# Peanut Butter Cookies

Crisp-edged, chewy-centered cookies built on Fannie Farmer's 1896 original — brightened with a touch of lemon and finished with a halved peanut pressed into each top.

_Dessert · American_

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 14 min · Total: 29 min · Yields: 24 servings

## Ingredients

- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (natural or commercial both work)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
- 24 piece roasted peanut halves (for topping, about ¼ cup whole peanuts halved)

## Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 °F (165 °C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the 4 tbsp softened butter and ½ cup peanut butter together with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the ½ cup granulated sugar and beat for another minute until the mixture lightens slightly.
4. Add the 1 large egg and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp fine salt, and 1 cup all-purpose flour.
6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, stirring with a spatula between each, until just combined — do not overmix.
7. Stir in the 2 tbsp whole milk and ½ tsp fresh lemon juice until the dough comes together into a soft, scoopable consistency.
8. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
9. Press one roasted peanut half firmly into the center of each cookie — this anchors it and slightly flattens the dough.
10. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look just dry. The centers will firm up as they cool.
11. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

## Tip

> Don't flatten these cookies with a fork before baking — the dough is soft enough that it spreads naturally, and the peanut-half press gives just the right amount of structure without drying out the center.

Tags: comfort-food, classic, weeknight, vegetarian, 30-minute

---
Canonical: https://just-recipes.io/recipes/peanut-butter-cookies
Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17244