Mama Harris' Kitchen

Bringing you tasty, family-style recipes with fresh local ingredients!

baking Christmas food comfort food cookie dessert holidays kid-friendly peanut butter recipe sugar sweets Thanksgiving food traditional

Award Winning Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

I have a strong passion for baking cookies. I don’t know what it is, but I absolutely love it, and have numerous recipes for various cookies that I have perfected the recipes to. This peanut butter cookie though, is where it all began.

I always loved baking, I think it’s my favorite thing, right along with breakfast. Those are just my specialties.

When I was a young adult in my teens and early 20’s I always made cookies, pies, and cakes – always from the box though. In those early years I think a bag of flour would last me forever. I threw away the bag before I had a chance to use it all! It was all about convenience food, something fast, and if I wanted a cake I picked up my favorite box. Or I bought a pie or cake ready made!

When I started experimenting in the kitchen with cooking and food in general, I realized there were many pantry staples I just didn’t have. So I started stocking up the more and more I cooked, the more things needed and stored away. Flour, sugar, oils, and spices were all things I started collecting. I started getting more fearless and ready to experiment.

One night I decided I wanted some cookies, but I didn’t have a premade mix, and to be honest I didn’t really want one. So I found a peanut butter cookie recipe that had everything I already owned in my pantry, and that’s when I realized that making cookies from scratch is so much more convenient! They taste so much better, you use things you already have, and it makes a much bigger batch!

Now, I have no idea where I found that original peanut butter cookie recipe, but through the years it’s been changed and perfected in many different ways. This recipe is always requested by my family and friends. When there’s a bake sale, this is always what I get asked to make.
When I made this particular batch my husband had just come home from work and was leaving on a quick errand. He grabbed a cookie and says “Oh my God, that’s good” and grabbed a second. He’s had these countless times, but they still elicit that same reaction! My 3 year old is obsessed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so these are right up his alley and are his favorite of all time. He’s my sneaky little cookie monster, he comes downstairs in the middle of the night and takes one bite out of each cookie, just so no one else will eat them!!

Needless to say, it’s very rare I share this recipe. This is one of my very near and dear to my heart recipes, I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Next, in a smaller mixing bowl, combine your butter or margarine and your sugars.
This is when you “cream” your sugars.
I had to look that up when I first started baking from scratch. It’s basically where you combine these ingredients until the sugars and butter are a smooth “creamy” texture.
Still creaming! Yes, I use a fork to combine everything when I make cookies. When I use a whisk everything gets stuck in the middle, and if I use a hand mixer it beats it too much even on the low setting. So I’m left to use a fork until I purchase this beauty!
It has a “cream” setting where it makes your batter the perfect texture that you’re after. I want it in any color, it doesn’t matter!
And it’s creamy! You don’t want it grainy at all, nice and smooth! If you beat it too high, your initial batter will be too dense which equals hard cookies. Yuck! This is why I use a fork! 
Now add your vanilla. The important thing with cookies, and even cakes and pies, is to combine each ingredient one at a time. If you throw it all in there together, the texture of your cookies will be all wrong. 
Now add the egg.
Once the egg is added and mixed it’s nice and smooth. 
Now for the peanut butter.
One thing I do remember about the original recipe was it called for creamy peanut butter. I wanted a little bit of chunk in these babies, so I replaced it with all chunky. To me, it was a little too dry. So I played with the measurements of each a little until I got to this. It’s perfection. 
Mix peanut butter until smooth.
Now, in a separate bowl combine all your dry ingredients. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Sift together until well blended.
Now, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. I usually add half at a time, stir together until just blended, then add the next half. 
Do not overmix! Once again, that will yield hard cookies!
You want to mix until just when you can’t see most of the flour anymore.
Now, cover this bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This helps the cookies to be a little thicker. I bake them at a low temperature so they are a soft and chewy texture, so they can sometimes spread too thin if not refrigerated. Before I refrigerated them I would bake them at 300 degrees, but they would end up pretty flat most of the time, still tasty but I like the thickness of cookies!
Now, once they have been chilled for the appropriate time, line a cookie sheet with foil and form little balls with the dough. I usually use an ice cream scoop, and I don’t fill it up all the way. I like all my cookies to be about the same size. 
When they are this size, I usually place about 8 balls on the cookie sheet at a time. This way they don’t run into each other and make one big cookie!
Now, grab a fork and dip it in sugar and press the well known X in the cookie with the fork.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, the middle will still be soft but the edges will just barely be crispy.
This makes about 18 cookies this size. What a strange number, right?
No matter, they will ALL be gone by the next evening!
These are HIGHLY addicting!
Enjoy!


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anne Kimball says

    Hi Mama Harris, I’m Anne from Life on the Funny Farm (http://annesfunnyfarm.blogspot.com) visiting from Jilly’s Weekend Blog Walk.

