Very Peanut Butter Cookies

I had been thinking about peanut butter cookies for awhile when these made an appearance in our kitchen! My sweet baby girl was having a rough afternoon and told me that baking something would help get her mind off of things... oh dear. It appears I have another stress baker in the house! But of course I was happy to oblige. We pulled ingredients out, whipped up the dough and set it to chill in the refrigerator. By then she was feeling much more relaxed, so we left the dough to chill overnight and finished these the next day.

We had a great time rolling out cookies, and chilling the dough between batches. She loved rolling the dough balls in the sugar, and pressing the criss cross patterns into the cookies! These cookies are so very peanut buttery and the texture is just perfection. They are lightly golden along the bottom and so very soft and tender with a rich peanut flavor. I made mine with creamy peanut butter for family preference, but I would have loved to at least do half and half with crunch / creamy peanut butter to add those little bits of peanut "crunch" throughout each bite!

Very Peanut Butter Cookies from Sally's Baking Addiction
Makes 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used Jif)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter with the granulated and brown sugars and whip until creamy (a couple minutes.)
3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, blending well between additions and scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Blend in the peanut butter and vanilla until mixture is very creamy and well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low speed just until it begins to combine. Finish combining by hand with a spatula.
6. Chill dough for at least 1 hour prior to shaping.
7. When ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2-3 baking sheets with silpats / nonstick baking mats.
8. Make 1 1/2 TBS sized balls (I like this dough scoop), and roll to smooth, then roll in the granulated sugar coating. Place on the silpat and use a fork to create the criss-cross design. 
9. Repeat until you have 12 cookies on a sheet - bake for 11-13 minutes (12 was perfect for me), until JUST lightly browned on the bottom. Allow to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to complete cooling. 
10. Store in a seal-able container for up to a week or so. 

Baby Baker had a great time rolling these cookies and pressing the criss-cross patterns into them!