Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

What comes to mind when you think of peanut butter cookies? My thoughts drift towards a big cookie jar sitting on a grandmother’s kitchen counter, with the lid sightly ajar to allow the fresh-from-the oven cookies to finish cooling. Although I was blessed enough to know two of my great-grandmothers and my grandmother, I do not recall ever such a picturesque cookie jar scenario.

Of course, it is entirely possible they did in fact make peanut butter cookies, but other peanut butter obsessed family members may have gobbled them all up before my little hands had a chance to reach into the cookie jar. I have two culprits in mind, who just happen to be sister and brother - my sweet mother and loving uncle.

Most recently, they have begun battling over who receives the most peanut butter baked goods from me. You may remember this battle last year; it was neither mature or pleasant to witness. This gets a bit worrisome on this day each year, my uncle’s birthday. This year, unsatisfied with just about every old-fashioned peanut butter cookie recipe I have tried, I decided to develop my very own recipe of peanut butter cookies - a recipe exhibiting the perfect combination of soft and crunchy. I mailed the results to my uncle for a sweet birthday surprise, which I think he will enjoy.  I am fully prepared to endure the wrath of my mother, deprived of peanut butter cookies, as soon as she reads this post or she receives a call from my uncle, bragging about his birthday gift.

Happy Birthday Uncle David!

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

active time 10 minutes

total time 25 minutes

from Dolcetto Confections | Allison M. Veinote

makes about 24 cookies

This is my twist on the old-fashioned peanut butter cookie - a soft peanut butter cookie with the perfect amount of crunch.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

½ cup light brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 large egg, room temperature

1½ cups all-purpose

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or SilPats.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add peanut butter and cream until fully combined, about 1 minute. Add egg and mix until fully incorporated. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to wet ingredients and paddle just until dough forms.

Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls [Note: I used a OXO #40 scoop] and roll in granulated sugar. Place 2" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a fork, gently apply pressure to the top of the cookies, creating a criss-cross pattern, until cookies are 1/2" thick.

Bake cookies for 14 minutes, rotating half-way through, until golden. Allow cookies to cool slightly, about 2 minutes, on baking sheets and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.