Peanut Butter Cookie

Classic American Peanut Butter Cookies

A hallmark of American home baking, these peanut butter cookies are soft in the middle with gently crisped edges and the signature crisscross fork marks pressed into the top.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Serves

24 cookies

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •225 g (1 cup) creamy peanut butter, conventional processed American-style (e.g. Skippy or Jif); natural peanut butter will produce a drier, crumblier cookie
• •113 g (½ cup (1 stick)) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• •150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• •150 g (¾ cup) packed light brown sugar
• •1 large egg, room temperature
• •5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• •6 g (1½ tsp) baking soda
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
• •30 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, for rolling the dough balls; gives the classic crackled, sugary crust

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. 2 In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. 3 Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the bowl once.
4. 4 Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the surface and mix on low just until incorporated.
5. 5 Put the 30 g (¼ cup) rolling sugar into a small shallow bowl.
6. 6 Scoop the dough into roughly 25 g (about 1 heaping tablespoon) balls, roll each one between your palms to smooth, then roll in the sugar to coat.
7. 7 Place the dough balls about 5 cm (2 in) apart on the prepared sheets.
8. 8 Press each ball flat to about 1 cm (⅜ in) thick using the tines of a fork, first one direction, then again perpendicular to make the traditional crisscross pattern.
9. 9 Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. The cookies will continue to set on the hot sheet out of the oven.
10. 10 Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
11. 11 Doneness cue: edges pale golden and firm to a light touch; centers should be soft and just barely puffed. If the tops look wet or glossy, give them another 1 to 2 minutes.
12. 12 Storage: keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; the cookies soften further as they rest.