Easy Soft-Baked Pancake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies

These chewy peanut butter cookies are made with pancake mix to save you time in the kitchen.

Pancake mix peanut butter cookies are so easy to make and they taste incredible. Using pancake mix is one shortcut worth taking.

a few pancake mix peanut butter cookies on a small wooden plate, with one cookie broken in half to show the soft interior.

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Peanut butter cookies have been popular for ages. And with good reason!

There aren’t many things more comforting than the smell and taste of a warm, chewy peanut butter cookie. Having a tried and true soft peanut butter cookies recipe in your back pocket is a must.

Baking from scratch doesn’t have to be difficult, but there are days when you just need a shortcut.

One such shortcut is making cookies with a baking mix that you probably already have on hand. It saves time and the cookies always taste great.

In fact, my Bisquick peanut butter cookies inspired this recipe.

Many people landed on that recipe when looking for Bisquick peanut butter cookies without sweetened condensed milk, or a recipe that could be used with pancake mix instead of Bisquick.

Because so many people were looking for an alternative, I have delivered!

Shortcut Peanut Butter Cookies

These easy peanut butter cookies use pancake mix and the recipe doesn’t contain any sweetened condensed milk.

It’s a makeover of an old from-scratch recipe a woman from my childhood church gave me–and it’s a winner!

If you love soft cookies, you’ll love how easy it is to make these pancake mix peanut butter cookies!

If you have a yellow cake mix on hand, you could also try my cake mix peanut butter cookies!

More Easy Cookie Recipes You Will Love:

Five pancake mix peanut butter cookies arranged in a circle on a small wooden plate

Peanut Butter Cookies Made with Pancake Mix

Pancake mix cookies are so easy to make and using the mix eliminates the need to add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. This can save time and also frustration.

How many times have you opened the baking powder to find it has caked into a solid mass that even a hammer and chisel couldn’t break through?

Pancake mix to the rescue! In fact, I have a whole list of things to make with pancake mix.

Baking with pancake mix is very similar to using Bisquick.

Generally speaking, Bisquick baking mix and pancake mix can be substituted for each other, though most pancake mixes have a bit more sugar than Bisquick does.

How to Make Pancake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies

It’s really easy to make these soft, chewy peanut butter cookies. You only need a handful of ingredients.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Unsalted butter
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Peanut butter
  • Pancake mix
  • Sugar for rolling cookies
a stack of peanut butter cookies made with pancake mix, with the top cookie broken in half

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Preheat and prep. First you’ll preheat you oven to 375F and prep your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Mix the batter. Next you’ll cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can use a large bowl and an electric mixer).

Then add eggs and vanilla.

Batter ingredients in a mixing bowl for making peanut butter cookies with pancake mix

Gradually add the pancake mix until everything is combined, creating a soft dough.

Finished batter for peanut butter cookies, ready to be rolled and baked.

Roll. Last, you’ll roll tablespoons of peanut butter cookie dough into balls and dip them into white sugar to coat (you can use a cookie scoop or just a tablespoon to scoop the dough).

Place the cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet. Use a fork to create a crisscross pattern in the cookie and flatten it slightly.

tines of a fork pressing a criss-cross pattern into the pancake mix peanut butter cookies on a baking sheet

Bake. Transfer to the oven and bake for 7-9 minutes bake time, or until the edges just begin to brown.

Don’t overbake or else your cookies will be crunchy instead of soft and chewy!

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

several peanut butter cookies made with pancake mix stacked on a small wooden plate

Notes and Adaptations:

  • This recipe has not been tested with a gluten-free pancake mix. It might work just fine, but you can also consider trying these flourless peanut butter cookies if you are looking for a gluten-free option.
  • Regular creamy peanut butter will work better than natural peanut butter that requires stirring and refrigeration.
  • Feel free to add some chocolate chips to the dough if you’d like!
  • If you are looking for some crunch, use crunchy peanut butter instead.
  • You can skip rolling the cookies in sugar if you’d like, but I prefer the added sweetness.
  • Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container.
  • Need to cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch? Check out these tips for halving ingredients.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: Approx. 3 dozen cookies

Pancake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies

several peanut butter cookies made with pancake mix on a wooden plate

These soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are made with pancake mix, so they're extra simple to prepare!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups pancake mix
  • optional: 1/4 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer), beat butter, both sugars, and peanut butter together until creamy.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined.
  4. With mixer on low speed, gradually add pancake mix, mixing only until it's combined.
  5. Scoop batter out by rounded Tablespoon, rolling in your hands to make a ball. If desired, roll the ball in sugar to coat, then place 12 rounds of dough on the baking sheet, separated by a couple of inches.
  6. Use the tines of a fork to press a criss-cross pattern in the top of each round, flattening it slightly.
  7. Bake for 7-9 minutes, just until the edges are starting to turn golden-brown. Do not overbake.
  8. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Notes

