12 Days of Cookies: The Vanilla Bean Blog’s Peanut Butter Cookies

This year, we found the best cookies on the web for our 12 Days of Cookies, with today’s cookie being The Vanilla Bean Blog’s Peanut Butter Cookies.

The Baker: Sarah Kieffer is the blogger behind the award-winning The Vanilla Bean Blog and the author of The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. Sarah’s passion for home baking is evidenced in her blog and book, sharing her love of family and home in everything she does. 

Why We Love It: Sarah’s recipe uses brown sugar in addition to granulated sugar which imparts additional moisture and flavor. The inclusion of vanilla — her signature flavor — counterbalances the nutty flavor profile of this recipe. Don’t skip making the crisscross pattern on the cookie  as it adds the traditional look of peanut butter cookies while creating texture to an otherwise tender cookie.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (11 1/2 oz./355 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (6 1/2 oz./200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (6 1/2 oz./200 g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (10 oz./315 g) creamy peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until fully combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

4. Using a 1-oz. cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls. Place 8 cookies on each baking sheet. Using a fork, gently make a crisscross pattern on each cookie.

5. Put 1 of the baking sheets in the oven and bake the cookies, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies have spread, are very light golden brown and the edges are set, about 10 minutes.

6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely on the pan. Repeat to cook the remaining cookies. Makes about 32 cookies.

Follow along on our blog for 12 days of Christmas cookies, and head to our Holiday Headquarters for more recipes, gift ideas, and supplies for all your holiday entertaining needs.