Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
These Classic Peanut Butter Cookies are simple…and delicious! I dare you to eat just one!
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We’ve found ourselves watching quite a few cartoons lately. Robbie is now ~13 months old, and he’s just starting to take an interest in cartoons. However, Robbie also has the attention span of a chipmunk after drinking Red Bull. So that means that he’ll watch 1 minute (maybe 2) of a cartoon before heading off to do something else. (Something else usually means trying to play with the dogs’ food and water bowls. He must think those bowls are a magical source of entertainment. Either that, or he knows they are off-limits.)
On more than one occasion, Laura and I have caught ourselves watching cartoons even though Robbie has already lost interest. It’s not really on purpose. For instance, last Saturday morning we were up early.
Like 5:45am early. So we took the little guy downstairs, brewed up some coffee and sat down to watch cartoons. (I found the Pooh Bear movie where they were hunting the Heffalump.) Sure enough, Robbie got distracted by his blocks. Yet somehow Laura and I managed to continue watching the cartoon for at least 20 more minutes. I mean c’mon…I needed to know if Pooh found the Heffalump!
Speaking of cartoons, I stumbled across the Which Muppet Are You quiz on BuzzFeed last week. You can kinda figure out where each question leads, but it’s still fun to spend 30 seconds and figure out which Muppet you would have been. I’ve always said that I’m Statler from Statler and Waldorf, the two crankity old men in the theater balcony. But it turns out (at least according to BuzzFeed) that I’m actually…Fozzy Bear. Wocka wocka! And now that I think about it…I do tell pretty bad jokes…
Did you hear that joke about peanut butter? No? Well, I’m not telling you. You might spread it! (See I told you I have a lot of bad jokes up my sleeve…)
So I made these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies back in the summer. They were super delicious and didn’t last long around here. But Laura has been asking me ever since then to make a batch of Classic Peanut Butter Cookies. She loves chocolate, but she’s just been craving some classic peanut butter cookies. It took me a while to get around to it, but I figured we’d squeeze in this delicious cookie recipe right here before Christmas. I mean Santa loves a good cookie, right? Why not make Santa a batch of classic peanut butter cookies?
I used the traditional criss-cross pattern on top of these classic peanut butter cookies. But as I was pressing the fork into each of the cookies, I began to wonder why the criss-cross pattern is so often used for peanut butter cookies. A quick Wikipedia search revealed that there is no real reason other than the fact that it helps flatten the cookie for baking.
But fun fact is that the first mention of using a fork to flatten peanut butter cookies appeared in the Schenectady (NY) newspaper back in 1932. We happen to live right next to Schenectady. In fact, the apartment we lived in when we moved here was in Schenectady, and the curling club where Laura and I curl is in Schenectady. Granted, this doesn’t make much of a difference when it comes to baking (and eating!) these cookies…but it’s still a fun foodie fact to know and share. Enjoy!
Does Santa eat all of the peanut butter cookies in your house, too?
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup salted peanuts chopped
- Sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Using a countertop mixer, add butter, sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter; mix on medium speed until light and fluffy (~2-3 minutes).
- Add egg and vanilla; mix on low speed until just combined.
- Using a medium bowl, add dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt); stir until well combined. Add dry ingredients and chopped peanuts to bowl; mix on low speed until just combined.
- Cover and place dough in refrigerator for 1-2 hours (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Place ~¼ cup of sugar on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Roll dough into 1” balls and then roll each ball in the granulated sugar. Place dough balls 2” apart on lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Using a fork, flatten the dough balls in criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until edges of cookies just begin to turn brown.
- Remove cookies from oven and let cool completely before removing from baking sheet.
Hi David! You keep tempting me with all these goodies! I spent yesterday afternoon doing some of my baking but I’ve got more to do, plus make candies. I just never adapted to cooking/baking for two!
Hey! I totally understand the problem there, Dorothy. I never seem to be able to adapt my recipes for 2 either…which is why the neighbors and the curling club love to see me coming! Funny story: I’m taking a break for Christmas with baking, and the team I played against last night was annoyed that I didn’t have treats to share. I guess I’ve developed a bit of a reputation! 🙂
Drool over it!! always loved Peanut butter as it it!! With Cookies made on it.. Jus love it !!
Thank you so much, Sharmila! I love a good peanut butter cookie, too…which is why I finally needed to post this recipe. Happy Holidays!
Thanks for all the little facts, David! I always like reading those ’cause they are so great for get together conversation 🙂 And your Fozzy Bear? How cute is that? Wonder what character I’d be? Funny thing about those kid cartoons….I know exactly what you mean. It’s like if you turn them on, for some reason you get sucked into watching them and not realizing it. I do love a good cartoon, though, and hubby loves to watch The Simpsons on Sunday evening, lol 😀 Peanut butter cookies are definitely on the ‘favourite cookie’ list, but I don’t know if I would want to share with Santa….may have to keep for myself…hehehe! Have a great Christmas!!
They really are great for conversation…you never know when you need some fun facts to share with a group of friends! You should go take that quiz and figure out which Muppet you are! Oh man, I used to be such a huge Simpsons fan (and I guess I still am…) but I just haven’t watched it in years. Now I feel like it would be hard to get back into it. Maybe Simpsons reruns and cookies need to be on my agenda during the holidays! 🙂
Hahaha your jokes are hilarious!
I’m always looking for a good peanut butter cookie recipe. Surprisingly they are kind of hard to come by! Definitely trying these out the next time I whip them up.
Awww…thanks, Ashley! At least someone gets my wacky sense of humor (wokka wokka)! 🙂 I totally know what you mean about peanut butter cookies. They’re a classic, but I’ve definitely made my share of subpar peanut butter cookies in the past. This is a good one! #IPromiseThereWillBeNoLeftovers
Cartoons are a lot of fun to watch no matter what age 🙂 Santa is going to love your peanut butter cookies – would love to have one right now as well! Have a wonderful Christmas with your family!
I couldn’t agree more, Miriam…which is probably why Laura and I got sucked in watching Pooh Bear while Robbie wandered off to play with his blocks. Haha! Hope you are having a great (and relaxing) holidays so far. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I cannot tell you how many times I used to end up doing what you and Laura found yourselves doing with Winnie the Pooh when Lil Shashi was a toddler – though the funny thing is now Lil Shashi would tell you that I have the “attention span of a chipmunk after drinking Red Bull” when it comes to siting down for a movie marathon – 1.5 movies in and I gotta get up and get busy in some sort of way – though, good snacks like these PB cookies and a tall glass of Lactaid might help me sit longer…too cool about the fork-flattening fact! Hope y’all have a wonderful holiday weekend, my friend!
I totally hear ya, Shashi! I have a hard time sitting through a whole movie now…there’s always so many things on my list. (And you know how I love my lists!) Hope you and lil Shashi are relaxing and eating holiday cookies right now. I know that’s on my agenda here soon! 🙂
There’s nothing like a classic.
I couldn’t agree more, Jeff! Thank you so much for your comments…and I hope Santa brings you cookies this year. Yup, that’s right. I’m pulling for the big man in the red suit to bring you cookies instead of the other way around. Cheers! 🙂
These cookies would taste delicious with some hot chocolate and whipped cream MNIAM! 🙂 Awesome recipe, will try it next month when my girls are coming over 🙂
Oh my gosh…whipped cream and a drizzle of hot chocolate would take these cookies to the next level! I’m definitely thinking I need to make another batch just so I can do that, Agness. Genius idea! 🙂 Hope you’ve had a great holidays so far!