Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies were made by my husband, and he doesn’t bake as much as he’d like, so I wanted to highlight these great cookies that he made. They had a cookie extravaganza recently with his colleagues, and these were his choice. People made all sorts of different cookie flavors, but sometimes you just want a classic. This is a classic that can’t be beat!

My husband shared the nuances of making this cookie, but he didn’t change much from the original. The quantities are listed in grams because he said that was an easier measure, and I completely agree. Peanut butter cookies can get dry if there is too much flour, and weighing the ingredients helps. He also noted that he used the Hawaiian sea salt instead of plain salt. The original recipe said to sprinkle the cookies with additional salt, and that step seemed unnecessary.

One thing that I thought was unusual was that these cookies don’t need to be chilled. They are typically too sticky to bake right away, but there was no issue with these. They baked up perfectly and started out puffy but flattened as they cooled. They were soft and they remained soft even after a couple of days! This is a great recipe and my husband is excited to make these again with different mix-ins.

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup (256 g) smooth peanut butter 
16 tablespoons (226 g) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 1/3 cup (293 g) packed dark brown sugar 
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/4 cups (304 g) flour 
Additional sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats).

In a large mixer bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium for 5 minutes, until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix for another minute. 

With the mixer running on low, add the flour, beating for about 20-30 seconds. Do not over mix.

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough into balls. Roll each dough ball in additional sugar. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, but that is what you want. They will be puffy but will deflate as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe from Displaced Housewife