Peanut Butter Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."

~ Tim Duncan. A great quote for basketball, and life in general.

I must admit that I am a little bit of a sports nut.  I've always enjoyed watching sports and I played quite a few sports throughout high school.  Basketball was always my favorite and the one I returned to every year.  Lately I have really enjoyed watching the Rainbow Wahine Girls Volleyball Team from the University of Hawaii. Although I never played volleyball, a few of my girls did, and I guess I caught the bug.

The theme this month for the Creative Cookie Exchange is March Madness Cookies. My mind went in a few different directions at to what to make, and at one stage I thought about doing super-cute little basketball cookies - that was until I remembered that I suck at decorating cookies. In the end I realized that when watching the game I don't want to be distracted by the food, I want it to be yummy but easy to pick up and eat.  It was easy then to decide on a cookie based on a recipe from The Perfect Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookies.  These cookies are easy to make and pack a great peanut flavor into each morsel.

One of the things I love about the Perfect Cookie is that it is from America's Test Kitchen, so you know that the recipes really work.  Also, there is a little side bar for each recipe that tells you why it works.  I have made a number of cookies from this book and each one has been amazing. Of course I also love their soon-to-be-released cake cookbook, The Perfect Cake, which I am baking through for a separate group.

If you would like to know more about #CreativeCookieExchange and see what the other bakers made for the March Madness Cookies theme please scroll down below the recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

• 355g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 5g (1 teaspoon) salt
• 2.5g (½ teaspoon) baking soda
• 2.5g (½ teaspoon) baking powder
• 140g (1 cup) salted dry-roasted peanuts
• 228g (2 sticks - 16 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 170g (1 cup) packed dark brown sugar
• 205g (1 cup) sugar
• 270g (1 cup) crunchy peanut butter
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• sea salt to sprinkle on cookies, if desired

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚F and line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
2. Place peanuts in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped, about 14 pulses.
3. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl; set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
6. Add vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time beating until incorporated, scraping after each addition. Reduce mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture, just until incorporated.
7. Using a spatula, give the dough a final stir by hand to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
8. Take 3 tablespoons of the dough and roll into a ball and place on the lined baking sheet.
9. Using a fork, make a crosshatch design in the dough. 
10. Repeat with the rest of the dough, keeping 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
11. Sprinkle cookies lightly with sea salt.
12. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway between cooking time, just until the edges are golden brown and the centers are puffy. 
13. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

March means madness in my house--and having cookies to munch on while watching the basketball is crucial. We have a short list for you this month (maybe not all of us are basketball fiends?) but what we have is delicious so check it out!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made ~

• Peanut Butter Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Pecan Sandies with Bacon from The Spiced Life