This recipe is modestly adapted from Grandad Danner’s Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies in My Father’s Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow. Our only changes were to replace the dark brown sugar with light brown sugar (just to simplify), omit the additional sugar for rolling (we found them a bit too sweet), and add chopped peanuts for texture. We also made a few tweaks to the method. To see the original recipe and read the rave reviews, click here. I’ve tried many recipes for peanut butter cookies over the years. Gwyneth Paltrow’s is one of the best!
Notes
- It is not absolutely necessary to chill the dough, however, it is quite sticky and difficult to handle if you don't have a "cookie scooper." Chilling the dough makes it much easier to handle, but feel free to skip this step if you like.
The Cookie Dough can be frozen for up to 3 Months:
- Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible.
- Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.)
To Freeze After Baking:
- Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Ingredients
- 150 grams all-purpose flour - spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife, 1 ¼ cups
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter - softened, ½ cup
- 250 grams creamy peanut butter - at room temperature (I like Skippy No Need To Stir), 1 cup
- 200 grams light brown sugar - packed, 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- ½ cup finely chopped salted peanuts
- ¼ cup granulated or turbinado sugar - optional
Instructions
Prepare the dough & chill
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds more.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Mix in the peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts.
- Chill the dough for 1 hour (see note below).
Bake
- Set racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
- Using a 1 ½-inch portion scoop (#50) with a wire scraper (if you don’t have one, use a spoon and your hands), form the dough into golf ball-sized balls on the prepared baking sheets.
- At this point, you can optionally roll them in granulated sugar or you can sprinkle them with turbinado sugar after pressing them with a fork in the next step.
- Using the tines of a fork, mark a crisscross pattern on the cookies, pressing them down slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and golden on the bottom.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. (Note: the cookies are very fragile when hot, so take care not to break them. They’ll firm up nicely as they cool.)