Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Cakes are done; presents are wrapped, lights are on; wine is poured; so you think you are ready for Christmas. Hellooooo don’t you know Christmas is incomplete without homemade cookies and where are your cookies???

The cookie is a small edible baked cake which contains sugar, butter, egg, flour, milk i.e. similar to cake ingredients. Sometimes it is compared to biscuits. Both have similarities but there is only one thing which makes the difference: Egg. Biscuits don’t have eggs as ingredients but for cookie egg is an essential ingredient. Don’t worry there days egg-less cookies are also available for the vegetarian people. But in different places cookie and biscuits are known as alternatives. There is a fine line difference between these two.

There are thousands types of cookies available in the market. Different ingredients, making procedures make them all unique. Mostly cookies are baked and crisp. But no-bake cookies are also popular. Sometimes both soft and chewable cookies are also made.

My today’s Holiday Special cookie is ‘Classic Peanut Butter Cookies’. As the name refers peanut butter is the core ingredient of this cookie. Regular unsalted butter is combined with it to make a smooth batter. Eggs and all-purpose flour are folded with the butter mixture to make smooth tight dough. Add o some tutti frutti or crushed nuts or chocolate chips to make this yummy cookie more sinful.

Here is the recipe of Classic Peanut Butter Cookies.

Ingredients:

Peanut butter: 1 cup + 2 tbsp

Unsalted Butter: 1/3 cup (See Tips)

Caster sugar: ¾ cup

Egg: 1, large

All-purpose flour: 1 ¼ cup

Baking power: 1 tsp

Tutti fruiti or chopped nuts: 1/3 cup (See Tips)

Preparation:

Sift and sieve the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.

Take a large mixing bowl. Beat peanut butter and unsalted butter for 2 mins with the help of an electric beater. (See Tips)

Add sugar and beat for another 2 mins or until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth.

Add egg and beat for 1 min in electric mixer. Don’t over mix the egg mixture. (See Tips)

Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

Mix them all together by your hand slowly until a large lump forms.

Now knead it like dough. Don’t add any water or milk. The dough should be tight.

Wrap the dough in a plastic/butter paper sheet and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs. (See Tips)

After specified time remove the sheet from the dough. now make small rough balls of the dough or by using cookie cutter make different shapes of the dough. keep separately.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Prepare two baking tray with parchment papers. Place the cookies carefully on the lined baking tray.

Set the time to 180°C. place baking trays in the oven and bake for 12-15 mins.

If you prefer little less crunchy and chewy cookies bake at 160°C for 10-15 mins.

Your chewy or crunchy peanut butter cookies are done to dunk in.

Tips:

1.  DON’T use salted butter ever. Remember peanut butter already contain much more salt than the average butter.

2.  Initially I planned to add tutti fruiti in the cookies dough but later I completely forgot to add them with the batter. If you want go on with your imagination and use whatever you want. But make sure the pieces should be small rather tiny. As this dough will produce cookies not cake large chunks will be inappropriate for it.

3.  If you are using hand mixer instead of electric mixer increase the time to 5 minutes.

4.  In manual mixer mix only for 2 mins at a go. Don’t practice stop-n-go method here. It will produce stiff harden cookies.

5.  If you don’t have enough time to chill the dough for 3-4 hrs. freeze it for 1 hr. atleast. By this time the dough will be set.