Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups (180g) All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) Fine Sea Salt
  • ½ cup (113g) Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • 1 cup (250g) Creamy Peanut Butter (standard commercial brand)
  • ¾ cup (150g) Light Brown Sugar, Packed
  • ¼ cup (50g) Granulated White Sugar
  • 1 large Egg (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
  • About ½ cup (100g) Extra Granulated Sugar for rolling

Instructions:

  1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
  3. Beat in the egg until just combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Do not overmix.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be quite thick.
  5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes (up to 1 hour is better) to ensure optimal chewiness and prevent excessive spreading.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Scoop balls of dough (about 1.5 tbsp each). Roll them lightly between your palms, then roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar until fully coated.
  8. Place the sugared balls on the prepared sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
  9. Use a fork to gently press down on each ball, flattening it slightly. Rotate the fork 90 degrees and press again to create the classic criss-cross pattern. Dip the fork in extra sugar between flattening cookies if sticking occurs.
  10. Bake for 10–12 minutes. The edges should look set and lightly golden, but the centre should still look slightly soft and underbaked—they firm up as they cool.
  11. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.