Honey-Peanut Butter Cookies
I totally lived on peanut butter growing up. I would forsake any other meal for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I slathered peanut butter on everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. I could never get enough of the stuff, and I still eat it almost every day. However, with all of that peanut butter eating, a popular trend escaped me… the peanut butter and honey combo. Suddenly within the last year or so, I’ve heard of folks eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I’ve seen jars of honey peanut butter show up at the grocery store. Pictures of honey-peanut butter ice cream have popped up on Pinterest. I might be late hopping on this train, but I couldn’t let honey-peanut butter cookies pass me by.
I’ve made quite a few different peanut butter cookies in my day, and these rank right up there at the top with my favorites. The honey flavor is subtle, hitting you just as you finish chewing and lingering a bit on the tongue. Once I made at ate these, I realized how silly it was that I never got the connection between peanut butter and honey. Hello! Honey-roasted peanuts! Doh! My grandma always kept a jar of honey-roasted peanut in her pantry when I was a kid, and I just could not help myself. If allowed, I would have eaten that entire jar in one day.
Now that the combination of peanut butter and honey is in my life, I’m not letting it go. Grape jelly will always be my first love, but a girl can have room in her heart for more than one pb love, right?!
One year ago: Butternut Squash and Bacon Mac & Cheese
Three years ago: The Baked Brownie
Six years ago: Ina’s Outrageous Brownies
Honey-Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (169.5 ml) honey
- ¼ cup (51.25 g) vegetable shortening
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, in a small bowl, for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter, honey and shortening on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Give the mixture a final stir with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the flour has been incorporated.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons of dough) to scoop out dough and roll into a ball between the palms of your hands. Roll in the sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. Using fork tines, press a criss-cross pattern into the tops of the cookies, flattening them into disks.
- Bake until lightly golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
These cookies came out perfect and tasted great! Great recipe.
Using butter instead of shortening? Similar enough result or you’ve tried and not as good?
Hi Janette, Not similar at all – they will spread too much with butter. Enjoy!
I know this was posted a long time ago but I just found it while doing a search for honey peanut butter cookies. I made a few modifications, partly for preference and partly to use what I had on hand, and they came out great! I used white whole wheat flour (didn’t have all purpose flour), subbed half butter and half coconut oil (2 T ea) for the shortening (again, didn’t have shortening), then subbed half organic cane sugar and half brown sugar (2 T ea) for the 1/4 of sugar (preference and to help with texture since I didn’t use shortening). They came out FABULOUS! If anything, they were a little too sweet for my taste, so when I make them again I will experiment with reducing the sugar and/or honey a bit. But I’m not getting any complaints with them just as they are. Thanks for the recipe!
A very easy (and delicious) recipe for a timid baker such as myself to follow. I made them at 2:00am so my special gentleman companion would have a nice surprise when he wakes up for work at 5:00am. Thanks for posting.
Is it okay to skip out on the sugar entirely?
Hi Mia, No, it will affect the texture of the final cookie.
These were amazing. I just made them tonight. And the kids enjoyed them as well, seeing as it took me longer to make the cookie dough than it took them to demolish the cookies. Lol.
I just made these and they smell wonderful! When you said a two tablespoon ice cream scoop I improvised and used two tablespoons and they ended up HUGE and yummy! Haha
I just made these and they are fantastic! I love how soft and chewy they are!
Peanut Butter are some of my favorite cookies. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I did these with butter and used coconut palm sugar in place of the white sugar as this is what I had on hand…delicious! :)
I’ve had these Pinned for months but didn’t get to them before the holiday baking whirlwind. Decided these were the perfect baking project for my 3 year old and I – simple ingredients & instructions, minimal wait time, and doesn’t make more cookies than we can handle on a cold weather, home bound weekend. They are so delicious and will definitely be a part of our regular cookie rotation from now on. Thank you!
