Skip to main content

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies



Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 196.

These cookies are a breeze to make and they taste just like the ones you remember your mother or grandmother making. The dough is very stiff and it is very easy to form the balls. The best trick I learned for making cookies is to use a trigger-release scoop. I don't, however, have a teaspoon sized one. The one I own makes huge cookies. The dough for these is not sticky though and I just used a regular melon baller and it worked fine. This recipe makes about 48 cookies.

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
3 oz. (3/4 cup) salted peanuts, chopped fine (not ground)

Preheat oven to 375. Use the upper rack for baking and bake one sheet at a time.

Sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
Beat the butter to soften it.
Add the vanilla extract.
Add both the white and...
brown sugar and beat for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the egg.
Adjust the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture.
Add the peanut butter.
Add the remaining flour mixture.
Add the peanuts and beat until mixed.
Remove from the mixture and form into a ball. Knead only until everything is blended. The mixture will be stiff.
Use a rounded teaspoon to form the dough into balls 1" in diameter. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Press the tops slightly with a fork to form an impression. Turn the fork and press again to form a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for 9-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. Watch carefully - they burn easily.
Cool on racks. The cookies will harden and crisp as they cool.

Labels:

Comments

M.Lee Journell said…
Wanted to say a quick thank you, im new to baking and discovered Maida through a chef friend of mine. Everything ive made has been stellar, and ive been lurking your page for at least five different recipes, its a JOY to see them actually being made and i cannot thank you enough, these cookies are in the oven now! my favorite has got to be the lemon pound cake, soooooo unbelievable, cheers and thank you!
September 21, 2018 at 4:51 PM
Phillip Oliver said…
Thank you for visiting - I hope your cookies turn out great! I know they will. :)
September 21, 2018 at 7:32 PM
Trudy said…
Very happy to find you Phillip. Maida’s baking recipes have been my favorite baking buddies for over 30 years.
Your detailed photos are priceless - THANK YOU for making the baking of MH’s recipes come alive with the visuals.
January 26, 2019 at 8:03 AM
Anonymous said…
Thanks much! Lost my Maida Heatter cookbooks in last move and have seriously missed her recipes so finding this was a treat. My grandson will be thrilled!
August 21, 2020 at 3:33 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. viii. I made these brownies again a few days ago and they were just as good as ever. This time I made half with York Peppermint Patties and the other half with Andes mints. There wasn't a noticeable difference in taste. The ones with the Andes mints were pretty with the mint green color but the ones with Yorks are equally pretty. When Maida Heatter's first book (the above-mentioned title) won the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame Award in 1998, she accepted her award on stage and began to toss out these brownies to the audience. Everybody clamored for one and went wild. The original recipe came from a local deli in her area and did not include the mints (that recipe is available in the first edition of this book). She tinkered with the recipe and added the mints which do not melt during baking. I've been itching to ...
9 comments
Read more

Mulattoes

Mulattoes Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 199. Of the hundreds of Maida Heatter cookie recipes, this may be the most famous. These are chunky but soft, extremely chocolaty,  full of nuts and chocolate chips. Sinfully delicious! They are easy to make. The trickiest part may be the baking time. After making them numerous times, I have learned to only bake them 10 or 11 minutes at the most, then remove them and allow them to sit on the hot baking pan for about 5 minutes. They will be extremely soft to the touch but eventually they firm up nicely.  I just use my hand mixer for these. Although the recipe states that it makes 18 large cookies, I find that the yield is slightly higher, even when making them fairly large. I use a tablespoon scoop to form the cookies. 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 3 oz. (3/4 stick) butter 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking pow...
12 comments
Read more

Frozen Chocolate Mousse

Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 228. Here is a dessert sure to make any chocoholic swoon. Silky and decadent, this frozen mousse is like a rich chocolate ice cream. It is really easy to make - all the folding required will give you a workout but it is worth it! The crust can be made with crushed wafer cookies or you could even buy a ready-made crust. If doing your own, the instructions say to apply the crumbs around the sides of the pan (use a springform pan) but I did not do this - I just made a bottom layer. You will have to run a sharp knife around the pan before releasing the catch on the pan. The mousse is soft (even after freezing) and it will need to be put back in the freezer as soon as possible after serving. Maida Heatter recommends covering the mousse with either whipped cream, strawberries or chocolate leaves. I did not do either, it looks lovely without a topping. Crust 8 oz. choc...
5 comments
Read more