American
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and a little flour bake into cookies that get a fork crisscross before the oven. The cross gives them an even thickness so the centers set at the same time as the edges.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- A small amount of flour gives the cookies structure so they do not spread into puddles.
- The fork crisscross flattens the dough to an even thickness.
- Baking soda helps them puff slightly at the cross marks instead of staying dense.
- They finish when the edges are set and the centers still look soft, then firm on the sheet.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- 2
Stir the peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
- 3
Sprinkle on the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until no dry flour remains. The dough will be soft and thick.
- 4
Roll tablespoon scoops into balls and set them 2 inches apart. You should get about 24 cookies.
- 5
Press a fork into each ball to flatten it, then press again the other way to make a crisscross. Dip the fork in sugar if it sticks.
- 6
Bake 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
- 7
Cool on the sheet 5 minutes. A serving is 2 cookies.
Pro tips
- Natural peanut butter that has separated should be stirred smooth before measuring. Oily peanut butter makes thin cookies.
- The crisscross is not only decoration. Without it, the balls stay thick and the centers stay doughy.
- If the fork sticks, a little sugar on the tines fixes it. Water makes the dough tear.
Easy substitutions
- peanut butter
- almond butter, stirred smooth
- brown sugar
- more white sugar in the same amount, for a crisper edge
- all-purpose flour
- a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend
Storage and reheating
Storage
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Reheating
They are fine at room temperature. For a softer center, warm one cookie in a 300°F oven for 3 minutes.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 220
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Budget friendly · Oven
You might also like
Chocolate Chip Cookies
This batch makes 24 cookies, and the nutrition and servings are written for 12 servings of 2 cookies each. Butter, both sugars, and chocolate chips bake at 350°F until the edges are set and the centers still look soft.
32 min · Easy
View recipe
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Chewy cookies spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves get their deep color from molasses. A roll in sugar before baking gives a crackled top.
27 min · Easy
View recipe
Sugar Cookies
Rolled sugar cookies bake until the edges are set and the centers look matte. The dough is for baking only, because it contains raw flour and egg.
47 min · Medium
View recipe
Apple Crisp
Sliced apples, lemon, cinnamon, and sugar bake under an oat, flour, and butter topping. The fruit should be tender and the edges bubbling before the pan comes out.
1 hr · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Banana Bread
Ripe bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and baking soda bake into one loaf. It is done when a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
1 hr 15 min · Easy
View recipe
Banana Cream Pie
A baked graham crust holds sliced bananas and a cooked vanilla custard. The yolks and cornstarch are boiled until thick, then the pie is chilled.
55 min · Medium
View recipe
Berry Crumble Bars
Fresh berries sit between an oat crumble made with butter, flour, and sugar. The bars need to cool in the pan so the fruit layer sets before you cut them.
1 hr · Easy
View recipe
Brookies
A chocolate chip cookie layer and a brownie layer bake in one pan until both are set. The middle is fudgy, not a pool of raw batter.
57 min · Medium
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.