Confession: peanut butter is so NOT my thing. I don’t want it covered in chocolate. I don’t want it stuffed in muffins or baked in cupcakes. I don’t want it dipped with celery or spread over pancakes. Nope, no thank you!
BUT, what I do want are these incredibly buttery, soft, chewy, peanut butter cookies. They are beyond any peanut butter cookie I’ve ever had. I love everything about them. Their texture, their crackly-rustic shape, their simple ingredients… I love it all.
And, this coming from a non-peanut butter lover is saying a lot. It actually has me rethinking my whole life. Maybe I do like peanut butter. Maybe I do want it with pancakes and celery and eggs. HA okay, maybe not eggs but THAT IS A THING. I’m serious, I wouldn’t lie to you guys.
I mean, who am I to judge though?! My weirdness trumps most. Actually, even my “normal” is weird compared to most people. When I was little, I used to collect all the pretzels out of the bag of chex mix and stash them in my “secret journal” that had a little compartment and required a password to be opened. Months later I would go back and eat the stale pretzels. So yeah, this is definitely a judgement free zone.
Cookie talk: These cookies are wonderful. They are easy to make, require NO chill time (my favorite thing in the world), and are rolled in sugar. Win. Win. Triple win. The base of the cookie is made using staple ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and cornstarch. Then, a heaping 1 & ½ cups of creamy peanut butter is added to ensure that every bite is bursting with flavor!
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies are soft, chewy, and ultra-buttery. They will make all peanut butter lovers coming back for more!
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
½ cup salted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 & ½ cup creamy peanut butter (such as Jif)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Optional: ¼ cup brown sugar & ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking silicone mats. Set aside.
-Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until thoroughly combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down sides of bowl (be sure to get the bottom too). Add peanut butter on medium speed until fully incorporated.
-Next add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. Scrape down bowl.
-With the mixer on low, add flour, baking soda, and cornstarch. Increase speed to medium-high until the dough is thick and all ingredients are mixed together thoroughly. Be careful to not mix more than necessary though!
-In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Set aside.
-Use a 1 & ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to roll dough into balls. The dough should be slightly crumbly – use your fingers to press the dough together. Roll dough in the sugar mixture until fully coated. Then gently press fork into balls making a criss-cross pattern.
-Bake for 10-12 minutes. Be careful to not overbake. I bake mine for exactly 11 minutes. The cookies will continue to bake on the cookie sheets once removed from the oven.
-IMPORTANT: this dough does not require chilling time prior to baking. However, I highly recommend putting the dough in the fridge while each batch is baking (especially if you live in a warm climate like I do!!).
-Allow to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
-It is not necessary to make a criss-cross pattern onto cookies. Feel free to simply skip this step if desired!
Jillian Lolo 