Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies, aka the cookie with two personalities.  The husband is a chewy cookie kind of guy, and the child likes crunchy…what to do?  Bake two pans of cookies for different times!  

I haven’t baked the guys anything in quite a while, as Andrew is quick to remind me. And since I knew the guys would be out of the house that evening at soccer practice – Brett is a coach – and I would be at home working on my CCD lesson plan – I decided to have cookies waiting for them when they returned.

I needed a small batch of cookies – no more than 2 dozen – and it had to please both guys.  Brett will eat chocolate chip cookies, but they are not his favorite.  Andrew thinks sugar cookies are boring.  Oatmeal?  Nope, only I like those.  Peanut butter?  Perfect!  This recipe is from Simply Recipes.  It’s a lovely little cookie, makes 2 dozen, and fits the bill for my two guys!  I mixed up the dough before retrieving Andrew from the bus-stop and tossed it into the fridge to chill.  When they left the house, I worked some kitchen magic!

Peanut Butter Cookies
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar, for sprinkling, optional

Dough has to chill before baking.
Cream butter for 2 minutes.
Add sugars and beat another 2 minutes.
Beat in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
Whisk your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and stir into peanut butter mixture.
Chill dough for 2 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.
Using a small cookie scoop, portion dough onto cookie sheets about 2″ apart.
With a fork, make criss-cross pattern on cookies, sprinkle on sugar, if using.  (I find dipping the fork into a cup of water makes the criss-cross easier)
Bake cookies for 12 minutes for a crispier cookie and 9 minutes for a chewier cookie.
Allow to cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes