Desserts · By Sharon
Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
This is the classic peanut butter cookie, if you come from homes where Crisco shortening was revered. Crisco makes baked goods lighter and crispier, being 100% fat, no water (water allows gluten formation). This is something that Joc and I love in these cookies! James loves butter, and so, while he seems to eat more than his share of these cookies, he sometimes asks if I'll make them with butter. He loves the rich flavor and mouthfeel of butter in cookies. He says that if you cook them longer, and use more white sugar than brown sugar, you'll still get some crispiness, and amazing flavor (a 50/50 combo of shortening/butter can be used to get the best of both). Joc and I have yet to be convinced. Another decision that will enhance the crunchy texture is using crunchy peanut butter — that's definitely my preference. Whichever approach you favor, it's hard to beat the richness of peanut butter cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup solid vegetable oil shortening (Crisco)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs — whisked
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Method
- 1
Set oven to 350°F.
- 2
Cream shortening with the sugars.
- 3
Add eggs and vanilla — mix in.
- 4
Blend dry ingredients in separate bowl, then add to the shortening mixture, combining thoroughly.
- 5
Scoop out rounded tablespoons of mixture into your hands and roll into balls. Place on a greased baking sheet, and use a fork to flatten the balls and make a cross-hatch pattern. (A trick is to moisten the fork tines in a little bowl of cool water, shake off excess, then dip the fork in some white sugar before making the cross-hatch pattern — this helps the cross-hatch to remain more defined while cooking, and adds a little sweet crunch to the tops. You need to repeat this with each cookie.)
- 6
Bake for about 10 minutes at 350°F. Slightly darker in color will mean more crunchiness.
A note from Sharon
It seems that processed peanut butter (with sugars and stabilizers) produces better cookies than natural peanut butter. But if you want to go natural, then you need to chill your cookies, once on the sheet, for an hour or two to prevent them spreading too much in the oven.
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