Ingredients (~6-7 large cookies)
- 1 1/2 cups + 6 Tbsp (3 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (Skippy is recommended)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp water, at room temperature
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4.5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (optional)
Make the Cookie Dough
Line three large baking sheets with aluminum foil, dull-side up, or parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room-temperature butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Beat on medium speed for ~2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and mix again on medium speed until fully combined.
Add the egg and water and mix on low speed. Once combined, add the baking soda and mix again.
Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. If you are using chocolate, add it now and mix on low until distributed.
Chill and Bake the Cookies
Form the dough into large balls, about 3 oz (1/4 cup) each. Place 4 dough balls an equal distance apart on one of the prepared pans. Transfer the entire pan to the freezer for ~20 minutes.
While the first batch chills, preheat the oven to 350°F. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Place the second prepared baking sheet with dough balls in the freezer.
Place the first chilled baking sheet in the oven. Bake for ~10 minutes. At this point, the cookies will have spread flat but should look puffed in the center.
Lift one side of the sheet pan up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack. This will cause the edges to set and the center to fall.
After another 2 minutes, the cookies will puff up again. Repeat the lifting and dropping process. Repeat this 2-3 more times to create ridges.
The total bake time will be ~14-16 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown, but the centers still look much lighter and not fully cooked.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack. If you want the classic criss-cross pattern, you can gently press a fork into the center. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes; they are very buttery and need to set.
After 10 minutes, move the cookies from the pan to the wire rack to finish cooling. This helps the edges stay crispy.
Pan-Banging Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups + 6 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 3/4 sticks, at room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp light brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter Skippy is recommended
- 1 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp water at room temperature
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4.5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate optional, chopped
Instructions
- Beat butter until creamy, then add sugars and salt. Mix for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla, mix until combined.
- Mix in egg and water, then baking soda.
- Add flour and mix until just combined. Optional: mix in chopped chocolate.
- Form dough into 3 oz balls. Place 4 balls on foil-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze dough balls for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake chilled cookies for 10 minutes until puffed.
- Lift and drop pan 2-3 times to create ridges.
- Bake 14-16 minutes total until edges are golden brown.
- Cool on pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
