Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies like Grandma used to make. Homemade with good things like PB, butter, brown sugar & love! Pour a glass of milk, you're gonna need it!
Remember the old fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies Grandma used to make? They were a little soft on the inside, a little crumbly on the outside, dipped in sugar and marked with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Homemade cookies cooling on a rack in an open window, waiting to be devoured. Memories!
Or better yet, forget the fork and stick a Hershey's Chocolate Kiss right in the middle! For variety, add chocolate chips to the batter. It doesn't get much better than this!
Peter Pan Peanut Butter vs. Natural Peanut Butter
There are two types of Peanut Butter that can be used in these cookies.
Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Skippy Peanut Butter and Jif Peanut Butter are the most common and easily obtained store bought varieties. They also make sweeter cookies because of their sugar content. Did you know that the second ingredient in commercial peanut butter is corn syrup? The third ingredient is hydrogenated oil.
All natural peanut butter is made with one ingredient ~ Peanuts! Health-wise, it is a better choice. However, your cookies won't be quite as sweet because there's no added corn syrup. They may also be a little drier than cookies made with commercial peanut butter because there's no added hydrogenated oil. If you do choose the natural peanut butter, make sure to drain the extra oil floating on top before using.
You decide which is best for you. Either way, your cookies will come out of the oven hot and delicious. Grab a glass of milk. You're going to need it!
There's no need to add salt as the peanut butter is naturally salty. If you must, you can add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the flour and baking soda. Use creamy or chunky peanut butter, your choice.
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 jumbo egg, or 2 small eggs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter, creamy or chunky
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, optional
1/2 granulated sugar for rolling, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with vegetable shortening. Set aside.
Blend flour and baking soda together in bowl and set aside.
Using a paddle attachment in a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy.
Add brown and granulated sugars and beat until fluffy. Scrape bowl.
Beat in egg/s, peanut butter and vanilla and beat again. Scrape bowl.
With mixer on low-medium, add flour and baking soda and blend well.
Add optional peanuts.
Measure out Tablespoon size balls of dough using a spoon or a cookie scoop. Roll balls in sugar. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet and press down lightly, not too thin.
Using the back of a fork, press lightly into cookies, then turn fork and press again making a criss-cross pattern Peanut Butter Cookies are famous for.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, more or less, until firm and edges are very lightly browned. Do not over bake.
Transfer to cooling racks. When completely cool, store in air tight container.
Makes 24-30 peanut butter cookies.
Variations:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Substitute 3/4 cup chocolate chips for peanuts.
Peanut Butter Peanut Butter Chip Cookies ~ Add 3/4 cup Peanut Butter Chips to recipe.
Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey's Kisses ~ Use approximately 24 Hershey Kisses for this batch. Roll cookies in sugar and place on baking sheets. Flatten ever-so-slightly. Do not criss-cross with the fork. Immediately after they come out of the oven, place an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss in the middle, pressing in very lightly. Let cool completely before storing.
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