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Sriracha Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are a spicy twist on a classic cookie. These delicious sweet, salty and spicy cookies will leave taste testers slightly confused but coming back for more!

close up of peanut butter cookie with criss cross pattern

Spicy Peanut Butter Cookies

This year has been a doozy and I can’t think of a better way to end it than with a virtual Cookie Countdown. Luckily, Reynolds Kitchens® is hosting one so we can all bake together.

I am sharing a recipe that is as unexpected as 2020 has been – a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie that finishes off with heat from Sriracha! 

I like to not tell people what’s in them and just watch their faces as the slightly spicy Sriracha hits them. It mixes perfectly with the chocolate and peanut butter.

What is Sriracha?

Sriracha is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt.

It is tangy and spicy-sweet. It is not as spicy as a traditional hot sauce like Tabasco.

dough balls on a baking sheet

When I’m making these cookies, I like to make them fairly large. I use Reynolds Kitchens® Parchment Paper with SmartGrid® to help me properly space them on the baking sheet.

There’s nothing much worse to a baker than opening the oven expecting perfect cookies but getting a giant blob that merged together. Lining the dough up with the gridlines helps prevent that.

Tools you’ll need

  • Parchment Paper – For an even bake & easy cleanup.
  • Cookie Scoop – I used a medium (1.5 Tb) cookie scoop for this batch.
  • Baking Sheets – I like to use baking sheets with a lip so the dough balls don’t roll off. 

Ingredients

Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.

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  • Butter – Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. 
  • Peanut Butter – I use smooth but crunchy will work as well.
  • Sugar – Granulated white sugar.
  • Brown Sugar – Light or dark will work. I used light. 
  • Sriracha – The secret ingredient that brings the heat. 
  • Eggs – Two large eggs. I use organic, free range.
  • Vanilla Extract – I know it’s pricey but please use vanilla extract and not imitation for the best flavor.
  • Flour – All-purpose white flour is what I tested with.
  • Baking Powder – For rise.
  • Baking Soda – For rise.
  • Salt – For balance. 
  • Chocolate Chips – I use Ghirardelli dark chocolate baking chips.
overhead shot of ingredients laid out to make cookies

How to make Sriracha Peanut Butter Cookies

This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

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  1. STEP ONE: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars with a hand mixer. Add in the Sriracha, eggs, and vanilla and continue mixing until well combined.
  2. STEP TWO: In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. STEP THREE: In three parts, add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture, mixing between each addition until fully combined. If the dough is still sticky, add an extra tablespoon of flour and mix. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips.
collage of mixing bowl making peanut butter cookies
  1. STEP FOUR: Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.
  2. STEP FIVE: Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper and set aside.
overhead shot of cookie dough bowl & cookie scoop on a baking sheet
  1. STEP SIX: Add some white sugar to a shallow bowl. Using a medium (1.5 Tb) cookie scoop, scoop dough balls, roll in your hands to smooth, then roll in the sugar. Evenly space 8 per pan. Using a fork, press a criss-cross pattern to your dough balls.
  1. STEP SEVEN: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies just start to brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. 
overhea shot of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack

Why should I use parchment paper when baking cookies?

Using Parchment Paper creates a non-stick baking surface that doesn’t need any type of sprays or oils that can change the flavor of your baked goods.

Cookies baked on parchment paper bake evenly and don’t crack or fall apart.

The super helpful gridline pattern creates a natural spacing system so you don’t have cookies merging into each other during baking. 

stack of peanut butter cookies on a white plate

Can I freeze them?

Yes, these cookies freeze really well.

I like to fully prep the dough, scoop into balls, roll in sugar, and then freeze the dough balls covered on a baking sheet.

Once they’re fully frozen, I move them to a freezer bag and they’ll keep for up to a couple months. You can bake from frozen. 

Alternatively, you can bake them, add them to a freezer bag with parchment paper between layers, and freeze. They will thaw at room temperature on the counter in about 10-15 minutes.  

Molasses Cookies
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Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.

plate of peanut butter cookies with text overlay reading "sriracha peanut butter cookies"
close up of peanut butter cookie with criss cross pattern
4.72 from 7 votes

Sriracha Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 60 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
A spicy twist on the classic peanut butter cookie. These delicious sweet, salty, and spicy cookies will leave taste testers slightly confused but coming back for more!

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temp
  • 1 ½ cups peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulate white sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • ¼ cup Sriracha sauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ¾ cups flour + a couple Tablespoons more, as needed
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup granulated white sugar for rolling

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars with a hand mixer.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, 1 cup granulate white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
  • Add in the Sriracha, eggs, and vanilla. Continue mixing until well combined.
    1/4 cup Sriracha sauce, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    2 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • In three parts, add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture, fully combining between each addition. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If the dough is still sticky, add an extra tablespoon of flour and mix. Keep doing this until the dough no longer sticks to your hand.
    1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
  • Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper.
  • In a small bowl, approximately 1/4 cup of white sugar for rolling.
    1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough balls then roll in the sugar. Set on your pan with equal spacing. Using a fork, press a criss-cross pattern to your dough balls.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies just start to brown around the edges.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Store baked cookies in an airtight container. 
  • I use a medium cookie scoop (1.5 Tb) and get 8 cookies per sheet. If you use a small scoop, you can fit 12 cookies per sheet.
  • Dough can be prepared and frozen in a freezer bag. Dough will keep for a couple months. Bake from frozen and add 1-2 minutes to the bake time. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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This post was sponsored by Reynolds Kitchens®, a brand I love! As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Sriracha Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies - a spin on the traditional cookie with little kick of heat! | Persnickety Plates


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12 Comments

  1. Um, what? I need to make these. Now-ish. I go through phases with sriracha – there will be months were I put it on anything and everything, and months where I’m not into it as much (and maybe more into sambal oelek). However, I’m hopelessly well into a sriracha streak lately. So yeah, I’m gonna need some of these cookies.

    1. I’ve been considering making a chocolate-sambal oelek ice cream. I think it sounds great. Most other people I’ve told about it think it sounds disgusting. I think I’m gonna win.

  2. I love a spicy/sweet combo and I always have sriracha on hand. I’ve even experimented with adding fresh (finely minced) habaneros to some sweets. I can’t wait to try it with peanut butter cookies. Great idea.