Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic. There’s just something about the cross-hatch fork marks that let you know you’re in for something good. Well, most of the time. The perfect texture of peanut butter cookies can be a bit elusive, in my opinion. Too dry, too crunchy, too crumbly, too thin, etc… No longer a problem! These peanut butter cookies are foolproof. They are just crisp enough on the outside, but maintain their softness inside. They retain their shape better than nearly every other recipe version I’ve tried, and they’re packed with peanut flavor due to the addition of dry roasted peanuts.
A couple of nights ago, some of my girl friends came over to my house for what was the first of hopefully many future Pinterest Parties. Everyone brought an appetizer to share (from Pinterest of course), and we just sat around and chatted, and did a craft too. It was a really nice, relaxing girls night. I highly recommend planning one with your friends. It’s super easy to plan, and fun to see what each other comes up with.
Appetizers: Hawaiian Roll Sliders, Reuben Dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Black Bean Pizza. Everything was delicious!
Craft: DIY Sharpie Mugs
Party Favor: Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, only use 1/2 teaspoon salt)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, pulsed in food processor to resemble bread crumbs
Directions:
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl as needed. Add peanut butter and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Reduce speed to low and slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Mix in ground peanuts until just incorporated. Scrape down bowl to make sure no pockets of flour remain.
- Roll dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons-worth of dough) and place 2 1/2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press each dough ball twice with dinner fork dipped in cold water to make the crisscross pattern on top of the dough.
- Bake until cookies are puffy and just slightly brown around edges, but not on top, 10-12 minutes. Cookies will not look fully baked. Rotate and switch pan positions halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving. (If you can wait that long!)
Credit: Cook's Illustrated Baking Book by America's Test Kitchen
