Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies.  Everyone's favorite, non?  I'm a chocoholic, but these turn my crank.  They're not too sweet, just the right mix of crumbly and chewy, and the above cookie tin?  Empty in no time.  Inhaled.  Finito.  Buh-bye.  Time to bake some more.

SO JUST DOO EET!  Bake these babies.  And for goodness' sake, please don't use any of that healthy, organic, all-natural peanut butter.  Use Skippy, or  Kraft, or Jif, whatever you have on hand, provided it's full of hydrogenated junk and sugar in every processed form known to man.  Keep the good stuff for your morning toast, and use the cheap stuff to bake these goodies.

Without further ado, this recipe originates from the same tattered Robin Hood cookie booklet once doled out at Tupperware parties in the mid 70's, the same one the Ginger Sparklers hail from.  I'm sure I didn't let you down with those, and I promise these won't disappoint, either.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs

Mix flour, baking soda and salt, stirring well to blend.

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars together thoroughly.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture.  Mix well.

Shape dough into 1" balls and place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Press flat with floured fork.

Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes.

Yield: About 6 dozen cookies.

My Notes:

I use a potato masher to flatten the cookies.  I like the look better, but it's a personal thing. I always dip my potato masher into flour before pressing each cookie so it releases easily.

In summer months, when the butter is softer, I need to chill the dough at least an hour before rolling.  If you can't shape the cookies easily, refrigerate and try again in a half an hour or so. 

Feel free to halve this recipe, and by no means double it - you'll be rolling little balls and baking until the cows come home.   And we don't want the cows to come home, ergo, no doubling.

I like to make larger cookies, and if I make 1-1/4" balls, I can get 4 dozen out of the above.

I always, always, always bake on an insulated cookie sheet.  Why anyone bothers with inferior cookie sheets is a wonder to me.  Do yourself a favour and invest in some.  Mine are made by Wearever, but they seem to be discontinued (so much for that 25-year warranty, eh?)  However, T-fal now manufactures a line marketed under the name AirBake.

Get thee some, you won't be disappointed.

And bake thee some.  You won't be disappointed, either.

9 comments:

Ron said...

I might actually be able to make these. Assuming Mel lets me into the kitchen, that is. But I do love peanut butter cookies, and she likes chocolate, and I *need* them!

Miriam said...

I think this is the exact recipe I have, that my mom used on the rare occasions she made cookies! I always gulp heavily at the cup of butter on top of the cup of peanut butter, not to mention all that sugar, but it's SOOOOO worth it! The only way to make them better is to add a Hershey's chocolate kiss to the top just as they come out of the oven. Yum!

(BTW, I placed my order for Lopi wool today - I've never called Iceland before! Thanks for the hot tip!)

~~Melissa said...

Hi Shimmy,
My daughter was just asking if she could make some PB cookies. I shall give her your recipe and the potato masher. I love how the pattern looks on the cookies.

Shim Farm said...

Hi Ron, JUST DOO EEEET! This is THE best PB cookie recipe around. And we all know that anything we eat on February 29th has no calories, right? Right!

Miriam - so happy you ordered the Lopi, you'll be pleased, I'm sure!

I know, the quantity of butter in these is awful! So is the sugar! AACK. All of it's bad, but in a good way! What the heck, you only live once, and if you do it right, once is enough. So I eat peanut butter cookies, life's good, what else can I say?

Last time I made them, I halved everything, and somehow, using *just* a half cup of butter made them seem so much healthier LOL!

The diet? It starts tomorrow!

Shim Farm said...

Hi Melissa!

I've made LOTS of PB cookies in my time, tried numerous recipes, and I come back to this one time and again.

We're in the throes of yet another snowstorm with 25 cm on the way and zero visibility for tomorrow. I *swore* I'd behave but depending on how things look outside tomorrow, I might have to bake these again...

Have your daughter give these a try - if your batter is too soft to form, like I mentioned, put it in the fridge for a half an hour or so, and be sure to dip the potato masher in flour, or it'll stick and frustration will ensue.

Enjoy - hope your weather is better than ours - and thanks for stopping by!

Shimmy Ann

ilovecooking said...

This peanut butter cookie recipe looks great! To be honest, I've never heard of insulated cookie sheets before. I think that's interesting. So much to learn in the baking world. I love peanut butter cookies, it's so nice that you kept all the ingredients simple. There is no way I could mess this up

Shim Farm said...

Hullo fellow Cookie Lover, there is nothing to screw up. These PB cookies are simple and easy, one of those "tried, tested and true" recipes. And do google T-Fal AirBake; if you do a lot of baking, it's worth your while to get a few of these insulated cookie sheets.

Robin said...

PB cookies are my least favorite. I will actually pass if I am offered one and I love all sorts of homemade goodies. I know a couple people who PB cookies are their favorite though...

Shim Farm said...

Hi Robin, I'm not a huge fan of PB, but these cookies? Yummmmm...

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