Oh yes…peanut butter. So good, so creamy, so comforting. We always have a jar (or five) lurking about our pantry, so peanut butter has been a major food trend in my life. It’s great straight out of the jar but is also a very versatile ingredient to cook/bake with. My brother was heading out to a party, so I thought I’d whip up some of my perfect peanut butter cookies for him to take to his shindig. Everyone gobbled them up and gave him mucho compliments…and I’m sure he took all the credit for baking these delicious cookies!
Anyway…
I use two types of peanut butter – crunchy and smooth – to get a nice consistency and flavor. A little vanilla, sprinkling of sugar, and wah lah…cookie amazingness. Sometimes I add a little honey too, but that’s optional!
** The key to making a nice criss cross pattern on the top of each cookie is to make sure the dough is compact. To get your dough firm, make sure to chill it before rolling them into dough balls!**
2 ¾ cup flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup of butter (room temperature)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
½ cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, brown and white sugars, peanut butters, and vanilla. Then mix in one egg at a time until completely combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Put this cookie dough into the refrigerator for at least one hour, preferably two.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Depending on the size of cookie you want, roll the dough into 1 cm – 1 in balls (I like the 1 inchers…in my book, the bigger the cookie, the better). Put the balls onto a baking sheet (keep in mind that they will spread out a little bit). Flatten each ball using a fork, making a criss-cross grid pattern. Push firmly but not squishing it completely!
Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes, or until they begin to brown slightly. Don’t over bake! I like to take my cookies out around 8 or 9 minutes so they remain a little soft!
Cool and enjoy!
