Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

It's not often that I get to make peanut butter goodies. As those who follow this blog know, my husband hates peanut butter and always complains when I make something with peanut butter because then he can't eat it. If I make enough other goodies, however, he's willing to overlook the fact that I made something peanut buttery ;)



Such was the case with these cookies. With all the other stuff I had made for my holiday gift packages, I was able to also sneak in these peanut butter cookies. They're sweet and crunchy with a nice peanut butter flavor. If you're looking for a soft peanut butter cookie, look elsewhere. (I'll have to post my flour-less peanut butter cookie recipe soon for those who prefer a softer cookie.)


These are rather simple cookies to make. No rolling required and no refrigeration required, either. Just roll the dough into balls, coat with sugar, then flatten with a fork to make the crisscross pattern after which these cookies are named. Prep time is only about 15 minutes before these are ready to go into the oven (assuming you already have the butter set out at room temperature).

Seeing as chocolate and peanut butter belong together, I can't wait to try the chocolate peanut butter version that Dorie describes in the "playing around" section.


These cookies are my final submission to "Eat Christmas Cookies, Season 2," hosted by Susan of Food Blogga. Click on the logo below to find out more about this event and click here to see the round-up of all the other wonderful cookies being submitted!

Before ending this post, I'd like to note that this post also marks another milestone in my blog history... my 200th post! For those who have been here since the beginning, thanks for sticking with me. For those who are new around here, I hope you'll continue to drop by and visit. I appreciate each and every reader, especially those who take the time to leave me comments/feedback. There are literally hundreds of food blogs out there that I would love to follow on a regular basis but the truth is that there just aren't as many hours in the day as I would like. So I hope you understand this... just know that I do try to get around to visiting your blogs as often as I'm able to. It's hard for me to believe that I've already reached my 200th post, but I'm looking forward to what's in store for the next hundred posts!

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
pinch of grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) (I used crunchy Jif)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts (I used honey roasted peanuts)
about ½ cup sugar, for rolling

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanuts. You’ll have a soft, pliable (mushable, actually) dough.

Pour the ½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of a fork in sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction – you should have a flattened round of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storage:
The cookies will keep for at least 5 days in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Playing Around:
For a chocolate version, reduce the flour to 2 cups and sift 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the dry ingredients. Use 1 cup chopped salted peanuts and add 1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips, preferably minis) along with the nuts.