Peanut Butter Cookies
Bakery-style peanut butter cookies adapted as part of the Lynn's Desserts series. This tried and true recipe has been made hundreds of times and creates classically thick, soft, and chewy cookies.
Servings: 12 medium cookies (or 18 small cookies)
Calories: 279kcal
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer or stand mixer
- 1 medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (10 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (6 tablespoons) plus more for coating the cookie dough
- 1 large egg ideally room temp
- ½ cup peanut butter see note #2
- 1 ½ teaspoons molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (optional but recommended.)
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the room temperature butter and sugars on low speed, until light and fluffy. This takes about a minute.
- Mix in the egg, peanut butter, molasses, and vanilla extract until well combined, about 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix this into the wet mixture just ~½ cup at a time, until well combined. The dough should be firm but scoopable and easy to roll into balls.
- Use a tablespoon to measure out roughly 2-tablespoon-sized portions of cookie dough (roughly 40g per cookie). Roll into balls, then coat in granulated sugar.
- Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, leaving roughly 3 inches between each cookie. Use a fork to press a crosshatch pattern gently into the top of each cookie. Bake in batches, as needed.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and the top no longer appears doughy. I find 11 minutes to be the best time for a thick, chewy cookie. After removing from the oven, let rest for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
Video
Notes
- To speed up the butter softening process I like to slice it into smaller pieces and set it in a warm area instead of just setting a stick on the counter. In an ideal world the egg will also be room temp, but I don't find that it affects the cookies enough to make it a requirement.
- Peanut butter: I tested this recipe with both "natural" (no emulsifiers or hydrogenated fats) and standard peanut butter (think Jif, Smuckers.) Both work. If using natural, make sure to stir it very well before measuring.
- Lynn's tip: Only half of the dough ball needs to be coated in sugar. This keeps the bottom from burning. However, I think this is more applicable when not using parchment paper, as I had no trouble with sugar burning when baking the cookies on parchment.
- I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and following the metric measurements listed under the "metric" tab. I also include US customary measurements as I know that's the standard for most home bakers in the US.
- This recipe makes 12 medium cookies or 18 small cookies. To make small cookies, portion out heaping tablespoon sized dough (roughly 1.5 tablespoons per cookie) and start checking the cookies at the 8 minute mark.
Nutrition
Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 259IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