Hi. I just made your recipe today and I wanted to share a few ways I tweeked mine: Instead of vegetable shortening I used coconut oil. I did not add any sugar (honey is sweet enough), though I did roll them with some brown sugar. I also realized on my second batch to only bake them 8 mins., otherwise they turn out more like a cake, instead of soft and chewy.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. :)
These look so yummy. Do you think I could substitute canola oil for the shortening?
I would not recommend substituting oil for the shortening, it would change the consistency of the cookies.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made some last night and it was good. Although, I didn’t use shortening because I didn’t have any and no brown sugar either, but mine still turned out delicious. The kids couldn’t stop eating them. I also used a WOWButter, which is not made of Peanuts so mine is a Peanut-free cookies. :)
http://www.chetopianfamily4.com/2013/10/food-share-honey-wow-butter-cookies.html
This is just what I was looking for, sounds divine. Off to the kitchen right now!
Just tried these today and the husband LOVED them! I saw the recipie on Pinterest and thought I could give them a whirl. I did have to substitute margarine for the shortening because it was all I had on hand and they still came out delicious.Thanks for sharing it!
I love peanut butter and I love honey. Thanks for this recipe, it sounds amazing! :-)
These look great but after making a batch, my family is not impressed. They rated it ‘passable’. Back to traditional peanut butter cookie.
These cookies look great! Pub pairs so well with so many flavors. Pbj will always be the best!
Loved these. For my second batch, I didn’t have enough honey so I used half honey and half brown sugar Splenda. Substituted Splenda Blend in both batches for the white sugar. Great taste/Great texture. So good that my Boston Terrier snatched one off my cooling table on the porch. He then put himself in timeout (family room sofa) all by himself for a half hour. Knew he was a bad boy but it was probably worth it!
Ha! I thought I was the only one that did maple syrup and peanut butter!! That was my second favorite sandwich to PB and Honey when I was a kid. I just had to try these cookies. I did substitute coconut oil for the shortening and I still got nice chewy cookies. Thanks for sharing!
This is so good!! I love peanut butter cookies!
Oh my gosh… I made these a few nights ago and they are amazing! I didn’t have any vegetable shortening on hand so I substituted and equal amount of butter and then I made my cookies extra big so they’re about 4 inches across. They came out perfect… so chewy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!~
mmm peanut butter cookies are one of my favorite things, and peanut butter and honey. Great idea. I too love a good pb and honey sandwich so these cookies sound perfect!
nice twist on a pb cookie!
i could not help but smile when i read this post. you know, i first ate pb when my father sent it back in a package from the states. i must have been eight years old and it was a real novelty in pakistan. anyway, i had heard about pb and jelly but could not understand the fuss. but we have very good local honey and that is how i always ate my pb. it is such a classic combination and a shame that it has taken a while to become a rave. i am sucker for pb cookies and here’s my favourite version –
http://comeconella.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/peanut-butter-and-chocolate-chip.html
Can i use butter/margarine in stead of the shortening?
its not available where i live.
Hi Hannah, I really do recommend shortening in this recipe. If you must substitute, I can’t guarantee the results will be the same. I would go with butter and then replacing at least half of the granulated sugar with brown sugar.
Yum what an amazing combination! It had escaped me too
I am not a big pb lover but with honey, I might break down!
WOW – I agree, I will put peanut butter on anything and am just coming to realize how awesome honey is with peanut butter. I will be making these soon, next time I need some cookies (love the almost healthy factor with all those natural sugars & fats too)
Oh my! I just adore PB anything. PB cookies made with honey and honey-roasted peanuts totally rule. I enjoy baking with alternative natural sugars, too. Your cookies look delightfully chewy, Michelle! Thanks for sharing!
These cookies look so moist and fluffy, beauties!
I bet these taste amazing!
I love both peanut butter and honey, so these sound like the most wonderful little mix! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
A delicious sounding new way to make an old favorite….pinned!
