Peanut butter cookies

PJ Hamel’s selected peanut butter cookies pair conventional creamy peanut butter with unsalted butter and two sugars. Brown sugar contributes their rich flavour and soft, chewy texture, while a fork gives each cookie its familiar crosshatch surface.

Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a whole egg, vanilla and peanut butter are beaten together until smooth. This version chooses butter from Hamel’s listed fat options.

All-purpose flour, baking soda and table salt are beaten gently into the peanut-butter mixture. The dough is quite stiff, with a small addition of water offered only if needed to make it cohesive.

Tablespoon portions go onto parchment-lined baking sheets with space between them. A fork flattens each portion and presses intersecting lines into its surface before baking.

The cookies leave the oven when their edges are just beginning to brown, while their tops remain paler. They cool on a rack, and Hamel suggests a separate cold glass of milk alongside these peanut-rich cookies.