Peanut Butter Cookies Lab326 recipes

Peanut Butter Cookies Lab · Decision tree

Find your peanut butter cookie

Three questions sort all 326 recipes into 8 groups. Each question is about one of the ingredients recipes disagree on most, and splits the recipes in front of it at their own median, so each answer keeps about half of them. Every group ends with its median recipe in grams and the real recipes nearest it.

The questions

  1. Question 1

    More peanut butter than most, or less?

    Peanut butter is fat, protein and flavor at once; more of it makes a denser, crumblier cookie that spreads less.

    All 326 recipes: median 88% of the flour weight, 170 g per 190 g of flour; middle half 69% to 124%.

  2. Question 2

    More leavening than most, or less?

    Baking soda browns the cookie and lets it crack as it spreads.

    All 326 recipes: median 2.5% of the flour weight, 5 g per 190 g of flour; middle half 1.8% to 3.5%; 4% use none.

    Asked within each answer to question 1, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.

  3. Question 3

    More sugar than most, or less?

    Brown sugar keeps it soft and chewy, white sugar crisps the edges.

    All 326 recipes: median 111% of the flour weight, 210 g per 190 g of flour; middle half 88% to 134%.

    Asked within each answer to question 2, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.

The key

Read left to right: pick an answer to question 1, then one of the answers beside it for question 2, and so on to a group. Each cell gives the answer, its bound in grams per 100 g of flour, and how many recipes give it.

Decision key: 3 questions, one per column, leading to 8 groups of recipes
1. Peanut butter2. Leavening3. SugarGroup
Moreover 88%169Moreover 2.5%84Moreover 124%42A42
Less124% or less42B42
Less2.5% or less85Moreover 107%42C42
Less107% or less43D43
Less88% or less157Moreover 2.4%77Moreover 111%37E37
Less111% or less40F40
Less2.4% or less80More100% or more40G40
Lessunder 100%40H40

The 8 groups

Each median recipe is the median of every ingredient over the group's recipes, scaled to 190 g of flour, beside the typical batch of all 326. Bold rows are the ingredients the questions asked about.

Group A · 42 recipes · 12% of all

More peanut butter, more leavening and more sugar

Peanut butter over 88%, leavening over 2.5% and sugar over 124% of the flour weight.

Median recipe of group A at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup AAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter285 g170 g
Butter140 gabout 2/3 cup115 g
Sugar285 gabout 1 1/2 cups210 g
Egg60 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening8 g5 g
Salt2 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 40 recipes here that state a temperature and the 42 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group A

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. The Best Peanut Butter Cookies · melskitchencafe.compeanut butter 165% · leavening 3.4% · sugar 138%
  2. Maple Cinnamon Glazed Peanut Butter Cookies · momontimeout.compeanut butter 155% · leavening 4.1% · sugar 169%
  3. Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies · twopeasandtheirpod.compeanut butter 165% · leavening 4.4% · sugar 166%
  4. Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chocolate · iambaker.netpeanut butter 144% · leavening 4.9% · sugar 147%
  5. Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies · biggerbolderbaking.compeanut butter 127% · leavening 3.8% · sugar 144%
Back to the key

Group B · 42 recipes · 12% of all

More peanut butter, more leavening and less sugar

Peanut butter over 88%, leavening over 2.5% and sugar 124% or less of the flour weight.

Median recipe of group B at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup BAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter225 g170 g
Butter120 gabout 1/2 cup115 g
Sugar185 gabout 1 cup210 g
Egg55 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening6 g5 g
Salt2 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, the medians of the 42 recipes here that state a temperature and the 42 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group B

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Best Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies · lecremedelacrumb.compeanut butter 103% · leavening 3.2% · sugar 115%
  2. Classic Peanut Butter Cookies · natashaskitchen.compeanut butter 103% · leavening 3.9% · sugar 124%
  3. Dipped + Crisp Peanut Butter Cookies · joythebaker.compeanut butter 93% · leavening 2.9% · sugar 83%
  4. Sourdough Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies · littlespoonfarm.compeanut butter 88% · leavening 3.1% · sugar 96%
  5. Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies · littlespoonfarm.compeanut butter 88% · leavening 3.1% · sugar 96%
Back to the key

Group C · 42 recipes · 12% of all

More peanut butter, less leavening and more sugar

Peanut butter over 88%, leavening 2.5% or less and sugar over 107% of the flour weight. 3 of the 42 use no leavening.

