Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Everybody seems to be baking Peanut Butter Crisscrosses these days.  When I got home from New York there was a box full of them that my pregnant neighbor had made (we should have guesses then!).  This week a group called Tuesdays with Dorie is making them.  You know Dorie, don't you? That's Dorie Greenspan the famous baker.  So I thought I would share them with you, in case you get the peanut butter crazies as well!

Ingredients:


•2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

•1 tsp. baking soda

•½ tsp. baking powder

•¼ tsp. salt

•Pinch of grated nutmeg (I used grounded nutmeg)

•1 cup / 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

•1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, I used smooth)

•1 cup packed light brown sugar

•¾ cup sugar

•2 large eggs

•1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts (I didn't chop them, it so much better when it's crunchy!)

•About ½ cup sugar, for rolling

Preparation:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanuts. You’ll have a soft, pliable (mushable, actually) dough.

Pour the ½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of a fork in sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction – you should have a flattened round of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storage:

The cookies will keep for at least 5 days in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Playing Around:

For a chocolate version, reduce the flour to 2 cups and sift 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the dry ingredients. Use 1 cup chopped salted peanuts and add 1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips, preferably minis) along with the nuts.



Preparation: 10 minutes

Baking: 12 minutes per batch

Portions: 60 cookies


From Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my Home to Yours