You don’t need much to make a classic peanut butter cookie recipe. Many versions call for a minimalist approach (like Epicurious’s 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies). But, with a few tweaks, this already great cookie can be truly exceptional. Ours has a crunchy-chewy texture and a deep peanut-buttery flavor that’s not too sweet.
Start by roasting the peanuts to wake up their flavor (yes, you’re roasting store-bought roasted peanuts). Meanwhile, brown the butter, which will enhance the cookies’ nuttiness. We prefer natural peanut butter here, so you can dial in the sugar and salt amounts precisely, and smooth peanut butter over crunchy to better control the cookies’ fat and moisture levels. Letting the cookie dough rest ensures the flour is fully hydrated, resulting in crisper edges and chewier middles. To finish, use a fork for a classic crisscross pattern or grab a cookie stamp or kitchen mallet for a different design.
To bake them, we borrowed a bread-baking technique: Placing a pan of water in the oven creates a burst of steam, giving these peanut butter cookies a glazy, crispy, golden-brown crust, while maintaining their soft, delicate centers.