Thick & Chewy Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Cookies

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

These are the peanut butter cookies a good bakery case sells for $4 apiece: tall and soft-centered instead of flat and sandy, with deep brown-sugar flavor, the classic fork crosshatch, and a crackly sugar crust. Two tricks do the heavy lifting — an extra egg yolk for chew and a short chill so the dough bakes up thick. Honey-roasted peanuts folded in give a salty-sweet crunch, and flaky salt on top keeps everything from tipping into cloying.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (220 g), spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1 cup creamy conventional peanut butter (260 g), such as Jif or Skippy
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 g), softened to 65°F
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (160 g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
• flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer with the paddle), beat the softened butter, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightened and fluffy. Scrape the bowl once.
3. Add the whole egg, the extra yolk, and the vanilla. Beat on medium for 1 minute, until fully smooth and slightly glossy — the yolk is what gives these their chew, so make sure it's completely incorporated.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks remain, about 30 seconds. Fold in the chopped honey-roasted peanuts by hand if using. The dough will be soft and a little tacky.
5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes (up to 24 hours). This firms the butter so the cookies bake tall instead of spreading thin.
6. Heat the oven to 350°F and line two heavy baking sheets with parchment. Put the 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl.
7. Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon balls (about 55 g each; you'll get 18). Roll each smooth between your palms, then roll in the granulated sugar to coat. Place 8 or 9 per sheet, spaced 2 1/2 inches apart.
8. Press each ball with the back of a fork in two directions to make the crosshatch, but stop when the ball is flattened to about 3/4 inch thick — do not flatten fully. Dip the fork in the sugar bowl between cookies so it doesn't stick.
9. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers still look soft, puffed, and slightly underdone. They should not look fully baked when you pull them.
10. Immediately sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Let them sit on the hot sheet for 10 minutes to finish setting, then transfer to a rack. Repeat with the second sheet, keeping the remaining dough chilled between batches. Serve warm, or cool completely and store airtight for up to 4 days.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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