Hurray For Peanut Butter Cookies!

 

What's your favorite cookie? While many people will swear by chocolate chip cookies, many more will stand up and shout for a good peanut butter cookie. Somehow this cookie takes the goodness of a peanut butter sandwich and makes it into a sweet, chewy cookie. Some want it with chunky peanut butter, some insist that you should only use creamy peanut butter. Some recipes call for adding a Hersheys Kiss, making it a peanut blossom. Other recipes call for Reese's Pieces, adding more peanut butter flavor.

Creamy Or Chunky Peanut Butter?

While some people may argue between chewy or crispy, the main argument when it comes to peanut butter cookies is crunchy or creamy. Some swear that crunchy peanut butter should never be used in cookies, while others swear just as adamantly that crunchy is the only way to go. Crunchy peanut butter obviously adds bits of peanuts to the cookie, giving it an extra crunch. Those who advocate creamy peanut butter want their cookie to be chewy and creamy. It comes down to personal preference, but those arguments can become a bit heated. When baking these cookies, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. One mistake many bakers make is not using unsalted butter. Peanut butter generally has a lot of salt, although some brands tout salt free recipes. Unless you are sure that the peanut butter you are using is low salt or salt free, be sure to use unsalted butter. The other ingredient hint is to use light brown sugar. You want your cookies to be light brown when they come out of the oven. Dark brown sugar has more molasses and will cause the cookies to caramelize too much.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky) 1 cup granulated white sugar 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 eggs at room temperature 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda  

Directions Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

 I like to use a stand mixer, it does a better job creaming the butter and peanut butter. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream the butter. Add the peanut butter and mix until creamy. Add the white and brown sugars and mix until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until well blended. In a separate bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and blend well. 

Drop the cookies on the sheets about 2" apart. Press with a fork to make a crisscross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookie turns light brown.