These chewy Fluffernutter Cookies have an ultra-smooth, soft peanut butter dough stuffed with creamy peanut butter and gooey marshmallow. The dough gently cracks open to expose the marshmallow and they get even softer as the days go by.
Love fluffternutter flavor? Try this super easy Fluffernutter Fudge, too!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Texture - The fluffernutter cookies are super soft, but structurally sound enough to hold the filling together. The top of the cookie bits get slightly crunchy and the centers are gooey and perfect. They actually get softer as the days go on from the moisture of the filling!
Flavor - Rich, major peanut butter flavor, and the sweet vanilla flavor from the melted marshmallows. I like to add peanut butter chips to bring home the flavor, and have recently started adding flaky salt to help cut the richness (it actually brings out the peanut butter more)!
Nostalgia - If you grew up eating fluffernutter sandwiches as a kid, you're going to love these. It's that ooey gooey peanut butter and marshmallow filling that you loved stuffed into a peanut butter cookie! Fluffernutter sandwich cookies for the win.
This is the original fluffernutter cookies recipe, and you can see how many folks love these from all of the rave reviews!
For more delicious cookie recipes, try these graham cracker cookies, peanut butter chocolate marshmallow cookies, cookie butter cookies, dark chocolate almond cookies, and classic thumbprint cookies!
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Ingredients
- Dry ingredients. All-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Wet ingredients. Unsalted butter, egg, and vanilla.
- Peanut butter. Creamy, non-natural peanut butter needs to be used. This means Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan-type brands. Natural peanut butter doesn't contain the necessary structure and adds too much oil to the dough and centers.
- Marshmallows. Whole, normal-sized marshmallows are used. I've found that Aldi-brand marshmallows work best for this recipe!
- Peanut butter chips. These are totally optional, but I love how they make the cookies look, plus, who doesn't want a bit of extra peanut butter?
See recipe card for quantities.
Marshmallow vs. Marshmallow Fluff vs. Marshmallow Creme
All of these contain the same base ingredients but have different methods and the additions of a few different ingredients to change the textures of the base recipe.
Marshmallows contain gelatin, marshmallow creme contains xanthan gum or cream of tartar, and marshmallow fluff doesn't contain either. Fluff and creme are a spreadable consistency, while marshmallows are stabilized to stay much more springy in form.
These stuffed peanut butter cookies use standard marshmallows, which hold up best to the stuffing process, and also allow for a slower melt for that exposed crack!
Substitutions and Variations
Here's a few ways you can mix up the recipe:
- Mini marshmallows - use about 4-5 mini marshmallows in the centers if you don't have normal marshmallows.
- Smaller cookies - cut the marshmallows in half, peanut butter filling amount in half, and the dough balls in half to make smaller cookies. The cookies, as written, are the size of your palm.
- Chocolate chips - stud the cookies with chocolate chips rather than peanut butter chips to make chocolate fluffernutter cookies!
Note, I would not recommend using crunchy peanut butter for the dough portion, but it can be used for the peanut butter filling.
How to Make This Recipe
Before beginning, preheat the oven and also add 12 heaping teaspoon dollops of peanut butter onto a parchment-lined plate and freeze them while you make the dough. This helps so much with the assembly process.
Use your finger or a butter knife to get the peanut butter out of the teaspoon. If the ¼ cup does not yield the 12 teaspoons, use additional peanut butter to get to 12. It should be very close.
One: Make the dough, then remove 12, three-tablespoon (~60g) sized dollops and flatten them with your palms. Add a piece of frozen peanut butter.
Two: Place a marshmallow longways on top of the peanut butter and gently press down.
Three: Gently work the dough up and over the marshmallow to close, keeping the surrounding dough as even as possible everywhere.
Four: Turn the dough ball over (so the marshmallow is on the bottom), then stud the dough with peanut butter chips, if using.
Five: Place six balls of dough on a parchment-lined, full-sized baking sheet. You will need two sheets.
Six: Bake the cookies only for the amount listed, then allow them to cool completely on the baking tray. Use a spatula to remove them.
Expert Tips
- Use the side of fork tines to reshape the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Just give them a gentle push inwards all the way around so you have perfectly round cookies. Pull off any marshmallow bits stuck on the fork before moving to the next.
- Work in batches of 3-4 when assembling the cookies, leaving the peanut butter dollops in the freezer. Keeping them frozen is key to easy assembly.
- The dough may crack in some places when assembling. Just gently push it together with your thumbs as best as possible.
