Classic Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

The fork-marked peanut butter cookie: crisp at the edge, soft in the middle, rolled in sugar before baking for a slightly crackled top. Uses ordinary no-stir peanut butter, not the natural kind that separates. Makes about thirty, and the dough freezes well as balls.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep20 min

Cook10 min

Total time30 min

ServingsAbout 30 cookies

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

1 cup (250 g) creamy no-stir peanut butter
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (160 g) light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, for rolling

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar 2-3 minutes until light.
Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together, then stir in just until combined.
Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls and roll each in the extra granulated sugar.
Space 2 inches (5 cm) apart and press a criss-cross into each with a fork, flattening to about 1/2 inch (1 cm).
Bake 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look dry but the centres are still soft. They will not look fully done.
Cool on the sheet 5 minutes before moving to a rack.

These contain peanuts and wheat. If baking for a group, say so - peanut allergy is common and can be severe.

Tips

Use no-stir peanut butter. Natural peanut butter has a different fat and water balance and gives a dry, crumbly cookie that falls apart.
Dip the fork in sugar between cookies and it will not drag the dough.
Press only to about 1/2 inch (1 cm) - flattened right down they bake into crisp discs rather than soft-centred cookies.
Crunchy peanut butter works and gives visible pieces; the dough is slightly harder to press without cracking at the edges.

FAQ

What usually goes wrong?

Baking until they look done. Peanut butter cookies firm up a lot as they cool, so a cookie that is fully set in the oven ends up hard and dry.

How do I store it?

Airtight at room temperature 5 days. Freeze unbaked sugar-rolled balls up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes.

Why do my times differ?

Ovens differ. Use the times as a guide and judge by how it looks and feels.