And this is why I find it difficult to discard old cooking magazines!
I recently discovered the recipe for these fantastic peanut butter cookies in a 2007 issue of Gourmet that somehow survived my pre-move purge of cooking magazines 2 years ago.
The cover photo of “The Perfect Cherry Pie“ is most likely why I held onto it. I had fond memories of that delicious sour cherry pie.
But for some reason as I was flipping through the pages recently I noticed this recipe for peanut butter cookies.
The introduction to the recipe went like this…
This recipe makes lots of big cookies, but don’t even think of saving half the dough for another day, because you won’t want to stop eating them. Food editor Paul Grimes, who tested the recipe, has already slipped it into his personal file. “Next time I need a peanut butter cookie, “ he says, “I’m turning to this.”Happily, the recipe works with either conventional or natural creamy peanut butter.
With a testimonial like that I had to try them. Whenever I think of big peanut butter cookies I am reminded of our junior high cafeteria lunches. One of the regular dessert items served were giant peanut butter cookies that were baked on site, and they were so good!
These are just as good, maybe even better! And what could be better than one of these cookies?
A scoop of chocolate peanut butter cup gelato sandwiched between 2 of them…I’m just sayin’!
Here’s the recipe…
Britta’s Peanut Butter Cookies (Gourmet magazine, July, 2007)
Makes about 40 large cookies
4 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt)
3 sticks (¾ lb) unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 and ¼ cups packed brown sugar (I used a combination of light and dark brown sugar)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter, peanut butter, sugars, and oil with an electric mixer at high speed just until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer or longer with a handheld.
Add whole eggs, yolks, and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.
Reduce speed to low, then add flour, mixture in 3 batches, mixing until well incorporated.
Scoop scant ¼ cups of dough about 2 inches apart onto 2 ungreased large baking sheets.
Flatten mounds with floured tines of a fork, making a crosshatch pattern, into 2 and ½-inch cookies (about ½ inch thick).
Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until slightly puffed and golden around the edges, about 30 minutes total.
Transfer cookies to racks to cool.
Note: Peanut butter cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days. Or you can wrap them well and freeze them for a longer time.