Peanut Butter Cookies Perfected

This is my second time making these cookies. The first time I made them, I didn’t photograph them because I thought “well, these are just peanut butter cookies and they aren’t that exciting to post.” Plus I had hoped to throw in some peanut butter M&Ms but that was a big fail. But I really like a homey cookie sometimes and these really are something special. Yes, they are peanut butter cookies, but they are really very good.

I really like it when I find blogs where they take a normal, everyday food and tweak it to make it better. I’ve actually been tempted to find all the recipes on Tastespotting or Food Gawker that say this is the best chocolate chip cookie and do a comparison. (My husband would really love that!) This recipe takes a pretty standard peanut butter cookie and adds peanut butter chips and roasted peanuts. I didn’t have peanut butter chips the first time I made these and I think they add a lot. Both times I made this recipe, I used honey roasted mixed nuts (cashews and macadamias). Yum!

I don’t flatten my cookies since I like a thick, chewy cookie. These will seem under baked when you take them out of the oven, so try and resist the urge to bake them a little longer. They don’t brown that much, so it can be a little hard to tell. I made my cookies smaller than the original recipe, but I still had to bake them for the full 15 minutes. These are great: the honey roasted nuts add sweetness and the peanut butter chips make them just that much more decadent. Are they the perfect peanut butter cookie? I don’t know, but they sure are the best ones I have ever had!

Peanut Butter Cookies Perfected

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts, chopped
1 cup peanut butter chips
Coarse sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until combined. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and stir until just incorporated.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture, the peanuts and the peanut butter chips. Mix until just incorporated. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough gets better the longer it is refrigerated (up to 3 days).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Scoop tablespoons of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Form into a ball and tip the tops of the cookies in coarse sugar. If desired, press down on the top slightly or flatten with a fork dipped in flour. Bake for 14-15 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are browned. (They will still be a little soft, but firm up when removed from the oven.) Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Making Life Delicious