Peanut Butter Cookies

I always forget about peanut butter cookies. When I was little I used to make them with my grandmother but since then I think I've only made them once. I saw a recipe for them yesterday and was reminded of their wonderfulness. The recipe is simple. I didn't have to take a trip to the store for any special ingredients which is always a plus. I did not have any peanuts, however. So I just left them out. I'm not the biggest fan of nuts in cookies anyhow. The dough was a little soft and kept sticking to the fork with the first pan I made so I put the bowl in the fridge for several minutes.

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Adjust rack to center of oven and heat to 350° F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the egg and combine, then add the peanut butter. Reduce speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat until incorporated. Stir in the peanuts. Form the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll in the remaining sugar and place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Using the back of a fork, gently press the cookies to form a crisscross pattern. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until just golden. Cool on racks.

My batch made 32 cookies.

The cookies were great. Light, crispy, melt in your mouth, and everything else you would expect a good peanut butter cookie to be. They aren't too filling so with a glass of milk I could eat way more than I should.