Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Trends come and go (and sometimes stay), and the culinary scene is no exception to that rule. 

Anyone recall how molecular gastronomy was this huge thing? I mean, those olive oil caviar spheres! The herb vapors, the liquid popcorn, the disappearing pasta sheets, and my personal favorite: the foams. 

I think all that stuff is fascinating. I hope someday someone will cook up an edible gum that, after a reasonable amount of chew time, turns into a shot of fizzy liquid soda. Also, hard candy that turns cold as soon as you start to eat it would be a godsend for summer.

But at the end of the day, I'm a classic comfort foods gal. I like to try new methods, pair up unlikely ingredients, gleefully attempt a complex dish as the next baker. But sometimes you come back to the old tried-and-true. You come back to what's simple and sweet and comforting.

Classics are wonderful that way. You might have to ponder a bit before offering someone parmesan foam or frozen durian, but a classic, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie? You know you don't even have to think twice.

As soon as I baked these classic peanut butter cookies, I knew I had found another go-to cookie that's both delicious and versatile.

The dough, in my opinion, is one of the best out there; it's fast to come together, doesn't get sticky, and doesn't even need refrigeration to keep its consistency. The gorgeous crisscross imprint is from a fork, so kids can definitely have a lot of fun. The recipes yields enough for a quick get-together or a gift for someone you're meeting for lunch. The cookies themselves are light but sturdy, which equals a heck of a lot of ice cream sandwiches and a movie on cue.

Peanut butter + sugar + butter/shortening = especially delicious. It's going to make a peanut butter lover out of you, just like with these cookies.

I used my tablespoon measure to scoop out the dough. I've found that a level tablespoon yielded the best sized cookie, but hey, if you want a huge cookie from a heaping tablespoonful of dough, who am I to say otherwise? Just watch the baking time and adjust accordingly.

One thing about the dough: Depending on how you measured your ingredients, what size egg you might be using, or whatever crazy things happen in each baker's kitchen, the dough might be crumbly at first. If the dough just seems too dry that it doesn't come together, simply add in 1 Tbsp of water at a time until it does. A little bit of water is all you need. Don't go overboard.

The absolute best part of making these is the pressing down with the fork part. Just press once, turn 90 degrees to the right, and press again. That's it, really. Don't worry so much about the cookie dough cracking on the side. In fact, the more cracks the better in that true-blue homemade cookie look. If that makes any sense at all.

Now, before writing up this post, I've had many chances to bake these cookies. I've baked them with shortening, other time, with butter. If you substitute butter, you have to measure out 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) for that 1/3 cup of shortening you're replacing, as specified in the King Arthur website.

Shortening is generally used to give cookies their sturdiness and the ability to hold their shape better. Butter, on the other hand, lends more flavor and a softer texture to baked goods. Therefore, the cookies made with butter will be softer and a bit chewier. The shortening cookies are a bit crisp, but in a delicate, airy way.

Also take note that an increased baking time will add to the crispness and the dryness (and sometimes toughness) of a cookie, so you don't want to overbake here. However, also remember that these really are good, reliable classics. The recipe is easily forgiving and the cookies will still turn out good even if you don't do everything "perfectly."

So have fun with them, eat them with someone special, and make extras for gifts. Get to it!

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

*yields about 35*

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening (OR 1/2 cup butter, see the end of post above)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup supermarket-style smooth peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

2) Beat together the shortening (or butter), sugars, egg, vanilla, and peanut butter until smooth.

3) Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the peanut-butter mixture, beating gently until everything is well combined. It may take awhile for this rather dry dough to come together; and when it does, it'll be quite stiff. Only if necessary, drizzle in enough water to make the dough cohesive.

4) Drop the cookie dough by tablepoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here), leaving 2" between them.

5) Use a fork to flatten each cookie to about 1/2" thick, making a cross-hatch design.

6) Bake the cookies for 12 to 16 minutes, until they're barely beginning to brown around the edges; the tops won't have browned. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

From King Arthur Flour