Ever have your cookies go all thin and flat? Who wants that?! We’ll tell you the secret to peanut butter cookies made with butter and give you the best peanut butter cookie recipe.
Butter is the secret ingredient to making them oh-so-delicious, with a crumbly goodness, but it does come with a cost. It’s difficult to make them turn out the way we envision.
The key to success is: you MUST chill the cookie dough before baking.
Here’s why: butter is a fat that melts fast.
You don’t want the butter to melt too fast, or your cookies will spread & be thin and unappealing.
You must be patient when baking the most delicious peanut butter cookies. Cookie dough with butter should chill for at least 2 hours.
But there’s a plus side: you can make your dough ahead of time, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. Then you can bake your cookies just as the kids come in the door from school – or whenever you want the yummy fragrance wafting through your home.
If you have a craving and just can’t wait, peanut butter cookies made with butter aren’t a good choice. They will be flat and unappealing. Try our Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookie recipe using shortening.
Both items are also available at your local dollar store.
The Secret to Peanut Butter Cookies Made with Butter
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 c butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 c peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ c flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Cream sugars and butter until fluffy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Stir in peanut butter until mixed.
- Blend in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Shape into a large ball in bottom of bowl and cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for 2 hours. (See notes.)
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Drop dough by tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Make the iconic criss cross mark on top by lightly squishing them down with a floured fork.
- Bake for 7 minutes or until set with the edges lightly browning. (If you cook them too long, they will become flat or be hard.)
- Allow them to cool slightly on the cookie sheet. (If you don’t they’ll crumble to pieces.)
- Then lift onto rack with a cookie spatula to cool completely.
u003cliu003eIf you chill the cookie dough before baking, the cookies spread less because the cold fats take longer to melt. Thus, you have nicer-looking cookies.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eThis way you can mix your dough any time, cover it with tightly with plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for a few hours until you’re ready to bake at your convenience. u003c/liu003e
Want more? See all of our peanut butter cookie recipes.
Want to see our new peanut butter recipes?
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