Peanut Butter Freezer Cookies

Easy Make Ahead Peanut Butter Freezer Cookies

These peanut butter freezer cookies are big, soft, chewy, and loaded with peanut butter flavor and little bites of chocolate peanut butter candy. The best part? You can make the cookie dough ahead of time, keep it in the freezer, and bake fresh peanut butter cookies whenever you want a homemade treat!

I love having cookie dough ready to go, especially on busy days when I want something sweet without making a mess in the kitchen. These freezer cookies are easy to prepare, use simple pantry ingredients, and are perfect for satisfying those cookie cravings.

Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Freezer Cookies

• Make ahead: Prepare the dough in advance and freeze it until you’re ready to bake.
• Soft and chewy: Peanut butter and brown sugar give these cookies their delicious flavor and texture.
• Chocolate peanut butter goodness: Reese’s Pieces add a fun crunch and extra peanut butter flavor.
• Easy to make: No complicated ingredients or special techniques required.
• Fresh cookies anytime: Bake just a few cookies when you want a treat, instead of making an entire batch at once.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Freezer Cookies

You only need a handful of everyday baking ingredients to make these easy peanut butter cookies.

• Butter: Softened butter helps create a smooth, creamy cookie dough.
• Creamy peanut butter: Use regular creamy peanut butter rather than natural peanut butter for the best consistency.
• Granulated sugar and dark brown sugar: A combination of sugars adds sweetness and helps create a soft, chewy texture.
• Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and enhances the flavor.
• All-purpose flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
• Baking soda: Helps the cookies bake properly.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness.
• Reese’s Pieces: These chocolate peanut butter candies add extra flavor and texture. They’re optional, but I highly recommend them!

How to Make Peanut Butter Freezer Cookies

These make-ahead peanut butter cookies are easy to prepare in about 15 minutes, making them a great option for stocking your freezer with homemade treats.

1. Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar until smooth.
2. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix until everything is well combined.
3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Combine the dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
5. Add the candy. Fold in the Reese’s Pieces.
6. Shape the cookies. Roll the dough into approximately 1½-inch balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball with a fork.
7. Freeze or bake. Freeze the shaped cookie dough for 1–2 hours, then transfer it to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Or bake immediately at 350°F for 8–9 minutes.

How to Bake Peanut Butter Cookies From Frozen

One of the best things about these freezer cookies is that you can bake them straight from the freezer!

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Place the frozen cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet, leaving space between them.
• Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are soft but no longer look wet or jiggly.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Remember, you don’t have to bake the entire batch at once. Make a few cookies for an afternoon snack or bake a larger batch to share with family and friends.

Tips for the Best Freezer Cookies

• Use softened butter. This makes it easier to cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together.
• Measure flour correctly. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off to avoid adding too much.
• Freeze the dough balls first. Freezing them on a baking sheet before transferring them to a bag helps prevent them from sticking together.
• Label your freezer bag. Include the cookie name, oven temperature, and baking time so you don’t have to look up the recipe later.
• Don’t overbake. The cookies should have lightly golden edges and soft centers. They’ll continue to set as they cool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze peanut butter cookie dough?

Yes! This recipe is designed for freezing. Shape the dough into balls, flatten them slightly with a fork, and freeze them on a lined baking sheet for 1–2 hours. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag for convenient storage.

Do you need to thaw frozen cookie dough before baking?

No. You can bake these peanut butter cookies directly from frozen. Just add a couple of minutes to the baking time and watch for golden edges and soft, set centers.

How do you keep freezer cookies from sticking together?

Freeze the shaped dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet before putting them into a freezer bag. Once frozen, they should be much easier to separate when you’re ready to bake.

Can you make these peanut butter cookies without Reese’s Pieces?

Absolutely! The candies are optional. Leave them out for a classic peanut butter cookie, or substitute your favorite chocolate chips or peanut butter baking chips.

These peanut butter freezer cookies are proof that a little prep ahead of time can make life sweeter. Keep a stash of cookie dough in your freezer, and you’ll always be just minutes away from warm, homemade peanut butter cookies.

Whether you’re making an after-school treat, preparing for company, or simply craving something sweet, this easy freezer cookie recipe makes it simple to enjoy fresh-baked cookies without starting from scratch every time.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Freezer Dough)

Big, fluffy, chewy, and oh so amazing peanut butter cookies studded with chocolate and peanut butter, and kept in the freezer until ready to bake.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: freezer cookies, Peanut Butter

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 24

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Rachael

Equipment

Stand mixer

Sheet Pan

Whisk

Ingredients

• ½ cup Salted butter softened
• 1 cup Peanut butter creamy (not all-natural)
• ¼ cup Granulated sugar
• ¾ cup + 1 Tbs dark brown sugar
• 1 Large egg
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour spooned into measuring cups
• 3/4 cup Chocolate peanut butter candies reese's pieces (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a stand mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, white granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar and mix until smooth and creamy.
• Add in the large egg and vanilla, mixing at a medium speed.
• In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together baking soda, salt, and flour. Note: Be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, not scoop it in, as this can change the volume of flour and consistency of the cookies.)
• Slowing incorporate dry ingredients into stand mixer, continuing to mix until fully combined.
• Fold in the chocolate peanut butter candies
• Shape into 1 and ½ inch balls and arrange on a lined baking sheet.
• Slightly flatten each ball of dough with a fork.
• At this point, freeze for 1-2 hours, then transfer into a zip top bag to use for later, or Bake 8-9 minutes in preheated oven.

From Frozen:

• Bake 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden brown and centers are soft but not jiggly.

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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