Soft Peanut Butter Cookies with a Fork Crosshatch

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ≈ 188 g
  Swaps for all-purpose flour

  Instead of all-purpose flour

  • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
  • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
  • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

  All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ¾ tsp baking soda
  Swaps for baking soda

  Instead of baking soda

  • Baking powder: 3 tsp baking powder for each 1 tsp baking soda. It rises, but bakes come out paler and puffier, cookies spread less, and the extra powder can taste a little bitter.

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• ½ tsp baking powder
  Swaps for baking powder

  Instead of baking powder

  • Baking soda + cream of tartar: ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar for each 1 tsp baking powder. Rises the same if you don't let the batter sit.
  • Baking soda + buttermilk or yogurt: ¼ tsp baking soda for each 1 tsp baking powder, and swap ½ cup of the recipe's milk for buttermilk or thinned yogurt. Good rise with a light tang.
  • Self-rising flour: Use it for the flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. Each cup has about 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt built in, so it only fits recipes close to that ratio.

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• ¼ tsp kosher salt
  Swaps for kosher salt

  Instead of salt

  • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
  • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

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• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened ≈ 113 g
  Swaps for unsalted butter

  Instead of butter

  • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
  • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
  • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

  All 4 swaps for butter

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, regular no-stir style, not natural ≈ 258 g
  Swaps for creamy peanut butter

  Instead of peanut butter

  • Sunflower seed butter: The same amount. Earthier and a little sweeter.
  • Almond or cashew butter: The same amount. Milder and less salty (add a pinch of salt).
  • Soy nut butter: The same amount. Close in taste and texture; contains soy.

  More for peanut butter

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ½ cup granulated sugar ≈ 100 g
  Swaps for granulated sugar

  Instead of sugar

  • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
  • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
  • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

  All 4 swaps for sugar

• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed ≈ 110 g
  Swaps for light brown sugar

  Instead of brown sugar

  • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
  • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
  • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

  All 4 swaps for brown sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature
  Swaps for egg

  Instead of eggs

  • Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
  • Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
  • Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.

  All 5 swaps for eggs

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  Swaps for vanilla extract

  Instead of vanilla extract

  • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
  • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
  • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

  All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

• ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling ≈ 50 g
  Swaps for granulated sugar

  Instead of sugar

  • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
  • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
  • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

  All 4 swaps for sugar

Weights from USDA FoodData Central cup weights. Counted things (eggs, cloves, cans) stay as counts, and salt stays in spoons: kosher and flaky salts weigh very differently by brand.

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.