Bite-Size All-American Peanut Butter Cookies

Rev. 19-Aug-2002

The school cafeteria -- that's what always comes to mind when I think of peanut butter cookies. Remember how thick and chewy they were, how rich and peanut buttery they tasted? And who could forget those distinctive crisscross fork marks on the top?

I have always been a sucker for peanut butter cookies. They are perfect in lunch boxes or picnic baskets, and, of course, after school with a big glass of milk. Instead of the fork marks, I decorate the cookies with chocolate and white chocolate chips. The look is fun and the taste -- well, everyone knows peanut butter and chocolate is one of the world's best combos.

• 8 TB (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 TB milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Semisweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 3 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and mix well. Add the milk and vanilla and mix well. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into another bowl. Add to the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms.

4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into 1/2-inch-thick logs. (The length is not important.) Slice the logs into 3/4-inch lengths and place 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Top each cookie with a semisweet chocolate or white chocolate chip. [This is where I had the hardest time making them small enough. The half-inch roll is really skinny -- I need to get something to use as a guide. I can tell you that my butter knife is 3/4" wide at one point, though. -chaz]

5. Bake one pan at a time on the middle rack of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottoms and the tops are very lightly colored. (While one pan is baking, prepare the next cookie sheet.) Allow cookies to cool directly on the cookie sheet on a rack. [For my oven, it was 10 minutes. The reason you have three cookie sheets is because one's in the oven, one's cooling, and one of them is being filled for the next cycle. -chaz]