Monday, March 17, 2008

The Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie

I went up to Chicago last week to conduct some research at the Field Museum of Natural History. I managed to find someone to stay with so I didnt have to pay for a hotel in the big city. I left early Monday morning and Sunday night I was wondering what thank you gift I should bring to my gracious host. They dont sell booze on Sundays here in Indiana. Its a crazy law that makes me curse god more than revel in his wonder. Anyways, I figured the next best thing to bring a bachelor was homemade goods so I whipped up some peanut butter cookies (and some chocolate chip ones but those are for another posting).

I made the recipe and divided the ball of dough in two equal parts and put half of it in the freezer so I could have cheater cookies at a moments notice. I still had too many to fit into the one large tupperware I was going to bring my host, so I stuck some in a throw away tupperware and saved them for my Dad who was going to meet me in Chicago later that week (they were in a freezing trunk and stayed surprisingly fresh). He declared that they were a perfect texture: crunchy on the outside but chewy in the middle. I have to agree, they were pretty damned good! Oh, if anyone knows why they have to have the little grid pattern on them please drop me a line...

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

3 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
1 T. vanilla extract
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs







Preheat the oven to 350.

Beat together butter, peanut butter, and vanilla.

Beat in both types of sugar, the salt, and the baking powder.

Add flour a little at a time.

Add one egg at a time.

Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on your favorite silpat-type sheet liner. Using a fork make a grid pattern by flattening the cookie.

Bake for 14 minutes

12 comments:

Brilynn said...

Lately I've been making tons of things with peanut butter. Also bananas, I don't know why, I never used to like either of those flavours but I love them now.
Those cookies look great!

PheMom said...

These look great! I love peanut butter cookies!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Your cookies are perfect!
I have baked with peanut butter only once so far and liked it a lot.

Deborah said...

They look so perfect!! I haven't had a good peanut butter cookie in way too long!

Erin said...

These really do look absolutely perfect! I wish I had about half a dozen right now. It's pretty stressful in my office.

Beverly said...

Oh yum, those look so good! I am very interested in your chocolate chip cookie posting. I have been told that of all the cookies I make, chocolate chip is the best one. One time, a friend brought her out-of-town visitor over for dinner, and I made the cookies. Next thing I knew, the friend's friend was emailing me and asking me for the recipe (and he's a guy who hardly ever cooks), because he kept dreaming about them (and I don't think he was dreaming of me and thinking of an excuse to contact me. Although that would be pretty flattering, eh? ;)). I am sure that you have a GREAT choc chip cookie recipe and I'm going to try it to see if it's even better than the one I have now!

Beverly said...

Oh, and I think (but am not sure) that the reason you have to make the grid pattern is so that the cookie doesn't puff all over itself during cooking and look messy coming out of the oven. One time, I baked with PB and didn't make a pattern, and it was a mess -- still delicious, but did not look like a cookie. If you make the grid, the puffing is contained.

Or, maybe because peanut allergies are so prevalent (and can be deadly for those who have them), the gridmaking makes it easier for you to point out a peanut butter cookie? Just a theory.

test it comm said...

Those look good! Peanut butter cookies are one of my favorite cookies.

Anonymous said...

i've never seen a peanut butter cookie grid pattern so perfectly executed! kudos!

The Stay At Home Son said...

Yeah, but too bad you couldn't put booze in them. (just kidding)

Anonymous said...

About how many cookies does this recipe make?

Anonymous said...

I made these today for my boyfriend and his family. They loved them! I was nervous but your recipe didn't let me down :)