Old Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

June 10, 2013

Old Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies / une gamine dans la cuisine


If, according to Camelot, the month of May is lusty, it's definitely now the lazy month of June. Finally. The atmosphere is dewy, and humid, and languid. The various spaces around me are dripping with aromas of fresh-cut grass, fuchsia hydrangea - and, thanks to a delicate green rainfall, wet earth (one of my favourite scents in the entire universe). After a never ending winter and chilly spring, it's nice to finally feel a temperature that's aligned with the calender.

Peanut butter cookies also make me extremely happy - especially when they're soft, chewy, and not reticent about showing off their main ingredient. This recipe is the first of many I'll be making from the brand new cookbook, Peanut Butter Comfort, by fellow food blogger (and fabulous baker) Averie Sunshine. These are were the best p.b. cookies I have ever made. I don't know if it's the splash of cream or the healthy amount of vanilla extract, but there is something special about this recipe...a certain panache that other peanut butter cookies lack. I would share these ravishing peanut butter deities with Tom Hiddleston; during an impromptu Wednesday afternoon picnic by a lake with a name neither one of is sure how to pronounce.

With the exception of tossing in a bit of espresso powder, I pretty much followed the original recipe (why mess with perfection?). If you're a peanut butter fanatic, you'll fall head over heels in love with these cookies, and with Averie's book!



Old Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies / une gamine dans la cuisine



Old Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
makes about 25-30 cookies


ingredients
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon espresso powder (optional)
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup tightly packed, light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cream or milk (I used half & half)
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 large, room temperature, egg

method
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (if using). Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla. Beat on med-high speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for about 30 seconds - until just incorporated. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. {Note: I let mine chill for 6 hours.}

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

Using a small cookie scoop, form the dough into balls and place them onto the prepared sheets, allowing about 2-inches of space between each cookie. {Note: Each of my cookies weighed approximately .23 grams.} Slightly flatten each ball of dough with the tines of a lightly-floured fork, creating a crisscross pattern.

Bake for 7-8 minutes - do not exceed 9 minutes. The tops should look underdone - they will firm up as the cookies cool. {My cookies were Perfect after only 7 minutes.} Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for about 10 minutes before removing transferring to a cooling rack.

Fantastic recipe, Averie! Thank you!! xo  

43 comments:

  1. These cookies look fab! Love the espresso powder and generous amount of vanilla. Now I'm craving PB! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Avrie's book is on my list to buy. You tempt me with this cookies :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. They look very tempting! I cannot resist a chewy cookie.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  4. There's always room for another peanut butter cookie recipe, these look fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I haven't made peanut butter cookies in so long! Can't wait to try!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the touch of espresso powder in these cookies--great addition, Valerie!

    Now I think I'll have to order this book. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. We're still waiting for that warm weather. It can't be long now, can it? Making - and eating - those peanut butter cookies would be a great way to fill in the time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, girl...you are one wicked baker! Pure genius to add espresso powder to the cookie dough. Mmm. Cannot wait to make your version! Received Averie's PB Comfort cookbook last Friday. I think I need to buy an extra copy. I can see some major batter splatter in my future...all over this book! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. They look sooooooooo tempting! Specially for someone like me, who loves PB. They should be even better with dark choc nibs :)

    Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  10. ohhh girl I need to try it that way!
    what a great idea!
    let's eat pb cookies and cold lemonade and never get fat?
    OK?

    ReplyDelete
  11. @Dawn: I like the sound of that diet plan! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well with such a rave review for these cookies, I guess I have no choice but to try them, and soon! :) You can never go wrong with the classics!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the glowing words, Valerie, and your cookies turned out beautifully! They are stunning and I just want to grab a few! The tops, the fork-prints in them, mmmm, I love it when they get like that and yours are just perfect. I am so glad you love the recipe and they're the best PB cookies you've ever had! :) xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  14. As usual Valerie, your cookies are just absolutely stunning. These look so chewy, I want to just grab them from the screen.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love the espresso powder in here! these look like the best peanut butter cookies EVER!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Please send some of that warm weather our way - it's June but in the UK I'm wearing tights most days!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love your pictures and recipes, they are mouth watering. Would love for you to share them with us at foodieportal.com. Over at foodieportal.com we are not photography expert snobs, we are just foodies, so pretty much all your pictures will get accepted.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I just made these today and they were absolutely delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You can never go wrong with a good peanut butter cookie!

    ReplyDelete
  20. YES! I love these cookies!! All of Averie's cookie recipes are pretty much amazing... I have made a few of her recipes and loved them all!

