We are not a peanut butter cookie family – so these were a little hard to judge.  Took them to a party but since there were so many other gooey sweets (that I made :)), no one really sampled.  Zach and Lauren weren’t wowed (save for the ice cream sandwich form), but yesterday I gave some to Ali who commented… “Yum.  Totally blog-worthy.  Plain Jane peanut butter cookies that pack a peanut punch.”  These are so versatile, you can toss some with toffee chips, choc chips or even white chocolate and raisins.  Or dip them in melted tempered chocolate – milk or dark.  These are excellent as the base of an ice cream sandwich since they are firm and crunchy.  Chocolate chocolate ice cream and peanut butter.  Terrific.  But as Ali also mentioned these are also really good just plain dunked in milk – and I trust her.  Enjoy-

old fashioned peanut butter cookies (very slightly adapted from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle):
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if using unsalted peanuts us 1/2 teaspoon)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter – room temp
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
With paddle attachment of mixer – beat butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Gradually add the sugar and brown sugar and beat, scrape, and beat again.  Add eggs one at a time, beat after each addition and continue to scrape down the bowl now and then.  Add the vanilla extract.
On the lowest speed, mix in the dry ingredients and the chopped peanuts and mix until flour is just incorporated.  Remove from mixer and finish folding by hand with a spatula.
Cover with plastic wrap and rest dough rest for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drop by rounded tablespoons (or bigger or smaller depending on your taste).  Flatten each cookie with your palms (moisten with water if necessary to prevent sticking) and then with a fork gently make a crosshatch indentation in the center of each cookie.  sliding the fork across the cookie both ways.
Bake the large cookies for about 16-20 minutes – turning the pans midway.  And rotate racks.  Bake until the edges get a little golden – but the center is still soft (I might have over baked mine a tad).  But good even if a little crunchy.
Enjoy-

 

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