Help for my my PB cookies, please

[toodie jane]

When I make peanut butter cookies, I'm usually dissapointed in the lack of strong peanut flavor, and the cookies are too sweet. I follow standard recipes, but somehow the cookies miss the mark. I like a semi-crunchy cookie with feathered edges with a strong nutty taste, like I get at the bakery. I used TJ's unsalted oraganic PB this last time. Can I get good results w/o using a commercial brand like Skippy?

I suppose I could up the peanut ante by topping with peanuts before baking, but my beef is with the cookie dough itself.

Any sure-fire crunchy/chewy PB cookie recipes to share?

[lemondrop]

This is the recipe I’ve been using for many years. I always use Jif Peanut Butter (plain). I believe that Jif is the brand that Cooks Il. Recommended (but I could be wrong). I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper (though it’s not required for these recipes).

Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, room temperature (one stick)
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, mix together shortening, softened butter, peanut butter and sugar. Add eggs, mix well. Combine in a smaller bowl, flour, baking powder, soda and salt, and mix well to distribute ingredients. Then, add flour mixture to wet mixture.
Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into 1” balls (or a little larger). Put on cookie sheet, 2 o 3 inches apart (12 on a sheet). Dip a fork in flour, and then form crisscross pattern on cookies. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

These cookies are also delicious – if you are a peanut lover! The combination of salty and sweet makes them good.

Salted Peanut Crisps

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups salted peanuts (the regular kind in a can; not dry-roasted)

Heat oven to 375. Mix brown sugar, margarine, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2” apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten with greased bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake until barely golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to a rack to cool.

[PamelaD]

These flourless PB cookies are just what you are looking for:
(can easily be doubled)
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
(opt: 1 cup mini choc chips!)

blend all together well; chill for a bit to make forming into balls easier; make balls using a about a tablespoon of dough; roll in sugar; place on greased sheet and use a fork to squich down to make a crisscross pattern; bake at 350 for 10-12 min.
They burn easily so do not over cook; they are very delicate when warm so remove them very gently from the sheet to a cooling rack; they firm up and are crunchy when cooled.

[HLing]

PamelaD, This recipe looks great! Thanks for posting it. It might be what one of my now deceased aunt makes because she didn't leave her recipe with anyone..took it to the grave with her..It was something like a peanut brittle that wasn't shiny nor hard.

Good peanut butter anything is hard to come by. The key, besides salt (the general consensus) might be finding a good and fresh peanut butter you like. Nothing tops a PB made from freshly roasted peanuts.

[Dizzied]

That's exactly the recipe I was thinking of, though you should know that they come out VERY fragile if you use natural PB -- whatever gunk is in the commercial stuff helps them be more cohesive. Sprinkling them with peanuts would be a nice touch though my personal preference is chocolate chips -- milk chocolate especially (probably not for the OP, who isn't looking for sweet). This recipe makes killer peanut blossoms too.

[wino22]

I was going to suggest this recipe too. It's sooooo easy, although my version doesn't call for vanilla. ToodieJane - I think I would stick to Jif or Skippy on this one and not the Reduced Fat variety - go for the hydrogenated stuff :)

[toodie jane]

PamelaD--

This recipe is similar to one I found on epicuroius.
Funny, a great debate raged over all the recipes--"terrible" or outrageous" and not much in between. It seems that most old-time PB cookies were flourless. In modern times (since the 50's) PB cookies have become the soft, sweet, chewy cookies that are the norm now.

Many reviewers didn't like the flourless versions because they are too fragile. One poster descibed them as being like shortbread or crescent cookies, which sounds ok to me!
Is that what this recipe comes out like?

[HLing]

OK, I made a batch. I'm terrible at following directions....let me say that first,
But, I first beat the egg, then added the sugar and continued to beat it. The PB was from the refrigerator so I just mixed the ingredients together and dropped them on a buttered cast iron pan. And then I decided to chill it in the fridge for just 20 minutes, and then it went into the oven.

They puffed somewhat, and were chewy and fluffy even after cooling down. They don't taste like they're flour-less at all. They were good and very easy to make. I still have to continue with my search for Aunt Mary's peanut treats, though. Thanks for this still..I will make it often. I will probably half the sugar though, just my personal preference for sweetness.

OH, and do tell me if I totally messed the recipe up, please. I'm all ears. I'm wondering what I could have done so that they would turn out like shortbread or crescent cookies. I like both hard and soft chewy types so it would be nice to have some sort of control .

p.s. i used the Smooth Operator made by Peanut Butter and Co., my go to brand for PB. Although, I'd like to get some good fresh peanuts and roast and grind them myself one of these days to see if it's any different.

[PamelaD]

HLing- Sounds like you did it exactly right. They firm up quite nicely on cooling, especially if you make them a bit bigger and thicker.

toodiejane- these cookies are not fine enough crumb/texture to be described as shortbread-like, I don't think.

P

[tochipotle]

Sorry, I don't have a recipe on hand (I'll see if I can find it though), but I have great memories of my Dad's PB cookies. What I loved most about them was the salt! May I humbly suggest that could be what's missing??

[NeNePie]

I would agree with the salt diagnosis. I use a little maple in my cookies instead of a small amount of the sugar, and I use Laura Scudders Natural PB. I LOVE the way the cookies come out. Have you tried the Joy of Cooking recipe?

[C. Hamster]

Cooks Illustrated adds additional ground peanuts and salt to theirs. They claim that salt is the key.

IMO "natural" peanut butters may not be the best choice for PB cookies. CI did a taste test of commercial peanut butters some time back and recommended one particular brand for cookies. It might have been Skippy, but honestly I have forgotten. Maybe some with access to their members site could look it up.

[toodie jane]

No I haven't tried the JOC recipe. I'll make a batch and see how it goes. Thanks.

[ashes]

If you want a crunchy cookie, I would avoid recipes that call for crisco/shortening, which usually yields a softer cookie.

[weezycom]

I have to respectfully disagree. I have found that crisco/shortening is what produces a crunchy cookie, as the milk solids in butter are what produces a more tender, chewier texture.