Purely Peanut Butter Softies
Many peanut butter cookies don’t taste much like peanuts. To highlight the nuts, I got rid of the flour. The peanut butter provides enough structure to set the cookies: soft and chewy if baked as directed below, or crisp and crunchy if you leave them in the oven longer. A final sprinkle of fancy salt further brings up the taste.
TIPS:
• The brand makes a world of difference, even if you’re sticking to the stuff with peanuts and salt as the only ingredients. To get a dough thick enough to crosshatch, you need a dense spread, such as Trader Joe’s. Cookies made with Smucker’s spread flat, while generic store brands fall pretty consistently in between.
• A touch of coconut oil makes these cookies even richer and keeps them soft, but they will still taste good and stay tender without it.
makes about 3 dozen
gluten-free, dairy-free
- ¾ cup (161 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon solid virgin coconut oil, melted (optional)
- 1 cup (259 g) crunchy salted all-natural peanut butter
- Fleur de sel or other coarse salt, for sprinkling
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the sugar with the vanilla in a medium bowl until moistened. Add the egg and coconut oil, if using, and whisk until smooth. Add the peanut butter and stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until well mixed.
3. Using a 1½-teaspoon (1¼-inch) cookie scoop or a teaspoon measure, drop the dough by rounded teaspoons onto one of the prepared sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart. If the dough is stiff enough, use the tines of a fork to mark the tops with a crosshatch. Sprinkle the tops with salt.
4. Bake until the cookies are just golden brown in the center and brown around the edges, about 10 minutes (see headnote). While the first batch bakes, drop the remaining dough on the second sheet, crosshatch if you can, and sprinkle with salt. Bake after the first sheet comes out.
5. Cool completely on the sheet on a wire rack.
MAKE AHEAD
The cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
