These are my absolute favorite cookies! While I’m making and eating them, anyway. I think my real favorite cookies are whichever ones are in front of me. There’s a little more art to PB cookies than some others, because peanut butters can vary. Brand to brand, and even within the same brand in different batches, sometimes the PB has more or less moisture & oil than other times. It’s hardly a crucial difference; if you ignore it you’ll still love your cookies. If you want to fine tune them, just tweak the amount of flour a bit. I usually start with one cup of flour, & add as much of the additional half-cup as I need to keep the dough moist & cohesive but not greasy. When in doubt, go with less. There’s a printer-friendly recipe at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients:

1 – 1½ cups flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

sugar for rolling – about ¼ cup, in a shallow bowl

Preparation:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup of the flour together with the salt and baking soda. Set aside.

2.) Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg , vanilla, & peanut butter. Mix well.

3.) Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until blended. If the dough is too sticky to roll a small piece into a ball with your hands, put in another Tablespoon or two of flour. Repeat until the dough reaches a consistency that allows you to roll it into small balls. You’ll use more flour if your peanut butter is oily, and I have had batches where I’ve used the full 1½ cups (usually in the summer). Most times, I’d say I end up using 1¼ cups with my generic peanut butter.

4.) Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, then roll them in sugar. Place the balls about 1½ – 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a cooking mat, and press flat with a fork dipped in sugar. I find that if the kitchen isn’t too warm, I can usually get 3 – 4 presses with the fork before it needs sugar-dipping again.

5.) Bake 10 – 12 minutes. I like them well-browned, like this, so I always leave one batch in there for the full 12 minutes.

If you like them a little less browned, 10 minutes might be better for you. The time may vary depending on your oven, so do keep an eye on the cookies after the first 6 – 8 minutes. Most people will want to take them out when they look golden and just a little browned, like this: