These Chocolate Swirled Peanut Butter Cookies are easily in my top 10 favorite cookie list. They’re a delicious peanut butter cookie with chocolate swirl baked into them. The texture is lightly crisp.

chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies

My Mom used to make these delicious little bake & slice rolled chocolate-swirl cookies when I was growing up.  I’m sure she got the recipe out of some sort of 70’s cheesy checkout-aisle mini magazine but it’s really a genius, wonderful recipe. Before Mom died, she still made them once a year during the holidays, hauling them on the airplane to bring to my house. I adore them and will eat far too many in one sitting.  I took Mom’s recipe modified it a bit to make these chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies!

ingredients displayed for making chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies

Ingredients needed:

  • unsalted butter
  • creamy peanut butter
  • white sugar
  • brown sugar
  • eggs
  • all purpose flour
  • baking soda, baking powder and salt
  • semisweet chocolate chips
  • sweetened condensed milk
  • shortening

four photos showing process of making dough for chocolate peanut butter cookies

How to make Chocolate Swirled Peanut Butter Cookies:

The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

The first step is making the peanut butter cookie dough. In a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream the butter, peanut butter, sugars and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and blend together until combined. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Pat the dough into balls, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until more firm (about an hour should be perfect).

Next, make the chocolate swirl. In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk and shortening in the microwave. Set for a minute, stir, then 30 seconds more, stir and continue until melted and smooth.

Roll out 1 ball of dough into a large rectangle (about 11×15-inches, not too thin) on a thin floured towel. (The dough will be soft, so roll gently). Spoon dollops of the chocolate mixture onto the rolled out dough (using about ½ of the chocolate), then spread carefully to cover most of the rectangle. Using the towel as a guide, carefully lift the towel to help roll the rectangle into a log. Wrap the “log” in the towel and place into the freezer for about 20 minutes, or until the log has had a chance to firm up slightly. It’s okay to leave it in the freezer longer than 20 minutes. It’s easier to cut when firm. While first batch is in the freezer, roll out the second ball of dough. If chocolate mixture has firmed up a bit, just stick it back in the microwave to melt again. Stir until smooth and spread remaining chocolate on the rolled out dough. Roll up into a log and freeze until ready to bake.

two photos showing cookies on a baking sheet and then baked cookies

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats. Remove the firmed up cookie log from the freezer and cut into ¼-inch slices. Bake on the prepared cookie sheets for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies no longer look or feel gooey.

chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies on a cooling rack

Let them cool for a few minutes on the pan, and then carefully transfer them with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies

I love these Chocolate Swirled Peanut Butter Cookies with all my heart. And they make me think of my Mom, which is a sweet memory. I hope you love them as much as I do. Enjoy!

stack of four chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies

The best Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes:

chocolate swirled peanut butter cookies
3.67 from 3 votes

Chocolate Swirled Peanut Butter Cookies

These peanut butter cookies have a lovely swirl of chocolate mixed in. They turn out perfect - not too soft and not too crisp.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 66 cookies
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Ingredients

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH:

CHOCOLATE SWIRL:

Instructions 

MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH:

  • In a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream the butter, peanut butter, sugars and eggs.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and blend together until combined.
  • Divide the dough into 2 parts. Pat into balls, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until more firm (about an hour should be perfect).

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE SWIRL:

  • In a medium bowl, heat the chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk and shortening in the microwave. Set for a minute, stir, then 30 seconds more, stir... continue until melted and smooth.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:

  • Roll out 1 ball of dough into a large rectangle (about 11x15-inches, not too thin) on a thin floured towel. (The dough will be soft, so roll gently).
  • Spoon dollops of the chocolate mixture onto the rolled out dough (using about ½ of the chocolate), then spread carefully to cover most of the rectangle.
  • Using the towel as a guide, carefully lift the towel to help roll the rectangle into a log. Wrap the "log" in the towel and place into the freezer for about 20 minutes, or until the log has had a chance to firm up slightly. It's okay to leave it in the freezer longer than 20 minutes. It's easier to cut when firm.
  • While the first batch is in the freezer, roll out the second ball of dough. If the chocolate mixture has firmed up a bit, just stick it back in the microwave to melt again. Stir until smooth and spread the remaining chocolate on the rolled out dough. Roll up into a log and freeze until ready to bake.
  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
  • Remove the firmed-up cookie log from the freezer and cut into ¼-inch slices.
  • Bake on the prepared cookie sheets 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies no longer look or feel gooey.

Notes

  • Do not use natural peanut butter for this recipe. You won't have good results.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 143kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 89mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 116IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies

3.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. Pat Mann says:

    the photo looks like the chocolate seized.. Is that so? I’m also wondering if the condensed milk will make the chocolate too soft or runny. This is a recipe different from others that I have used.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I don’t have a problem with the chocolate mixture as the recipe is written 🙂

  2. Angie says:

    what can i use if shortening is not available?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      You could try using butter in its place, but since I haven’t tried it myself I can’t assure you that all will be perfect.

  3. kelly says:

    oh my goodness! i havent seen this recipe in a million years! my grandmother passed away 16 years ago and she used to make these cookies all the time when i was a kid! come to find out that these are my dads favorite cookies! i think when you said your mother must have gotten this recipe from some 70’s check out magazine i think you are right! i think my grandmother must have gotten it there too!!! wow! thank you! i am going to get right on and make these!

  4. Brooke says:

    Why “not the natural kind” when using the creamy peanut butter?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Creamy peanut butter just works better than the natural stuff in cookies. The natural kind is too chunky. Must be the added oils in the creamy type that make it work better, I guess. You can always *try* the natural kind but I can’t recommend it.

  5. Jane says:

    Just baked these yummy cookies and they were so easy to bake! Yes, the dough is a little sticky if you take too long to roll it out but if you move quickly it won’t stick.
    They taste so yummy!! Thanks!