be 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 pb cookie.
3. You have to omit baking powder altogether. I tried using smaller and smaller amounts of it, 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!
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 ⅔ cup. And to be totally honest, ¾ 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.
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 (aff link), 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.
The perfect peanut butter cookie
To me, anyway. Look at those gorgeous crinkles. Just look at those golden edges. And that wonderfully chewy center.
I considered posting these as “The Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies” but realized that not everyone likes them this way. Plenty of people want the puffier, classic kind and that’s totally fine – it’s just not my personal preference.
So instead, you can take this recipe as it stands without the marshmallow fluff as a basic peanut butter cookie recipe and move on with your life. That’s perfectly acceptable. There’s nothing wrong with that.
However, I’ve never been a very basic person.
Instead, try filling these with Fluff and watch as the marshmallow oozes out to give you the most perfectly imperfect cookies. They’ll likely be lopsided or uneven, but it’s better that way.
Perfect looking cookies make me suspicious… and I don’t want to be suspicious of my food. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Speaking of suspicious, one of the cats refused to leave my side as I was shooting this recipe and just stared at me from over the edge of a box the whole time I worked:
So anyway, I’m in love with a cookie.
A fluffernutter cookie. You could also think of it is as a peanut butter marshmallow cookie if the name “fluffernutter cookie” seems too weird to you. Hey – I didn’t invent the term “fluffernutter” (though I kind of wish I had).
But to be fair, I think this cookie is in love with me, too. Just look at it – it came out in a heart shape. That’s obviously a sign.
Everyone raves about these
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.
To be honest, I find great satisfaction in being able to stack them up high and pick each cookie from the top of the pile. I don’t know why, but it’s just more satisfying than plucking them from a flat container.
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):
- Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
- AirBake Nonstick Cookie Sheets
- Nonstick Cooling Racks
- OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Artisan Silicone Baking Mats
- OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop 3-Pack
- KitchenAid 6QT Stand Mixer
After you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment below with a rating – and if you came from Pinterest, add a photo to the Pin of what you make to the pin to share your experience!
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Fluffernutter Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Description
The classic New England fluffernutter sandwich is turned into a cookie! 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.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 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 (aff link) or extract
- 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup marshmallow fluff (depending on how much you add to each cookie)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, peanut butter and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
- Add dry mixture and beat again 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 silicon mats (aff link) or parchment paper and set aside.
- Grab a medium cookie scoop (aff link) and fill it halfway with dough, pressing it into the bottom and up the sides. Spoon a teaspoon of marshmallow fluff into the center, and then top with more dough to fill the scoop. 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 baking sheet itself – they will continue to spread and set a bit more as they cool. Carefully move to wire racks (aff link) to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store cookies for up to a week in an airtight container, with parchment paper between layers.
- The butter needs to be room temperature. If you use cold butter, they’re puffier. If you use melted butter, you end up with a thin and crispy mess.
- They need to be 100% light brown sugar, not a combination of granulated and brown sugar.
- If you find the dough needs a little more flour to work with it, you can use up to ¾ cup all purpose flour and get similar results.
- Chilling the dough is essential.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: fluffernutter cookies, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter and fluff, peanut butter fluff cookies, marshmallow fluff cookies, marshmallow cookies
JESSICA RACE says
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?
Leslie Kiszka says
Absolutely, you can! I know a lot of people do that. You’ll just have thin, crinkled, chewy peanut butter cookies 🙂
Kili says
Can I make the dough and chill it over night?
Leslie Kiszka says
Yep! Just let it sit out for 20 minutes or so at room temperature before baking.
Rhaina Hobbs says
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.
★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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.
Theresa Cathcart says
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.
★★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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
Kelly says
Has anyone tried this as gluten free? And has anyone tried freezings the dough or the baked cookies
Leslie Kiszka says
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.
Sophie says
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!
★★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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!
Allison says
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!
★★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
I’m so glad that you love it, and thank you for sharing your experience and a rating!
Meg says
It is one of the best cookies I have ever made!!!
★★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
I’m so glad you think so! Thank you so much for leaving a comment and rating, too!
Emily says
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 🙂
★★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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.
Stephanie says
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!
★★★★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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 😉
Jessica Johnson says
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
Leslie Kiszka says
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!
Aaaa says
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
Leslie Kiszka says
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.
Becca says
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.
★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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.
Melissa says
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!
Leslie Kiszka says
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.
Amanda says
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
★★
Leslie Kiszka says
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.