Description
Classic Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies blend nostalgic childhood flavors with rich, creamy comfort. Simple ingredients and traditional techniques create a timeless treat that connects generations of bakers.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup (113 g/4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (125 g/4.4 oz) creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (100 g/3.5 oz) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g/3.5 oz) brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups (155 g/5.5 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper for optimal non-stick performance.
- Creaming: Vigorously mix softened butter with white and brown sugars until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, creating a smooth foundation for the cookies.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Blend in creamy peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract, whisking until the mixture achieves a consistent, silky texture that promises rich flavor.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Thoroughly combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, ensuring an even distribution of leavening agents and preventing potential clumping.
- Dough Formation: Delicately fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, minimizing stirring to preserve the cookies’ tender crumb and maintaining a light, delectable consistency.
- Shaping and Decorating: Scoop uniform portions of dough, rolling into perfect spheres and positioning on prepared trays with strategic spacing; create classic crisscross patterns using fork tines to enhance visual appeal and traditional texture.
- Baking and Cooling: Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges turn a golden-brown, then allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for five minutes before transferring to wire racks for complete cooling and optimal texture development.
Notes
- Butter Temperature Matters: Use room temperature butter for smoother mixing and better cookie texture, ensuring even incorporation with sugars.
- Minimal Mixing Technique: Gently fold dry ingredients to prevent overworking the dough, which can lead to tough, dense cookies.
- Fork Pattern Precision: Apply consistent pressure when creating crisscross marks to ensure uniform thickness and even baking across all cookies.
- Storage Secret: Store cookies in an airtight container to maintain softness and prevent them from becoming dry or crumbly.
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg