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Peanut butter pie lava cookies are a molten cookie recipe that’s irresistible. They are easy to make and only require three simple ingredients. From the warm, gooey peanut butter filled center, to the soft cookie outside these are sinfully delicious.
Peanut butter lovers, you are in luck. We have a couple more easy peanut butter cookie recipes to share with you. We love these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies and these Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies. Both recipes are creamy and delicious!
MORE COOKIES RECIPES:
Shortbread Cookies | Snowball Cookies
INGREDIENTS FOR PEANUT BUTTER LAVA COOKIES
You will need:
- 14 ounce package of pre-made Pie Crust, 2 crusts
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
SUBSTITUTIONS and additions
Peanut Butter: I have found that Skippy peanut butter worked best for me compared to JIF and Adam’s all-natural peanut butter.
Pie Crust: You can use the store-bought pie crust as mentioned above, or if you have a homemade recipe you prefer, that will work as well.
HOW TO MAKE THIS PEANUT BUTTER LAVA COOKIES RECIPE
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set out pie crusts until they are at room temperature. It’s best to refer to package instructions for time requirements.
STEP TWO: On a piece of parchment paper, unroll one pie crust layer and roll slightly with a rolling pin to achieve a crust just a bit thinner than it comes in the package. You want it to be about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch.
STEP THREE: Use a 3 inch round cookie cutter or a glass/jar to cut as many circles as you can fit from the crust.
STEP FOUR: Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter onto the center of the round pie piece. Sprinkle it with a 1/8 teaspoon of granulated sugar, making sure the sugar stays right on the peanut butter and does not spread to the edges of the pie crust. This will prevent the top from sealing to the bottom piece when we sandwich them together.
PRO TIP: The best way to get the lava effect is with a big glob of peanut butter in the center and to be sure to smush the edges of pie crust together really well.
STEP FIVE: Place a second pie piece over the first to form a sandwich. Use your fingers to pinch the edges together firmly all the way around the cookie.
STEP SIX: Gently toss the formed cookie in granulated sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
PRO TIP: The sugar on the inside and this double coating of sugar on the outside helps sweeten these cookies up. The pie crust doesn’t tend to be sweet enough for a good flavor.
STEP SEVEN: Repeat for the remaining pie crust pieces. Collect excess pie crust, press into a ball, and re-roll to form additional rounds.
STEP EIGHT: Bake cookies for 7 to 8 minutes until the pie crust is flaky and just beginning to brown. Do not overbake.
STEP NINE: While the cookies are baking, repeat the above steps with the other roll of pie crust.
STEP TEN: Remove from the oven and let cool for just a few minutes before serving. Peanut butter in the center remains in a lava state while the cookies are warm and firm up as they cool.
PRO TIP: No matter what kind of peanut butter you use or how much you put in there, the lava effect comes from being warm and melty, so once the cookies cool down, the peanut butter goes back to its room temperature state.
STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, but these are really at their peak still warm straight out of the oven.
IN THE FREEZER: These cookies don’t do well in the freezer, because they are meant to be served warm. If stored for too long the peanut butter will harden completely and lose its effect.
With just 3 items on the ingredients list, these are the easiest lava cookies you’ll ever make. The important thing to remember is that you want a big glob of peanut butter in the middle of each cookie. Then, pinch the sides uptight, bake and serve these straight out of the oven for a gooey and delicious molten dessert.
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Peanut Butter Lava Cookies
Ingredients
- 14 oz package premade pie crust 2 crusts
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter Skippy worked best compared to JIF and Adam's all natural peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set out pie crusts until they are at room temperature. Refer to package instructions for time requirements.
- On a piece of parchment paper, unroll/unfold one pie crust layer. Roll slightly with a rolling pin to achieve a crust just a bit thinner than it comes in the package, it should be 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch.
- Use a 3 inch round cookie cutter or a glass/jar to cut as many circles as you can fit from the crust.
- Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter onto the center of the round pie piece. Sprinkle with a 1/8 teaspoon of granulated sugar, making sure the sugar stays right on the peanut butter and does not spread to the edges of the pie crust. This will prevent the top from sealing to the bottom piece when we sandwich them together.
- Place a second pie piece over the first to form a sandwich. Use your fingers to pinch the edges together firmly all the way around the cookie.
- Gently toss the formed cookie in granulated sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat for the remaining pie crust pieces. Collect excess pie crust, press into a ball, and re-roll to form additional rounds.
- Bake cookies for 7 to 8 minutes until pie crust is flaky and just beginning to brown. Do not overbake.
- While the cookies are baking, repeat the above steps with the other roll of pie crust.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for just a few minutes before serving. Peanut butter in the center remains in lava state while the cookies are warm and firms up as they cool.
These are AMAZING… the melted peanut butter in the middle is irresistible!