- Bake only for the amount listed. The edges and tops will look barely brown, so take care not to overcook them! Overcooking can cause the marshmallows the disintegrate.
- If the cookies haven't quite flattened the whole way, smack the pan on the counter a few times straight out of the oven to help them fall.
- Use parchment paper, as the marshmallow seeps out in some places and can get stuck to an unlined pan.
Recipe FAQs
Aldi brand marshmallows have given me the best results for this recipe! Stay away from homemade marshmallows or any organic or natural marshmallows. For this recipe, we need marshmallows with additives for a bit of structure.
A classic fluffernutter is a sandwich made from squishy white bread, filled with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. If you had this tub in your cupboard growing up, welcome to the fluffernutter club.
It originated in the New England area, and they have festivals to celebrate this genius concoction!
Not in this recipe! This is for a couple of reasons:
1. The cookie dough needs the structure of the marshmallow to completely wrap around - the fluff is too soft.
2. The marshmallow takes longer to melt which gives the cookie time to cook before "cracking" open to show the gooey marshmallow.
Storage & Freezing
Store the cookies in a sealed container for up to 5 days. If you need to stack them, place a piece of parchment paper in between so the marshmallow sticks to the paper instead of other cookies.
Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container for one month. Remove individual cookies from the freezer and thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Baking Fluffernutter Cookies from Frozen
Once the dough ball are assembled, place them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them for 30 minutes, then transfer to a zip-top bag or sealed container.
Bake the cookies from frozen in a preheated 350℉/177℃ oven for 13-15 minutes.
Store the frozen dough balls for up to 2 months.
More Peanut Butter Recipes You'll Love
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📖Recipe
Fluffernutter Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- Two full-sized cookie sheets
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (270g) divided, Jif/Skippy/Peter Pan (not natural)
- ½ cup light brown sugar 100g
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 67g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 12 marshmallows standard sized
- peanut butter chips optional
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Lay a piece of parchment paper over a standard sized plate. Measure out ¼ cup (~67g) of peanut butter, then use a teaspoon measure to scoop heaping scoops onto the plate. You will need 12 dollops. Use more peanut butter to get to 12, if needed. Place the peanut butter in the freezer while preparing the dough.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and ¾ cup (202g) peanut butter, then add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine, then scrape down the sides. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just incorporated.
- Prepare two full sized cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃.
Assembly
- Measure out three even tablespoons (~60g) of dough then flatten it out in between your palms. Place one dollop of the frozen peanut butter in the center, then add a marshmallow (on its long side) on top and gently press down.
- Work the dough upwards and around the top of the marshmallow until it’s completely sealed. The dough may crack in some places - just gently push it together with your thumbs as best as possible. Place the dough seam side/marshmallow side down on the cookie sheet.
- Repeat this until there are 12 cookie dough balls. It's best to work in batches of 3 or 4, leaving the extra peanut butter in the freezer. Arrange the cookies, 6 on each pan, and stud each top with 4-5 peanut butter chips, if desired.
- Bake one pan at a time for 9-11 minutes on the middle rack until the edges are set and just barely brown on the very bottom edge. You also want the cookie to slightly break open to expose the marshmallow (see notes section). Remove from the oven and use a fork to gently push the cookies into nice circles. Then, top with flaky salt, if desired.
- Let cool completely on the pan before transferring to a serving platter or storage container. You may need to use a spatula to lift off some of the sticky marshmallow pieces.
Sheri Bock
Absolutely delicious and fun to make with the kids!!
The Cozy Plum
Ahh yay!! So glad the kiddos enjoyed making them - thank you:)
Pam
I made these today & the family absolutely loves them! I appreciated the precise instructions so much …. all of my questions were answered before I even asked, and they came out perfectly. Thank you for sharing!
The Cozy Plum
This is so great to hear! Thanks so much for the note and for the review 🙂
Pam
To die for - takes me back to my youth when Mom made us fluffernutter sandwiches. You just have to try these unique cookies
Liz
Okay, well it's very clear why these are all the rage! The combination of gooey marshmallow and creamy peanut butter makes for the dreamiest cookie! I used store brand marshmallows for the first batch of these I made and they got super soft and gooey and made for an epic marshmallow pull, but they didn't flatten - there was just a large mound under the dough. The dough still cracked, but held its shape around the mallow, and the texture was perfect. When I made a second batch, I used some store brand marshmallows and some Kraft brand mini mallows, and the ones with the Kraft mini mallows flattened, so it might just be something in the brand I used that didn't flatten! Regardless they tasted incredible, the texture was perfect, and I gave them as gifts and they were raved about! A perfect cookie!
