Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies - made dough May 14, 2016 from Oh Sweet Basil

I’m am SO behind in putting up my blog posts. I actually have a stack of recipes I’ve tried and need to get the write ups done and up. So you may see me posting more frequently just to try and catch up. For anyone keeping score, you’ll notice I haven’t dropped my blog very much or at all, although I’ve been waffling about it for well nigh a year now. Hard habit to break so…..on to the next recipe.

If you want to know what baked peanut butter tastes like, make these cookies. But you have to take them out at barely the 10-minute mark or they’ll be baked to cookie-like texture instead of creamy baked peanut butter texture. Not that there’s anything wrong with that either but it’s not the same.

The dough was a dream to work with; not too sticky or wet, not too dry or crumbly. It formed perfectly into dough balls. I chilled them for 30 minutes after making the dough balls before I pressed the pointy side of the meat mallet to make the “cross hatches”. I always give full credit to that to my friend and culinary school classmate, Annie the Baker, for teaching me that trick. That’s how I mark all my peanut butter cookies instead of the criss-crossed fork tines. The meat mallet press just looks better and more uniform. But chilling the dough balls before making the indents makes them a little sturdier so you can be a bit more firm with the meat mallet. Press, don’t pound; they don’t get that firm.

You also don’t want to press too much or the cookies will thin out. Make the dough balls about the size of a golf ball, chill briefly then press with the pointy side of the meat mallet just until the indents are clearly visible and the dough ball has flattened into a thick disc. Then freeze for several hours or overnight. These cookies don’t spread much so they’ll end up as thick as you make them, post the encounter with the meat mallet. That thickness is also what helps give them the baked peanut butter texture, soft, smooth, creamy.

I’m not a big peanut butter fan but I want to try this recipe with cookie butter and see if I get similar results. Because we know how I feel about cookie butter.

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars for 1 minutes on medium speed; increase to medium high for an additional 30 seconds. Add the peanut butter and mix for another 30 seconds. 
2. Add the egg, vanilla and milk; mix until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients and beat until just combined.
4. Portion dough into golf-ball size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar and evenly space on baking sheets, Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.