Tuesday, September 7, 2010

TWD: Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

 Jasmine of Jasmine Cuisine selected Peanut Butter Crisscrosses to bake this week. We all love peanut butter cookies so it would have been hard to turn down this recipe. With lots of other treats in the house I only made half the recipe and got 26 cookies.
Baked as per the recipe the cookies were sweet and crispy.  We prefer our peanut butter cookies to have a crispy edge and a soft, chewy center so we underbaked the second pan by a few minutes and they were perfect.
Peanut Butter Crisscrosses  
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch of grated nutmeg 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
  • 1 cup brown sugar,  firmly packed
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup sugar to coat
Preparation:

Pre heat oven to 350F. Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a bowl.

In another bowl, beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer for a minute or two, or until creamy. Add peanut butter and beat for one more minute. Add brown sugar and sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating one minute after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and on low speed, add dry ingredients, beating just until they disappear into the batter.Add peanuts. The dough will be soft. (I chill the dough for an hour, so it is easier to work with)

Pour half a cup of sugar in a small bowl. Using a tablespoon, take small balls of dough, roll it between the palms of your hand and then roll in the bowl of sugar to coat. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each. Dip a fork in sugar and press against each ball to flatten cookie. Then press in the opposite direction to form a criss cross

Bake for 12 minutes,rotating the pans after 6 minutes.  The cookies are ready when they are lightly colored and still a little soft in the center.

Cool cookies on the plates a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


It's easy to enjoy these cookies with a glass of milk or a bowl of ice cream. If you want the recipe, visit Jasmine. To see what the other TWD baker thought visit our blog roll.