Sriracha Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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!

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.

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

• 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.

How to make Sriracha Peanut Butter Cookies

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.

4. STEP FOUR: Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.
   
5. STEP FIVE: Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper and set aside.

6. 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.

7. 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. 

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. 

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.  

Need more holiday cookie recipes? Try these:

Molasses Cookies
Amish Sugar Cookies
Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies
Ginger Snap Cookies

Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.

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