How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies

Smooth or chunky peanut butter can be used to make cookies.

Peanut butter cookies are a classic American treat; the origins of the peanut butter cookie date back more than 100 years. The popularity of peanut butter cookies grew when peanut butter started being sold in jars commercially in 1911. Before the advent of commercially jarred peanut butter people had to grind and process the peanuts themselves to make peanut butter cookies. Now, you can grab a jar of peanut butter and a few other ingredients and whip up this classic treat in a matter of minutes.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 cups sugar
• Mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Parchment paper
• Spoon
• Fork

Instructions

1. Pour two cups sugar and two cups peanut butter in a mixing bowl. Combine the two ingredients using a rubber spatula.

2. Add a large egg and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Blend the ingredients together with the rubber spatula.

3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the ungreased baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Scoop up the cookie batter with a spoon. Roll the batter between your palms to create balls that are about an inch in diameter.

5. Drop each ball of cookie dough onto your baking sheet. Flatten each ball of cookie dough by pressing the top with a fork.

6. Put your baking sheet in the oven. Bake the peanut butter cookies for six to eight minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• For larger and less cookies make the dough balls the size of walnuts or golf balls and place 2-2.5 inches away from each other and cook for 12-17 minutes.

• With either size cookies, if you allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes, placing a toothpick in the center will allow you to know know if the cookie is done. (They will be really soft when they first come out.) If the cookie is not hardening and is still mushy on the inside (and you pull several crumbs out with the toothpick) after about 5-7 minutes,or the cookies fall apart when you attempt to pick them up, place the cookies back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes, but be sure not to cook them for too long, because it will make the cookies too hard once they cool off.

• Allow cookies to cool before eating, because they will burn your hands and your mouth if you handle them straight out of the oven.

References

• Group Recipes: Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
• All Recipes: Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
• New England Recipes: Peanut Butter Cookies