Easy Criss Cross Peanut Butter Cookies

If you’re looking for the perfect, good old fashioned criss cross peanut butter cookies, this is it.  I first made these cookies back in 2008 not long after I started blogging.  That old original post is here.  I decided to post them again with updated photos and to bring attention back to them.  I believe everyone needs recipes for all their favorite cookies, like my favorite chocolate chip cookies.  These would fit the category of favorite peanut butter cookies.

I don’t take any credit for these cookies as I got the original recipe from Anna at Cookie Madness.  Long ago she raved they were her favorite peanut butter cookies, which is why I made them back then.  After I started blogging, Anna’s blog was probably the first one I discovered and loved.  Still to this day, I check her blog daily to see what she is up to in the kitchen.  Not only that, I’ve been lucky enough to meet her and spend the weekend in San Francisco at BlogHer Food 2009 with her and I chat with her frequently via email and Facebook.  She is great and is a great resource and authority to turn to for any of your baking questions or for whatever you might be looking for.  That link for her blog takes you right to the recipe for these cookies. 

I’ve really only made some small changes, here’s how I made them.

Easy Criss Cross Peanut Butter Cookies, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Anna at Cookie Madness

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1  1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup semi sweet or milk chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the butter and sugars and cream together until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add the peanut butter and combine until mixed.  Then add the egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk together.  Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture just until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips, too), if using.

Scoop dough onto baking sheets about two tablespoonsful each, spaced about two inches apart.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheets for a couple minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes about 2 dozen or more if you make them smaller, then only bake about 10 minutes.

Fresh from the oven they are a little puffy, but flatten to a perfect thickness as they cool.  With some of the cookies I stuffed the insides with chocolate chips and didn’t put the criss cross on them.

 I sent this entire batch of cookies over to Kevin’s niece who watched the boys for us last week.  Try these perfect peanut butter cookies!