The Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever
Berlin, January 2014:
I got this recipe from a true cookie specialist - Granny Doris from Florida. Years ago, at Christmas time, she sent two huge boxes full of her peanut butter cookies and I fell in love with them. I ate so many I thought I would never be able to eat them again. That didn't last long. Before this experience, I never really liked peanut butter but these cookies changed everything. They are crunchy yet soft in the center and so delicious that you can't stop eating them.
These cookies are big enough for a small breakfast or midday snack together with a cup of coffee, they go very well with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and if you don't feel like a big dessert after dinner but still like something sweet to go with your espresso, just grab a peanut butter cookie. I bake them in very big batches exactly for this reason!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Update September 2024: For 28 bigger and thicker cookies, bake for about 11-13 minutes.
For 50 cookies you need
280g / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
350g / 1 1/3 cups smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
250g / 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
280g / 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating the egg before adding the next one, and continue beating for 1 minute. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
For the first batch of cookies, shape the dough into walnut sized balls and place on the lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between each dough ball. Flatten with a fork just a bit and bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden; soft but with subtle restistance when you gently touch them with your finger. It will seem as though they are a bit under baked when they first come out but that's a good thing. Leave them to cool on the baking sheet (!) for a few minutes until they are stable enough to transfer them to a wire rack to let them cool completely. Continue shaping the remaining dough and bake one sheet at a time.
Once the cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
