Ingredients (~24 cookies)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 3/4 cups smooth peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Mix the Sugars and Fats
Preheat your oven to 350F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat lightly to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
Add the shortening and peanut butter; beat on medium speed until the mixture looks light and smooth.
The shortening helps keep these cookies soft instead of spreading too much like they would with just butter.
Add Eggs and Vanilla
Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract for about 1 minute until everything is well combined.
The mixture should look cohesive at this point.
Incorporate the Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt directly into the bowl.
Beat on low speed just until the flour disappears; don’t overmix or the cookies will be tough.
Shape and Bake the Cookies
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop balls of dough onto the lined sheet about 2-3 inches apart.
Use the back of a fork to gently flatten each ball – this creates the classic peanut butter cookie crosshatch pattern and helps them bake evenly.
Bake for ~18-20 minutes, until the edges feel somewhat firm but the centers still look slightly underbaked.
They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan after you remove them.
Cool and Serve
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for ~5 minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire rack.
They’re great on their own or with a small spoonful of raspberry jam on top.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients (~24 cookies)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 3/4 cups smooth peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix granulated and brown sugars in stand mixer until no lumps remain.
- Add shortening and peanut butter; beat until light and smooth.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla for 1 minute.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into mixture; beat on low until just combined.
- Drop dough balls onto parchment-lined baking sheet 2-3 inches apart.
- Create crosshatch pattern on each cookie using fork tines.
- Bake 18-20 minutes until edges are firm but centers look slightly underbaked.
- Let cookies rest on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack.