I want to make everything — cinnamon sugar buttermilk donut holes, chocolate gingerbread snacking cake, gooey blondies with toasty pecans — but I had to start with the peanut butter cookies, which won The Pancake Princess’s peanut butter cookie bakeoff, triumphing over recipes from Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Bravetart, and Ovenly, to name a few. As I read the recipe in Jessie’s book, I noticed, that it differs slightly from the contest-winning one on her blog: the recipe in the book has fewer ingredients, the measurements are given in weights, and the process is simpler — no stand mixer required. It also, interestingly, calls for vegetable shortening, whereas the recipe on her blog calls for neutral oil. The reason for this substitution, Jessie explains, is that shortening “shortens the time between assembly and baking, as it keeps the cookies from spreading as they bake.” Without it, she notes, the dough needs a rest in the fridge, a step she is against when “snackable baking” because treats falling into this category should be ready in one hour or less. As I never have vegetable shortening on hand, I decided to use all butter instead, and, as a result, I let the batter rest overnight in the fridge. The following day, I let the batter soften briefly at room temperature; then I portioned, rolled, and baked. The result? A sugar-crusted, soft and chewy, nicely peanutty and salty cookie with a surface crinkling to perfection. These cookies more than lived up to the hype, exceeding all expectations. Though I love them so, I am demanding my husband bring in the remaining to work tomorrow because I feel unsafe left alone with the cookie tin. They are irresistible. And can I tell you the best part? It’s a one-bowl job. First, you melt the butter and let it cool briefly; then you whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Two eggs follow, with a mix after each addition, and then you whisk in the peanut butter, salt, and leaving agents, one by one. Fold in the flour at the end, and the batter is done. The process is simple and enjoyable. Here are three more details I think you should know: In closing, I adore Jessie and her recipes — follow her on Instagram and TikTok and, of course, her blog, Jessie Sheehan Bakes. I hope you love these peanut butter cookies as much as I do. PS: Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
More Contest-Winning Baked Goods
The Best Zucchini BreadCousin Kristina’s Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
Jessie Sheehan’s Snackable Bakes
How to Make Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: Melt the butter and let it cool briefly; then whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Add two eggs, whisking after each addition. Whisk in the peanut butter. Then add baking soda, baking powder, and salt, whisking after each addition. Finally, switch to using a spatula, and fold in the flour. At this point, because the dough is very sticky, I like to chill it for about an hour before portioning it. You can also chill it overnight before portioning it. I like to use my scale to portion the batter into 50-gram portions. Cold-ish batter makes this easier. Before baking, roll the portioned balls into granulated sugar. Depending on the size of your dough balls, you’ll be able to fit 6 to 8 per sheet pan. Bake at 375ºF for 14 to 16 minutes. Out of the oven, flatten the cookies gently with a spatula. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pan before storing. 4.8 from 18 reviews
In place of using a combination of butter and shortening, I use all butter. If you would like to use the combination of shortening and butter, use 1/4 cup (48 g) shortening and 3/4 cup (169) butter. Jessie includes shortening in her recipe because it shortens “the time between assembly and baking, as it keeps the cookies from spreading as they bake.” Without it, she notes, the dough needs a rest in the fridge, which is what I’ve done here. I’ve also made the cookies smaller. Jessie uses a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter, which will give you 16 jumbo cookies. I portion the batter into 50-gram balls using my scale, and as a result I get more cookies: 23 to 24. If you want to compare these to Jessie’s original recipe further, find it here: Contest-Winning Peanut Butter Cookies.
Variation from Snackable Bakes:
Fold in 1 cup (170 g) of milk chocolate chips into the batter along with the flour.
Sugar Quantity
Often people ask if the quantity of sugar can be reduced. The answer is often yes, and if you know you prefer a less sweet cookie, I think you could make these successfully by cutting back 1/4 cup of the sugar or possibly even a little bit more. Keep in mind, the sugar lends not only a sweetness but also a softness and chewiness, too, so you don’t want to cut it back to the point where the texture becomes compromised.
