The Houdini of Peanut Butter Cookies

I should have titled this post, "The Houdini of Floptimism," since I left you lingering last week with promises of a peanut butter cookie recipe that will change your life. This wasn't my intention, believe it or not. No, rather, I came back to my apartment last Sunday night and was greeted by another houdini: my internet. As it turns out, the cable that runs to the outside whatcha-ma-call-it has been silently collecting water since the turn of the century, and considering what we all know about technology and water, it becomes abundantly clear why my internet has been such a pest since I moved in. The cable line was just switched yesterday afternoon, which should mean that Internet Houdini has left the Floptimism blogosphere.

Now, back to those cookies. These guys earned the title of Houdini because they, too, disappear - much more quickly than you could anticipate. Then again, with 1 stick of butter and a full cup of full-fat peanut butter, can you really blame them (or, rather, us for devouring them with such expertise)?

I have to say that these cookies go against even my better judgment. The recipe emphasized non-natural peanut butter (which I don't eat), saying that the natural stuff makes cookies that crumble to pieces. Also, that much fat in a cookie is just a little alarming. Right? Yes? No? Maybe. Well, anyway, they were for L's birthday, who does not need to worry about such silly things as fat contents (yet), and certainly should not need to worry about crumbly cookies on his Special Day, so off I marched to the kitchen, RD license-revoking recipe in hand. If I had my RD license, anyway.

L is still talking about them. One of L's roommates, J, tried to eat the majority of them. Even I got off my high horse and tried one of these little calorie bombs and I have to say, they may just be worth it. They are certainly rich, but not to the point where your stomach will punish you for eating a few. They also look pretty darn cute, and held together well. I did only eat one of them - the whole peanut butter issue - so I probably should have asked L to do a guest post, giving you a more detailed account, but they are good. So make them, but only if you have people to share them with.

Peanut Butter Cookies, courtesy of Sweet and Savory Tooth
Yield: About 1 1/2 - 2 dozen
The Ingredients:
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 Tbso baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (omitted)
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted (I used salted)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 C crunchy peanut butter
1 egg

The Method
1. Whisk the flour, baking power, and salt (if using) in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and peanut butter on medium speed, just until smooth. Add the egg, and once incorporated, the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated, with the dough starting to come together.
3. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. I was pressed for time, so although it recommends chilling overnight, I only did it for several hours, and had no problems at all. Allow time for it to come to room temperature before baking.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line at least 2 baking sheets (I needed to do mine in batches) with parchment paper or silicone mats, and set aside a small bowl of granulated sugar.
5. Pinch of pieces of the dough, rolling them into roughly 1-in. pieces. Coat them lightly in the sugar and place them 3in. apart on the baking sheets. Once a sheet is full, use the tines of a fork to press a cross-hatch pattern into each cookie.
6. Bake until the edges begin to brown but the centers still look slightly uncooked - trust the recipe, here. I was nervous, but they will firm up, and overcooking these guys isn't true. The recipe said this should take 9-10 minutes, but if I'm not mistaken, mine were in there for a good 12-14. Just keep an eye on them.
7. Once out of the oven, let cool on the baking sheets for just a little bit to firm up, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool down completely.

At first taste, these didn't seem to be peanut-buttery enough, which is alarming due to the amount put into them. However, once they cooled down, I received no complaints - so you may want to be patient and let them cool before eating.

I will definitely try these with natural peanut butter to see if these cracking myths are true. The thought that my hydrogenated oil/trans fat ban will deny me of peanut butter cookies for all of eternity is a little tough to swallow, so I will stubbornly play with this recipe to see if I can make it work. I may also tackle all of that fat, but I cannot quite bring myself to mess with taste perfection. Some things are just worth the extra calories.

And now that I have spent weeks showering you with desserts, I suppose it's about time that I shed some light on the dinners I've been making - which is a shame, because there are just a few more after-dinner treats that I'm dying to share with you. However, Papa Floptimism recently asked me if I was eating well, and I suppose I can't blame him, since all he sees on here is cake after cookie after cake recipe.

I promise, Papa Floptimism, I'm eating very well. Just you wait and see.