Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies

If you are one of those people who like a hard, crunchy peanut butter cookie, go back now, turn away; this recipe is not for you. However if you are like me and enjoy a soft, chewy cookie, gooey and brimming with the taste of peanut butter, then you have found the perfect cookie recipe to delight your taste buds.

I have tried so many variations of peanut butter cookie recipes, and this one is hands-down the best. If you are patient, the cookies have a better texture and shape to them if you are willing to let them sit in the freezer for a night before baking them. If you’re not patient, no worries; the cookies will still be the best peanut butter cookies you’ve ever had. This recipe comes together quickly, with a baking time of only 8 minutes, and the ingredients are so common, you probably already have them on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of peanut butter
• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup of butter (softened at room temperature)
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• cooking spray (I love to use Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil Spray)
• 1 ½ cups of flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray, set aside (skip this step if you are freezing dough for later baking).
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric or hand mixer. Add peanut butter and continue to beat until smooth.
3. Add the vanilla and egg to the peanut butter mixture and continue to beat until completely combined.
4. With a fork, mix flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Be sure that ingredients are well distributed throughout the mixture.
5. In two separate additions, add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix until fully combined. If your ingredients are homogeneous but clumpy, be sure to knead the dough by hand until it is smooth.
6. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets. Press down on the dough balls with the tines of a fork in two directions. Bake for 8 minutes, be sure not to over cook or the cookies will not be soft.