Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are the best kind of cookie. I just love them, and I certainly cannot be trusted with a plate of them sitting around.  I’m sure there are valid arguments for chocolate chip or frosted sugar cookies, but peanut butter will always be my favorite. 

In fact, I love peanut butter in all its permutations. In no particular order:

• Ritz crackers and peanut butter (and jelly after meeting Dan)
• PBCC sandwiches - thanks Mom for lovingly indulging my unique tastes!
• Peanut butter ice cream and milkshakes
• Peanut butter chip s’mores (what’s a girl to do when she can’t eat chocolate?)
• Straight up on a spoon
• Bananas and peanut butter
• Peanut butter lattes - I have only ever seen the syrup in two places - The Shop in Spokane, Washington and Amazing Grace in Duluth, Minnesota. Genius.

And of course - peanut butter cookies.  Which brings us to today. The first recipe I remember making all on my own was Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies on the back of the Jif jar. 

I still love those cookies, but I may have found a new favorite in Baking Illustrated. The cookies are soft and chewy and deliver a wonderful crunch from the chopped salted roasted peanuts.  

The recipe actually recommends using extra crunchy peanut butter, but since I am so faithful to the family size jar of creamy Jif, that’s what I used.  You should use whatever kind of peanut butter you love, as long as it’s not Skippy.  

The cookies are delicious and will be enjoyed by friends, family, and co-workers alike! The empty plate in my cubicle is evidence.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Generous ½ cup roasted salted peanuts, pulsed in the food processor until coarsely ground

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.   Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, a silicone mat, or spray lightly with non-stick spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the peanut butter and continue mixing until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, just until incorporated.  Stir in the peanuts until evenly distributed.

Using a large soup spoon, roll the dough into generous 1 inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, approximately 2 inches apart. Press the top of each cookie with the back of a fork to make a crisscross pattern. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned, rotating the sheets top to bottom halfway through the baking time (if baking two sheets at a time). The cookies will be soft in the middle.  Allow the cookies to cool for several minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  

(Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)