    Ohhh, these look so good! I love PB cookies, but haven’t had them in awhile. Pinning this! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Anyway, it’s nice to “meet” you. I hope you can pop over to my blog and say hi sometime if you get the chance.

      • Ted Jake says

        I improved the recipe slightly. Add 1/4 teaspoon corn starch and cook at 350 for 9 to 10 minutes. Gives the edges a bit more crisp.
        You’re welcome ^_^

  2. Mrs.Day says

    I wish I lived near you so I can “test” your food, give honest reviews for your blog lol and of course just to eat, cause this also looks good

  4. S. Franklin says

    Yummmm! My daughter is nearly 5 and she’s a PB fanatic! I know she would love these. Thanks so much for linking up to the Aloha Friday Hop. I’m your newest follower. Hope you have a great weekend!

  11. Lindsay says

    These remind me of the ones my mom would make growing up, love them! Thank you so much for linking up to Sunday’s Sweet Confessions over at mommy’s sweet confessions! Have a great day!

  16. Beth Taylor says

    They turned out beautifully! I used Peter Pan Honey Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter, which is a bit sweeter than the regular kind. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

  17. Anonymous says

    These were so yummy! Kept recipe as is but made into 36 smaller cookies, only 86 calories each! Baked 10 min. Thanks for the recipe.

  18. Salina fischer says

    Hi, My name is Salina and I just wanted to drop a line and tell you that I’m making these as we speak(8:51 pm) 8/23/2013 but I have to tell you this. I made a double batch and instead of using 2 1/2 cups of flour I used 1 1/2 cups and added a cup of instant vanilla pudding out of the box and I didn’t use the nutmeg and the batter taste AWESOME!! The batter was not at all dry like I figured it was going to be (thank god);) Yes I am waiting for the first batch to bake before I post, that’s why this comment hasn’t yet been posted at the time I said. For somebody that doesn’t like peanut butter cookies (husband) he loves them …GREAT!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I do recommend adding the vanilla pudding to the mix

  19. Beth Taylor says

    Hello again! So, I have been making these a lot since I commented last time, and I usually use Peter Pan Honey Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter and leave out the nutmeg. However, I accidentally bought the crunchy kind last night, and it was a very FORTUNATE mistake. This time, the cookies are better than any other time I’ve made them. SOOOOO good! My next door neighbor also asked me for the recipe. I’m afraid you may have started something!

  20. Dustin Howlett says

    I use to be a Baker at Tim Horton’s… Back in the day when we actually baked our own stuff. Back when Tims was good. We had the best peanut butter and peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies.

    This recipe I tried today at home and it is the closest thing to what I use to make.. Like I mean almost exactly the same. Same texture. Same taste. I just found it was a bit more sweet.. Which could be just me putting in a bit too much sugar or brown sugar. I will try again with a bit less sugar to see if I can do it bang on to what we use to make.

    Thank you for the post and excellent recipe.

    • MamaHarris says

      Hi Dustin, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! This recipe is a favorite with my family and anyone I make it for. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, I’d love to hear if it’s close to what you’re looking for with a touch less sugar. Thanks again!

  21. Briana and my son Dakota says

    We LOVE LOVE LOVE Peanut Butter cookies!!! It is Thanksgiving Eve, we are making cookies and Pies. Seen your cookies and we are going to make them today!!! Thank You sooooooooo much for putting your receipes out there for everyone to use!!!

  22. Jennifer says

    I love your recipe it is not too greasy or overwhelmingly peanut buttery. I reduced total sugar to 3/4 cup, rolled the balls in white sugar then pressed with fork. My reaction to these was the same as your husband. I gave some to a friend and she kept updating me how many she’d eaten.

  23. L. Farley says

    I just had to finally stop what I was doing and give you props! Your homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe is THE BEST. I can’t even bring myself to buy cookies at bakeries because they won’t taste as good as what I make at home. LOL! I look forward to making this one to. BIG THANK YOU!

  24. Bianca Bowman says

    Thank you so much for sharing! I can not find my old, warn out, Betty Crocker today, and my baby girl (4 year old) wants peanut butter cookies now! I’m not afraid to admit that I try to say yes as much as possible. This recipe saved the day!

  25. Sandra P Taylor says

    Out of curiosity, what award did this recipe win? The title says “Award-Winning, but doesn’t mention any specifics. I’m conducting a bake-a-thon with only contest and award-winning recipes, but need more info as to what contest it won.

  26. Ted Jake says

    I improved the recipe slightly. Add 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon corn starch to the dry ingredients and cook at 350 for 9 to 10 minutes. Gives the edges a bit more crisp. Actually this works for most smooth surface cookies. Add a touch of corn starch and cook at a slightly higher temperature for a slightly less amount of time. Perfect for dunking. I use this addition for my chocolate chip cookies. For a long time I kept it to myself but as I get older I think more people should know about this trick.

Trackbacks