There are some combinations that undeniably just work. Peanut butter and marshmallows are up there for me. I mean, fluffernutter sandwiches exist for a good reason. As a kid, I really enjoyed eating jumbo marshmallows topped with a dollop of peanut butter. These days, I’ve taken that treat and created a more grown up version: these Salted Marshmallow Peanut Butter Cookies!
These cookies took a few tries to get right. Initially, I tried mixing the marshmallows in from the beginning. The trouble was, by the time the cookies finished baking they were completely melted! So instead, for this recipe I bake the cookies until they’re *almost* done. Then, I add a few marshmallows per cookie, pushing them in slightly, and return them to the oven for a few more minutes. Once they’re out of the oven, I finish these guys with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt, because everyone loves a good salty sweet treat.
I also realized while making these Salted Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies that I’ve been making a fatal cookie mistake for years. I’ve been making my cookies way too big! I always had trouble with them spreading too much, and forming one big cookie blob on the baking sheet. I finally realized that was because I was making them about twice as big as I should. So learn from my mistakes, and know that less is more when portioning out the cookie dough.
Another important step to ensure your cookies don’t over-spread is to chill the dough before baking. I always make sure to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. This helps to ensure that the butter in the cookies isn’t too hot and doesn’t melt too quickly when they bake. In other words, don’t skip this step! If you want, you can even chill the dough overnight, or portion it out and freeze it for future use. If you do this, you just might have to bake the cookies a couple extra minutes.
After the cookies bake for 10 minutes, remove them from the oven and carefully press 3-4 marshmallows into each cookie.
Return the cookies to the oven for 2-3 minutes, or enough time that the marshmallows puff up and start melting slightly around the edges. Afterward, remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with flakey sea salt.
Despite the extra step adding the marshmallows, these cookies are really easy to make and pretty foolproof. They’re the perfect combination of chewy and crunchy, and the dash of sea salt takes these to the next level. I made the batch as written, which yields about 2 dozen cookies. I will probably end up freezing half of them, since this is a lot of cookies for us to eat. They’re not as good from the freezer as they are straight out of the oven. However, I still think they’re delicious, and they’re extra crunchy when frozen!
Related Recipes
In addition to these guys, one of my other all time favorite cookie recipes are these Brown Butter White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.
For more marshmallowy goodness that’s a bit more labor intensive, try out these Chocolate Marshmallow Creme Filled Doughnuts. These make for a really fun weekend baking project, and the end result is mind-blowing.
One final marshmallow treat that’s a favorite in my family: S’mores Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting. These are a show stopping treat that are guaranteed to wow at your next party!
Salted Marshmallow Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- Flakey sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Using a mixer or by hand, cream together butter, peanut butter, and both sugars.
- Add egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar, and mix until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, about a third at a time, until dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Chill dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 1 tablespoon balls. Place about 2" apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven, and carefully press 3-4 marshmallows into each cookie. Return to the oven and bake another 2-3 minutes, until marshmallows have puffed up and start to get melty.
- Sprinkle sea salt on cookies while hot. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