Honey/PB is definitely a classic combo that I can never get enough of. Have you tried Perfect Foods Bars – the peanut butter ones? You can find them at Whole Foods in the refrigerator section. They literally taste like honey peanut butter cookie dough, but they are healthy and made with all natural ingredients. They are high in fat because of the peanut butter, but they have other good-for-you nutrients that make up for it (like lots of protein – they keep you full for awhile!). I am completely addicted, and this post made me think of them!
Peanut butter and honey on English muffins are the BOMB. I bet these cookies are wonderful and I can’t wait to try them!!
I often have peanut butter and honey on toast in the morning and looooove the combo! These cookies look lovely!
These look delicious! I have a brand new jar of honey that’s been waiting for something fun to do. And I actually have eaten the whole jar of honey roasted peanuts in one sitting… it’s not as fun at the end as it is in the beginning, trust me!
I saw this recipe and had to try it today! They are terrific! And I doubled the recipe. I did make the cookies smaller than 2 tablespoons each after the first batch. Thanks for the inspiration!
One of my favorite cookies I’ve ever made was a peanut butter cookie with honey in it. SO obviously these must be good!
I’ve always been a little skeptical of peanut butter & honey sandwiches, but your cookies look so amazing – I’d totally go for a few of these.
I love PB & honey sandwiches, these are my kind of cookies!
This is a super combination! Looks amazing. I’d love some of these with an afternoon coffee.
Ugh I want to make this so badly, but we only have crunchy peanut butter!
My husband always drizzles honey on his pb toast in the morning. He would love these cookies!
My fiance is addicted to honey roasted PB, so I will definitely be making these for him!
Okay this may sound weird, but it’s sooo yummy. My sister started doing this when we were little. She would mix maple syrup with peanut butter and then make a sandwich….try it.
These look wonderful!
Honey-roasted peanuts make the best peanut butter, too! I always have a jar of homemade honey roasted peanut PB on hand. I love the TJs nuts for that.
And your cookies look great! I have a feeling I could give you a run for your money with love of PB. It’s my #1 crush :) And these cookies would be gobbled! Pinned!
As a kid, I actually preferred peanut butter and honey. I guess my fruit and vegetable aversion was pretty deep. These cookies sound heavenly.
what could you use to replace the vegetable shortening?
Hi Shelley, I don’t recommend substituting for the shortening, as it’s vital to the texture of the cookie. However, if you feel so compelled to do so, you could go with butter, but then swap out at least half of the granulated sugar with brown sugar, or your cookies will not be soft and chewy.
I love a peanut butter cookie, but I’ve never tried anything but the one that comes on the back of the Kraft packet! These are a definite must xo
LOVE peanut butter and honey together (try a sandwich with some sliced bananas on it). I do not like to bake with vegetable shortening. Can butter be substituted for the shortening?
Hi Donna, I’ve always used shortening in my peanut butter cookies – it makes a wonderfully soft texture. If you use butter, the texture will certainly not be the same, and I would recommend substituting at least half of the granulated sugar with brown sugar.
I love honey and peanut butter together! Heaven!
These sound seriously incredible! Love the addition of honey!!
If I was going to go all honey (and cut out the sugar), what do you think the subs should b? I use raw honey. These look so great!
Hi Tess, Hmm I am not at all sure, and I’m not sure how doing that would affect the texture of the cookies.
Peanut butter and honey is a great combo for oat meal too. I love this cookie as it simple but is a hit with most people. Honey adds a nice sweetness to most nut cookies. I can not wait to try it
I guess I’m late on boarding the honey/peanut butter train too! I never thought about using honey in peanut butter cookies! These sound divine!
I am a huge honey roasted peanut fan! Can’t wait to try these cookies.
We love peanut butter and honey in our house! These cookies sounds delicious!
Funny, I never got the connection either until you mentioned honey roasted peanuts! These cookies look they’d be scooped off a plate in no time flat!
I wish I had some of those right now. They look so tasty!
Oh my! I will be making these today! They sound delish!
I made some honey-peanut butter cookies a few years ago and they were amazing! I’ll have to try yours because my old recipe made 8 dozen :)
Honey & PB sounds divine. This with some tea. Perfect