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Classic Crosshatch Peanut Butter Cookies

Source of Recipe

From "Simple Comforts: 50 Heartwarming Recipes" (Sur La Table)


Recipe Introduction

"Whether you like your peanut butter cookies made with chunky peanut butter or smooth, these classic cookies are rich and crumbly, perfect with a glass of milk. The peanut is actually a legume that grows underground. It made its debut at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and has remained a beloved American food since then."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
â—¦ ½ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
â—¦ ½ cup plus â…“ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 1 large egg, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ ¾ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter, at room temperature
â—¦ 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt


Recipe

Position an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the butter, the brown sugar, and the ½ cup granulated sugar in a large bowl. Using a mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium and beat for another minute. The mixture should be blended and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well blended. Add the peanut butter and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Put the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and beat on low speed just until the dough is smooth and no patches of flour are visible. Scrape down the bowl one last time, and make sure no clumps of flour are hiding in the bottom.

Use an ice cream scoop to shape the dough into cookies. You can also shape the dough by measuring out 1 level tablespoon for each cookie, and then rolling the dough between your palms into a ball. Space the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a fork to press down firmly on top of each ball once in each direction, to form a crisscross pattern.

Place one baking sheet on each oven rack. Bake for 5 minutes, then switch the pans between the oven racks. Bake for another 6 to 7 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Transfer the pans to the cooling racks and let the cookies cool completely. You may need to reuse the pans to finish baking all the cookies. Let the pans cool before you put more dough on them for baking. Store the cookies in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag for up to 5 days.

Makes about 50 cookies