classic peanut butter cookies

i have made a double batch of these cookies no less than three times in the last three months. they're the perfect peanut butter cookie - peanut buttery, chewy in the middle, and crunchy on the outside.

you may remember last year, when i made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for jason's birthday. they're equally delicious, but i hadn't noticed until today how incredibly similar the recipes are. both have the same proportion of butter, sugar, peanut butter, flour, and baking soda. no wonder i like them both so much. but the real question - who came first, betty or martha?!

and they freeze like a dream, because sometimes when you're up at 2:00am feeding your newborn son, a peanut butter cookie makes the lack of sleep just a little bit better.

classic peanut butter cookies

adapted from betty crocker

30 minutes, makes about 2 dozen

every time i make these cookies, i make a double batch - half with chocolate chips and half without, so feel free to add a cup of chocolate chips at the end.

classic peanut butter cookies are typically rolled in sugar and are flattened with a fork, but i'm kinda lazy these days - and don't think all that rolling and flattening really adds anything - so i just scoop the dough out with a cookie scoop. works like a charm.

if you're into the whole "sweet & salty" craze going on right now, sprinkle the formed dough with maldon sea salt or fleur de sel ever so lightly before baking. 

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. preheat your oven to 350F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
2. beat the sugars, peanut butter, butter, and egg until mixed. add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined.
3. shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls, or use a medium cookie scoop to form dough, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. bake about 8 minutes, or until the center has just set. cool on the baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. store in an airtight container.