Peanut Butter Cookies

I admit I am not the best baker. Baking is too precise for me. I enjoy throwing things like vegetables and herbs in a pot and hoping for the best. Movie night came and the gang wanted cookies. I wanted to oblige them, however, we were all out of granulated sugar. The pleasing mom that I am I grabbed the brown sugar and went to work.

First I had to find a recipe. Some days I worship the internet for the great resource that it is. Other days I curse its very existence…like today. Today all I wanted was a golden star to appear on the screen next to a link to the greatest peanut butter cookie recipe ever. Instead, all I got was page after page of hopefuls. I was short on time as well as ingredients so I went with the one that looked pretty and seemed easy. Then I altered it a bit. I had to figure out if I could even use all brown sugar in the recipe. I had heard once that using brown sugar in the place of granulated sugar would make a flatter cookie as well as slightly alter the taste. I did a little research and discovered that if I add a little baking soda they should be fine.

I added between 1/4 to 1/2 tsp baking soda to 1 cup packed brown sugar. We use Kirkland Organic peanut butter which has a runny consistency. I was worried about the brown sugar causing the cookies to spread too thin in addition to the runny peanut butter. I figured if I added a tad more flour then I should be fine. I added 1 tablespoon wheat pastry flour (to make me feel healthier) and 1 tablespoon wheat germ in addition to the 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour. Definitely my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe so far. It was tender and did not have the floury taste typical of peanut butter cookies.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes
1 cup packed brown sugar
Scant 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (see notes above)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda with brown sugar. Mix the butter and sugar until combined. Add the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into the sugar butter mixture.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a scoop drop onto ungreased cookie sheets. If you do not have a scooper roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Pressed slightly with a fork in a criss cross pattern then baked for 9 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

For chewier cookies, bake at 300°F for 15 minutes.