Median recipe of group C at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup CAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter250 g170 g
Butter130 gabout 1/2 cup115 g
Sugar240 gabout 1 1/4 cups210 g
Egg55 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening3.5 g5 g
Salt2 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 35 recipes here that state a temperature and the 40 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group C

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies · livewellbakeoften.compeanut butter 156% · leavening 1.9% · sugar 125%
  2. OMG Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies · thebakingchocolatess.compeanut butter 137% · leavening 1.9% · sugar 118%
  3. Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies · farmhouseonboone.compeanut butter 138% · leavening 2.2% · sugar 112%
  4. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies · modernhoney.compeanut butter 135% · leavening 1.8% · sugar 126%
  5. The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies · melskitchencafe.compeanut butter 113% · leavening 2.1% · sugar 112%
Back to the key

Group D · 43 recipes · 13% of all

More peanut butter, less leavening and less sugar

Peanut butter over 88%, leavening 2.5% or less and sugar 107% or less of the flour weight. 2 of the 43 use no leavening.

Median recipe of group D at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup DAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter200 g170 g
Butter115 gabout 1/2 cup115 g
Sugar170 gabout 3/4 cup210 g
Egg48 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening3.5 g5 g
Salt1.5 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 39 recipes here that state a temperature and the 42 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group D

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Soft & Thick Peanut Butter Cookies · sallysbakingaddiction.compeanut butter 109% · leavening 1.8% · sugar 88%
  2. Toffee Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies · crazyforcrust.compeanut butter 106% · leavening 1.6% · sugar 107%
  3. Peanut Butter Football Cookies · crazyforcrust.compeanut butter 92% · leavening 1.4% · sugar 92%
  4. Pressed Peanut Butter Cookies · foodnetwork.compeanut butter 116% · leavening 1.8% · sugar 99%
  5. Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies · crazyforcrust.compeanut butter 92% · leavening 1.4% · sugar 92%
Back to the key

Group E · 37 recipes · 11% of all

Less peanut butter, more leavening and more sugar

Peanut butter 88% or less, leavening over 2.4% and sugar over 111% of the flour weight.

Median recipe of group E at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup EAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter145 g170 g
Butter140 gabout 2/3 cup115 g
Sugar255 gabout 1 1/4 cups210 g
Egg60 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening7 g5 g
Salt2 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 35 recipes here that state a temperature and the 35 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group E

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies · bakerbynature.compeanut butter 69% · leavening 3.5% · sugar 142%
  2. Chocolate-Peanut Butter Candy Cookies · bettycrocker.compeanut butter 54% · leavening 3.8% · sugar 134%
  3. Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies · sugarspunrun.compeanut butter 83% · leavening 3.6% · sugar 136%
  4. Soft Batch Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies · bakerbynature.compeanut butter 83% · leavening 4.1% · sugar 138%
  5. Peanut Butter M&M Cookies · fifteenspatulas.compeanut butter 83% · leavening 4.4% · sugar 134%
Back to the key

Group F · 40 recipes · 12% of all

Less peanut butter, more leavening and less sugar

Peanut butter 88% or less, leavening over 2.4% and sugar 111% or less of the flour weight.

