You don’t need much to make a classic peanut butter cookie recipe. Many versions call for a minimalist approach (like Epicurious’s 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies). But, with a few tweaks, this already great cookie can be truly exceptional. Ours has a crunchy-chewy texture and a deep peanut-buttery flavor that’s not too sweet.
Start by roasting the peanuts to wake up their flavor (yes, you’re roasting store-bought roasted peanuts). Meanwhile, brown the butter, which will enhance the cookies’ nuttiness. We prefer natural peanut butter here, so you can dial in the sugar and salt amounts precisely, and smooth peanut butter over crunchy to better control the cookies’ fat and moisture levels. Letting the cookie dough rest ensures the flour is fully hydrated, resulting in crisper edges and chewier middles. To finish, use a fork for a classic crisscross pattern or grab a cookie stamp or kitchen mallet for a different design.
To bake them, we borrowed a bread-baking technique: Placing a pan of water in the oven creates a burst of steam, giving these peanut butter cookies a glazy, crispy, golden-brown crust, while maintaining their soft, delicate centers.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Yield
Makes about 20 cookies
Ingredients
½
6
¾
¾
½
¼
1
¾
½
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast ½ cup (71 g) roasted, salted peanuts on a rimmed baking sheet until browned and fragrant, 6–8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, swirling pan often, until butter foams, then browns, 4–6 minutes. Transfer brown butter with solids to a medium bowl; chill, stirring every 5 minutes, until cooled and beginning to solidify, about 15 minutes.
Step 3
Whisk ¾ cup (93 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. baking powder, and ¼ tsp. baking soda in another medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (170 g; packed) light brown sugar, and ¼ cup water in a large bowl until mixture is light and falls back on itself in a slowly dissolving ribbon, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add in dry ingredients, then increase speed to high and beat 1 minute to develop gluten and hydrate flour. Add peanut butter, chopped peanuts, and brown butter and mix on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Let dough rest at room temperature until slightly firmed up, about 10 minutes.
Step 5
Portion dough into 20 balls (about 2 heaping Tbsp. each) and transfer to 2 parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheets. Dip the tines of a fork in cold water and flatten cookie dough balls to ½" thick, making a crosshatch pattern on the top of each. Chill, covered, 1 hour.
Step 6
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; place a dry, medium skillet on the bottom rack, then increase oven temperature to 375°.
Step 7
Sprinkle cookies with demerara or raw sugar and flaky sea salt. Working quickly, transfer 1 sheet of cookies to upper rack, then carefully pour 1 cup water into hot skillet; water will bubble and sizzle violently. Bake cookies until browned and edges are crisp, 12–15 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with second sheet.
Do ahead: Cookie dough can be shaped and frozen 1 month ahead. Freeze in an airtight container. Let rest at room temperature 1 hour before baking.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in our March 2016 issue as part of BA’s Best, a collection of our essential recipes. Head this way for more of our best cookie recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (47)
Back to TopMaybe you should make a website where you can actually read other reviews. What a concept!
Anonymous
North Carolina
10/22/2017
These cookies turned out somewhat "cakey", neither chewy nor crispy
Anonymous
11/15/2017
I very rarely write a review but because these cookies were a colossal waste of time, I thought I’d save someone the pain of all these steps for mediocre cookies. Pick a different recipe!
Anonymous
Wisconsin
11/26/2017
Honestly don't know why these reviews are so low. If you follow the recipe exactly you end up with a cookie that looks beautiful, nice soft texture with a delicate crust, and has a powerful peanut butter taste. The roasted peanuts plus the demerara sugar give some amazing texture to this cookie as well.
Anonymous
Nashville, TN
5/25/2018
The magazine along with the quality of their recipes has changed over the years. I subscribed to BA in the eighties and nineties. But the change in the format of the magazine along with the quality and type of recipes have been disappointing. It used to be my bible when it came to cooking but sadly no longer. I am glad I have kept my old issues and refer to them all the time.
casual cook
Moreno Valley
6/18/2018
1cup of Peanut Butter 1 cup of Sugar 1 Egg. That's it
MaggieRV
Columbus, OH
6/18/2018
I had been looking for the perfect PB cookies for years now. I have tried so many recipes. I made these and followed the instructions to the T (mostly). I didn't put a skillet of water at the bottom of the oven. I instead baked at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. They still came out amazing, moist on the inside, a little crumbly and crunchy on the outside. I instantly fell in love. It is totally worth the time and extra steps. No other recipes I have tried for PB cookies even comes close.
Anonymous
NYC
8/26/2018