Even as someone who grew up between two cultures, I know a good peanut butter cookie when I see one. The distinctive crosshatch pattern stamped on top is unmistakable. They’re easy to make, deeply nostalgic, and have a salty-sweet flavor that’s somehow perfect when the leaves start to fall.
First published in 2005 by our founder, Elise Bauer, this recipe has been a staple for two decades. It’s amassed 1.7 million lifetime views, and even after all these years, it’s still going strong. In the comments, one of our readers said she made the recipe four times in two weeks in the hopes of filling up her freezer—but none ever made it there. “If you love pb cookies and haven’t made these yet, do it because they’re delicious,” she wrote.
It’s a testament to just how reliable and comforting this recipe truly is. These cookies are also wonderfully unfussy—they use basic pantry ingredients, and the dough comes together quickly. The dough freezes well, too, making them a great make-ahead treat so you can have fresh, warm cookies whenever there’s a chill in the air.
Credit: Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
How To Make the Best Peanut Butter Cookies
To get the best results every time, use a good recipe and keep these things in mind:
-
Skip the natural peanut butter. For the best texture, reach for your standard shelf-stable peanut butter and save the natural stuff for sandwiches and smoothies. Natural peanut butter can separate and affect the texture of the cookies. Trust me, I’ve been there, and the last thing you want is a crumbly and greasy cookie.
-
Chill the dough. Most cookie recipes require this step because it helps keep the cookies from spreading too quickly in the oven.
-
Dip the fork in sugar between cookies. The fork can stick to the dough when you make the crosshatch pattern. Dip the tines into granulated sugar to prevent that from happening.
-
Freeze the cookies for later. To freeze oven-ready cookie dough, prepare them up until you make the crosshatch pattern. Transfer them to a sheet pan—they don’t need to be spaced apart—and freeze until solid. Move them to an airtight container. When you’re ready for a treat, pop them in the oven straight from the freezer, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Why Do Peanut Butter Cookies Have a Crosshatch Pattern?
I found several theories about the origin of the pattern, but the most practical explanation is that it helped the dense peanut butter cookie dough bake evenly. In the early 1900s, when peanut butter cookies were first created, the dough didn’t spread as much in the oven. Pressing it down with the tines of a fork helped flatten them out. You could also use the bottom of a glass for this task, but the signature pattern is what makes these cookies so recognizable.
There’s a reason Elise’s original recipe has stayed so popular for so long. It’s comforting, simple, and exactly the type of cookie you want to have around on a crisp fall day.
Credit: Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
Read the original article on Simply Recipes