Median recipe of group F at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup FAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter130 g170 g
Butter105 gabout 1/2 cup115 g
Sugar175 gabout 3/4 cup210 g
Egg55 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening6 g5 g
Salt1 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 39 recipes here that state a temperature and the 40 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group F

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Peanut Butter Cookies · tasteandtellblog.compeanut butter 63% · leavening 3.2% · sugar 95%
  2. Biscotti al burro di arachidi · misya.infopeanut butter 77% · leavening 3.5% · sugar 100%
  3. Crisp Peanut Butter Cookies · leitesculinaria.compeanut butter 77% · leavening 2.9% · sugar 83%
  4. Salted Pretzel Peanut Butter Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies · bakerbynature.compeanut butter 75% · leavening 3.8% · sugar 95%
  5. Peanut Butter Oreo Cookies · iambaker.netpeanut butter 73% · leavening 2.8% · sugar 107%
Back to the key

Group G · 40 recipes · 12% of all

Less peanut butter, less leavening and more sugar

Peanut butter 88% or less, leavening 2.4% or less and sugar 100% or more of the flour weight.

Median recipe of group G at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup GAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter140 g170 g
Butter115 gabout 1/2 cup115 g
Sugar225 gabout 1 cups210 g
Egg60 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening3 g5 g
Salt2 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 36 recipes here that state a temperature and the 40 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group G

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies · beyondfrosting.compeanut butter 74% · leavening 1.7% · sugar 122%
  2. "Phenomenal" Milk Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies · thebakingchocolatess.compeanut butter 83% · leavening 1.9% · sugar 118%
  3. Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chip Cookies · thebakingchocolatess.compeanut butter 83% · leavening 1.9% · sugar 118%
  4. Peanut Butter Candy Cookies · thebakingchocolatess.compeanut butter 83% · leavening 1.9% · sugar 118%
  5. Soft Peanut Butter Cookies · bakedbyanintrovert.compeanut butter 69% · leavening 1.6% · sugar 117%
Back to the key

Group H · 40 recipes · 12% of all

Less peanut butter, less leavening and less sugar

Peanut butter 88% or less, leavening 2.4% or less and sugar under 100% of the flour weight. 11 of the 40 use no leavening.

Median recipe of group H at 190 g of flour, beside the typical recipe of all 326
At 190 g flourGroup HAll
Flour190 g190 g
Peanut butter110 g170 g
Butter85 gabout 1/3 cup115 g
Sugar130 gabout 2/3 cup210 g
Egg40 gabout 1 large egg55 g
Leavening3 g5 g
Salt0.5 g1.5 g

Bake350°F (175°C) for about 13 minutes, the medians of the 33 recipes here that state a temperature and the 34 that state a time.

Nearest the middle of group H

Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.

  1. Chocolate chip pindakaas koekjes · laurasbakery.nlpeanut butter 63% · leavening 1.7% · sugar 56%
  2. Pindakaas koekjes · laurasbakery.nlpeanut butter 63% · leavening 1.7% · sugar 56%
  3. Peanut Butter Pudding Cookie Monsters · crazyforcrust.compeanut butter 54% · leavening 1.2% · sugar 61%
  4. Cookies au beurre de cacahuète et pépites de chocolat : la recette facile · cuisine.journaldesfemmes.frpeanut butter 38% · leavening 1.8% · sugar 77%
  5. Peanut Butter M&M Cookies Recipe · crazyforcrust.compeanut butter 86% · leavening 1.2% · sugar 76%
Back to the key

How the questions are chosen

Each ingredient is ranked by how much recipes disagree on it: the width of the middle half of recipes (25th to 75th percentile) divided by the median, less 4% for each place it sits down this lab's list of ingredients, so the ones that define the dish win near ties. For peanut butter cookies the order is peanut butter (0.62), leavening (0.68), sugar (0.42), butter (0.37) and egg (0.30), and the first 3 are asked. Salt is never asked about: recipes differ on it mostly by brand and taste.

Every split is at the median of the recipes in front of it, rounded to the percentage shown. Recipes exactly at the median go to whichever side leaves the two halves more even. No answer may keep fewer than 5 recipes; a group that could not be split further says so.

The recipes listed under each group are the 5 nearest its median on every ingredient at once, each scaled by how much recipes vary on it. Every recipe page links to the original for the method.