  • You can skip rolling in sugar if preferred, but I like the added sweetness.
  • I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free pancake mix. It might work fine, but if you need a gluten-free recipe, consider trying my gluten-free flourless peanut butter cookies.
  • You can use crunchy peanut butter if you prefer. I do not recommend using natural peanut butter that separates and requires stirring.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 116mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

brown plate with pancake mix peanut butter cookies arranged in a circle

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28 Comments

  1. Sandra Black says:

    I made these tonight and they are wonderful! The only thing i did differently was instead of using all butter, i used half butter and half coconut oil. If you love peanut butter cookies, you got to try these. The bake time is perfect. Do not bake them any longer or they will get hard once they cool. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you so much, Sandra! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, and thank you for letting us know that subbing in half coconut oil works well, too! 🙂

  2. Stacie McCain says:

    2nd time making these. My husband’s favorite & these are quick & easy.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you, Stacie! I’m so glad they’re a hit! 🙂

  3. i mean im only 1110 and i mad the so goooooooooooood

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Glad you enjoyed them, Lilly!

  4. Kristie shortt says:

    I mafe these tonite and they are super yummy and easy to make. Will definitely make them again! We actually added ice cream to make our own ice cream sandwich.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Kristie! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. What a fantastic idea to add ice cream–perfect for summer! 🙂

  5. Just made this recipe using gluten free baking mix (Bob’s redmill) also no stir natural chunky peanut butter. Added peanut butter chips . They are delicious. Best peanut butter cookie I have ever made.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Brenda! Thanks for letting us know how they turned out with gluten free baking mix! 🙂

  6. 2 cups of sugar seems like a lot for me, especially if I’m adding chocolate chips. Is it ok to cut that in half? Would it affect the consistency? Thanks!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Jennifer! Cutting the sugar down by half will likely result in cookies that aren’t as soft, but rather more crumbly/dry. If you want to decrease the sugar, maybe try 3/4 cup of each instead, for 1.5 cups total?

  7. I halved the recipe and used it with Krusteaz Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancake mix and they turned out amazingly!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you for sharing, Leah! I’m so glad to know that the gluten free pancake mix worked well for you! 🙂

  8. These were super yummy! BUT mine turned out hard after they cooled completely.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Haley! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Maybe try a slightly shorter baking time (1-2 minutes less) and see if that helps them stay soft longer next time. Hope that helps! 🙂

  9. I made these using a strawberry pancake and waffle mix I found at Target. They turned out delicious! I’m calling them PB&J cookies. Thanks for the great recipe.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Sarah! Now THAT is a fabulous idea–thanks for sharing! 🙂

  10. Melt in your mouth deliciousness! Great option for the 10 pound bag of pancake mix hubby bought at Sam’s club!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you so much, Suzanne! I can’t think of a better way to make use of surplus pancake mix! 🙂

  11. What a great, easy-to-make recipe! I had a giant bag of Krusteaz from Costco that I needed to use up, and it worked perfectly. I increased the size of the cookies a bit, and cooked them a few minutes longer. They were still soft and delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you so much, Pat! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂

  12. I have never written a food review in my life, but these cookies were f***ing amazing. I didn’t roll them in sugar, and I only had 1 egg so I replaced the second with banana. I used regular creamy peanut butter and followed all the stated directions. They came out so rich and delicious. I’ve been asked which recipe I used but I’m gatekeeping this. Thank you for sharing this.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Kai, your message about gatekeeping made me laugh! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies–they’re so good, it seems like they shouldn’t also be so easy, right? Thanks for your note!

  13. Hi Christi
    When I read the recipe, I said to myself “never gonna happen”.
    So, I had pancake mix and peanut butter and I said I’ll do it and followed the recipe exactly.
    I am soooo happy I did. Thank you so much. They baked to perfection.
    The dough mixed well. My cookies have rough edges which I kind of like but otherwise, look exactly like the picture. I love the crackled look. I (was, but not anymore) the worst cookie maker in the world. BTW these cookies will be perfect for the holidays. I used Teddy all natural PB and had to mix it well before putting it in the mix. Perfect!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thank you so much for your feedback, Marie! I love hearing that you were surprised in the best kind of way. I agree, they’re great for the holidays! 🙂

  14. Elizabeth says:

    Love this recipe! But I didn’t think to half it this time. I already have 2 dozen baked up. Can I freeze the rest of the dough or should I just make up the rest?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      I haven’t personally frozen the dough, but I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work! I’d probably go ahead and roll the dough out into cookie balls and do the criss-cross pattern on them, then flash freeze them on a lined baking sheet before putting them in a freezer safe container. Then you can bake them from frozen–just add a bit of extra time to the baking time (probably a couple more minutes). I hope that helps! 🙂

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