The Cozy Plum
Lizzie, thanks so much for this review! I have been hearing similar stories about certain types of marshmallows - I am hoping to be able to test some brands soon and add to the post about which brands are best! Appreciate this feedback.
Nour Kanawati
Hi! I was wondering can I make these beforehand and freeze them to bake later, or will that mess with the marshmallow melting? Thanks!
The Cozy Plum
Hey Nour! You can assemble and then freeze! Bake from frozen at 350F for about 16 minutes 🙂
Megan
Amazing! Tricked my husband into helping me if I doubled the batch and it was WORTH IT.
The Cozy Plum
HAHA! This is the best - sounds like a good plan to me 😉
Cecilia
I am very confused, I'm a regular baker, followed this recipe exactly as written, measured in weight, my "dough" was like buttercream. It wasn't a dough, nor was it shapeable as it was cream. I don't know if 180g of flour was wrong or whipped the PB and butter 2 min on medium speed caused too much air in the mix. But I don't know what to do with my bowl of liquidy whipped dough.
The Cozy Plum
Hi Cecilia, I'm really sorry to hear this! 180g of flour is correct - and I have made these many times with both cup and gram measurements without issue. The dough should be really soft, pliable, and nice to work with, but definitely not soupy by any means. I haven't heard this come up yet. My first thoughts are: butter overly soft, using an extra large egg vs large egg, or type of peanut butter used.
Cathy
same here. I'm going to use my batter and layers to make some kind of brownie instead.
Ana
These cookies are so easy to make and has even make me, a no peanut butter in sweets person, eat a peanut butter cookie. Well done!
The Cozy Plum
Well this is just the best comment! Thank you for making them, and glad this recipe could convert this time 😉
Alexandra Deoni
These are the bomb! So so delicious and so fun to make! I love the idea of trying them smaller. My kids couldn’t finish a while one! I love the peanut butter inside with the marshmallow. Will definitely be making these again! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
The Cozy Plum
Thanks so much for this review, Alexandra! A few people have made them smaller with success, so I'd definitely go for it 🙂
Britt
Hands down, my new favorite cookie to make!! And so much easier than anticipated! Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!
The Cozy Plum
Thank you, Britt! Thank you for making them and for this awesome review!
Megan G.
The only reason we still have a few in the house 1.5 days after I made them is because we had lots of Easter candies/other treats...but oh my these are DELICIOUS. My husband’s new favorite! The recipe was super easy to follow & calls for simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand! I, however, did not have enough brown sugar & decided to swap in coconut sugar. Still turned out incredible! These will be a new staple in my baking world 🙂
The Cozy Plum
Thank you, Megan!! This is awesome, so glad you enjoyed them.
Taylor A
From the look of these cookies, I was really nervous they would require a lot of work or baking experience but that’s not the case! The dough came together pretty quickly and assembly was easier than expected. I had some trouble sealing the dough around the filling for my first round in the oven causing some overflow, but I adjusted my second round to make sure the peanut butter dollop was toward the bottom of the dough ball when I put it on the baking sheet and they came out perfectly! 10/10 delicious recipe that I will be making again!
The Cozy Plum
Yay!! Sounds like a success, and glad you were able to troubleshoot on the sealing process. Thanks, Taylor!
Jen
Hi there!
I’m attempting this recipe now and am confused by some of the weight measurements shown here. It seems as though the weight measurements for the granulated sugar and the flour are half what they should be? Since I prefer to weigh rather than measure, I thought I’d double check with you.
Thanks!
The Cozy Plum
Jen, I'm so glad you noticed this - the sugar in g was incorrect and I just updated to 67g!! The flour, however, is correct. I measure by 120g flour per one cup (I know these amounts can be different for many). I always measure my flours/powders by weight but almost always go by cup for my white & brown sugars - need to stop doing that and go fully weight!
Ahlea
I am mid-bite but couldn't wait to leave a review! Love this recipe and the steps are so easy to follow!
The Cozy Plum
Haha this is amazing!! Appreciate this - thank you!
Ashleigh Scott
These cookies are so delicious I honestly cannot say enough incredible things about them. To be totally honest, I’m not usually a massive fan of peanut butter cookies but these looked so yummy I figured my kids would love them so I gave them a go and man alive they were amazing! The best part is they stayed soft and got even better over the next few days. I’m making these again ASAP. Thanks for a foolproof recipe Callan!! ❤️❤️
The Cozy Plum
Thank you Ashleigh!! Totally agree that they keep getting softer and better as the days go on. Thanks for making!