Adapted from one of my early cookbooks, The Weekend Baker, this cookie packs big-time peanut butter flavor into every hearty bite. Made with creamy peanut butter as the only added fat, these cookies bake up tender, rich and deeply peanutty while chopped salted peanuts add plenty of nutty crunch along with a hit of salty contrast. With just the right balance of chewy tenderness and crunchy peanut goodness, these old-fashioned cookies are simple, homey and downright hard to stop eating.

Makes about 17 cookies

  • 1 cup (9 ounces) smooth peanut butter (not natural style)
  • 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 (1 3/8 ounces) cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts
  • 1/4 cup (1 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour

 

Susie Middleton

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

2. Put the peanut butter and brown sugar in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer fitted with wire beaters). Beat on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended (it will look broken and curdle-y). Add the peanuts and flour and mix on low speed until just blended, about 1 minute. The mixture will be crumbly.

3. Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop (I use the medium-sized Oxo), scoop the dough and, using your palms, gently roll into smooth balls and arrange about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Using the tines of a table fork, press down twice on each ball to flatten slightly and form a cross-hatch pattern. If the dough sticks to the tines, dip in a little flour tapping off any excess and repeat as needed.

4. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the tops look dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Move the sheet to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes before moving them from the sheet to a rack to cool completely. Stow the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days.