My early baking experiments began with peanut butter cookies. This recipe, or some version of it, probably dates back to high school or middle school. Peanut butter cookies are my Dad’s favorite.
Today, this recipe continues to be a favorite with my family. Not only do they taste great and come out soft, I love this recipe because it never fails me. It’s one of the few cookie recipes that time after time I find success.
This year I baked several batches of peanut butter cookies for family members as Christmas gifts and shared a few with Santa, who apparently really liked the cookies because he only left a few crumbs. I even baked a gluten free version. Because these were Christmas gifts and I wanted them to be fresh, this meant a lot of last minute baking over the Christmas holiday but it was well worth it when everyone said how much they enjoyed the cookies and couldn’t stop eating them! I think at this time, the last cookie has been eaten and they are already looking for more.
Creaming the softened butter into the sugars is an important first step in this recipe; if it’s too lumpy, the batter will not mix properly. I also cut the amount of butter in half from two sticks to one. Another key to this recipe is to not be shy with how much peanut butter you use. Then beat in the eggs until smooth and the rest of recipe will easily fall into place. The final key step is chilling the dough for about one hour. The dough should be smooth and firm, not too sticky and not too dry or crumbly. Also, note that I bake these at a lower temperature for a longer time with the idea of cooking them slower makes a softer cookie.
The cookies will come out soft with a good peanut butter taste, a big hit for any occasion or need.
One of the other things I like about this recipe is that it is one of the few cookie recipes that hold up well when using a gluten free flour. This time I used rice flour. I’ve also used bean based flours in the past. Other cookie recipes I’ve found crumble easily when replacing white flour with a gluten free flour. I believe the sticky, moist peanut butter helps to hold the cookies together. I usually add a little more peanut butter than called for when baking gluten free.
Peanut Butter CookiesIngredients
1 stick of butter, softened1 cup peanut butter
1 cup white sugar1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking sodaDirections
1. Cream together butter, peanut butter and brown and white sugars.
2. Beat in eggs.3. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Stir dry ingredients into wet. Put batter in fridge for one hour.
5. Roll into one inch balls. Flatten each ball with fork, making crisscross.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees.
Now that I made myself hungry for more peanut butter cookies, maybe I’ll bake some more. Until next time, keep on baking!
Lisa Mitchell is an editor for Berks-Mont Newspapers. Contact her at lmitchell@21st-centurymedia.com.