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The Best Peanut Butter Cookies

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Submitted by Jamie73

Classic peanut butter cookies with the signature fork crisscross top, made with butter, equal parts brown and granulated sugar, and a full cup of peanut butter. Yields five dozen and freezes well.

YIELD

60 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

10 min

READY

30 min

These peanut butter cookies are the unfussy, foolproof classic, the kind your grandmother made and the kind that disappear from a cookie jar by the dozen. The technique is straightforward: cream butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar in equal parts, beat in eggs and a full cup of peanut butter, then add the dry ingredients and roll into balls.

The signature crisscross fork press isn’t just decoration. The dough doesn’t spread much during baking, so without that flattening, you’d get round little balls instead of proper cookies. Dipping the fork in flour between presses prevents sticking and keeps the marks crisp.

The equal sugar ratio gives the cookies the right balance: brown sugar handles chewiness and depth, white sugar handles the crisp edge. The recipe makes a generous five dozen, perfect for cookie tins, kids’ lunches, or freezing in scoops for fresh-baked cookies on demand.

Pro Tips

  • Use room-temperature butter, not melted. Properly softened butter creams with the sugar and traps air for a tender cookie; melted butter gives flat, greasy results.
  • Beat the butter and sugars until truly pale and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. This builds the structure that keeps cookies from spreading too thin.
  • Press lightly with the fork, just enough to flatten the ball. Heavy pressure thins the cookie too much and the edges burn before the center sets.
  • Pull cookies when the edges are just barely browned. They look slightly underdone but firm up perfectly as they cool.

Variations

  • Use natural peanut butter (well stirred) for a less sweet, more nut-forward flavor; results may spread slightly less.
  • Add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the dough for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
  • Press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie immediately after baking for the classic blossom-style version.

Ingredients

1 237
CUP ML BUTTER
or margarine
1 237
1 237
CUP ML SUGAR
granulated
2 2
LARGE LARGE EGGS
well beaten
1 237
CUP ML PEANUT BUTTER
3 710
2 10
TEASPOONS ML BAKING SODA
¼ 1.3
TEASPOON ML SALT

Directions

Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Beat butter until creamy.

Add the 2 sugars, and beat until well blended.

Add the eggs, and beat until smooth and light; then add the peanut butter, and mix well.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add to the peanut butter mixture, and beat well.

Roll dough into small balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Press each cookie with a fork, dipped in flour to make criss- cross design.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are slightly brown.

Remove from sheet to cool and crisp, before storing.

These freeze well.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 19g (0.7 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 1356 54% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 82g 126%
Saturated Fat 37g 184%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 228mg 76%
Sodium 1081mg 45%
Total Carbohydrate 45g 45%
Dietary Fiber 6g 26%
Sugars g
Protein 59g
Vitamin A 31% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 7% Iron 34%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free, High Fiber
 

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