Peanut Butter Cookies Tested Recipe & Video

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Americans love peanut butter in their cooking, their candy bars, in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and especially in Peanut Butter Cookies. Jean Anderson tells us in her excellent book The American Century Cookbook that the first published cookie recipe using peanut butter appeared in 1915, but it wasn't until 1936 that a recipe resembling the peanut butter cookie of today appeared in Ruth Wakefield's book Ruth Wakefield's Toll House Tried and True Recipes. Of course, the classic crisscross pattern make them instantly recognizable and that 'sweet and salty' flavor combination make them irresistible. There is an ongoing debate about whether smooth or crunchy peanut butter make the best cookies. There are statistics that say women and children prefer the smooth type, while men go for crunchy peanut butter.

Peanut butter is a smooth paste made from roasted peanuts. The peanuts are ground, and then salt, a sweetener, and sometimes a stabilizer (to keep the oil from separating) are added. There are two types of peanut butter, and the ones that are labeled "Old-Fashioned" or "Natural" do not contain a stabilizer which means the peanut butter will separate and you will have to stir the peanut butter before using. Now if possible, when buying peanut butter, try to buy ones that do not contain trans fats, which are labeled as "partially hydrogenated oil" or "hydrogenated oil".