    ReplyDelete
  21. These look so delicious. I'm also a fan of soft, chewy cookies, and your dash of espresso sounds like a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  22. wow these look gorgeous, and the addition of espresso is unique! I didn't know Averie's book is out, now let me go hunt one down :-)..gorgeous pic as always, Valerie!

    ReplyDelete
  23. What I wouldn't do for a plateful of these peanut butter cookies! Beautifully presented, Valerie. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Are these soft peanut butter cookies, or are they more crunchy and crumbly?

    ReplyDelete
  25. @Kara D. These cookies are definitely on the chewy side. (Not at all crunchy.) :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Peanut butter cookies make me happy too ;-) I have to order this delicious sounding cookbook-all recipes with peanut butter (swoon)-perfect for my cookbook collection and this recipe sounds like such a keeper- I would probably make these cookies first-they look like the kind of peanut butter cookies that dreams are made of... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Gotta love Averie - these cookies look incredible! I am drooling just thinking about them!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Valerie, these looked good to me too and I made them today. Unfortunately, after 4 hours in the fridge, the dough was dry and crumbly. In fact it was SO dry, it wouldn't clump enough to hold in balls. I was ready to trash the whole thing but ended up pressing it into a pan and baking it kind of like blondies. Tasted great though.

    In comparing your ingredients to other similar recipes, it looks like you are using nearly 1/2 a cup more flour than most. Think that could have been it? Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  29. @Steve, I'm so sorry to hear about the dry cookie dough. :( My dough was very soft and pliable. I double checked the recipe in the book and everything is written out properly.

    The only think I can think of is the flour measuring. Use a fork to "fluff" the flour up in the canister (or bag) - before measuring it out, scoop it out and then level it off with the flat side of a butter knife (never pack it down). And always try to use the exact cup size needed (i.e. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, try to use an actual one cup measuring scoop instead of two half cups.)

    Peanut butter can be tricky to measure too. Unlike flour, it's okay to really smoosh it into the measuring cup - to avoid air pockets. Pretend it's super-messy brown sugar. :)

    Hope that helps. Again, I'm sorry about the cookies. At least you managed to pull off some tasty blondies!

    ReplyDelete
  30. How I can't pass up PB cookies...these look good. Wanting to make a batch of these this weekend now.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Valerie - I don't make peanut butter cookies often enough. Yours look divine! A must make indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Just made these - very yummy, perfectly soft in the middle. Mind you, they haven't cooled yet :) I use a packet of Starbucks via in place of the espresso powder, otherwise followed exactly. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  33. @Caitlin, It's always a good idea to taste test a few warm-from-the-oven cookies. :D I know you'll find these just as tasty once they've cooled off! Thanks for dropping by!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Your food photos are amazing. You can share your mouth watering photos with us at http://www.foodienewz.com. foodienewz.com is a new food sharing site and we actually try our best to promote your food photos. At foodienewz.com all your food photos will be published without any editorial review so I really hope you come and join us.

    ReplyDelete
  35. These cookies look fantastic! I cannot wait to try it, they look soft and chewy. I love a peanut butter-y peanut butter cookie as well.

    Happy June!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Made a batch of these on Thursday... all gone. Making my second batch today. These are great! Jill @Mama Ging

    ReplyDelete
  37. Do you grease the cookie sheet, if you don't have parchment paper?

    ReplyDelete
  38. @Kathleen Mullen, You can use either parchment paper or a Silpat. :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. The peanut butter cookies were chewy and yummy. They were a bit too salty because I used salted butter and salt, choose one or the other. I think the cream added moisture. I would recommend this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I have just discovered your blog and am enjoying it very much. Today I will try the peanut butter cookies. In my family it is somewhat of blasphemy because my mom is an excellent baker filling the cookie jar for 65 years,and her peanut butter cookies are a favourite, but alas I like things different and my cookies chewy! :) A note to Steve in LA with the dry cookie dough. I wonder if it's a low altitude thing. I dont know where the altitude of the original recipe is from but I live in a high altitude 3500 ft, in Canada and I know our recipes need a little more flour, little less sugar. Anyway just a thought :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. @Caline, These are fantastic peanut butter cookies - hopefully they will come in second place, just after your mom's recipe (recipes made by our moms have the irreplaceable ingredient known as memories). :)

    Great tip on the flour-y altitude adjustment! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Wow! Been looking for the perfect peanut butter cookie recipe--not crunchy, and this one is definitely it! Thank you, thank you thank you! The family ate the whole batch in one night!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Just made these. They're excellent. I added chocolate and peanut butter chips. This will be my go to pb cookie recipe.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

une gamine dans la cuisine © All rights reserved · Theme by Blog Milk · Blogger