Ingredients
- 1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)
- 2 cups white (granulated) sugar54
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 cup molasses (2 Tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peanut butter (either smooth or crunchy, your choice)
- 2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass witha fork)
- 2 and 1/2 cups flour (don’t sift – pack it down when you measure it)
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Microwave the butter in your microwave-safe mixing bowl to melt it. Add the sugar, the vanilla extract, and the molasses. Stir until the mixture is thoroughly blended, then add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
Measure out the peanut butter. (I spray the inside of my measuring cup with Pam so it won’t stick.)
Add it to the bowl and mix it in. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir until they’re incorporated.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean fingers and arrange them on a cookie sheet that’s been greased, sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or covered with parchment paper. Place 12 cookies on a standard-size sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chill it for 20 or 30 minutes and then try again.)
Flatten the balls with a fork in a crisscross pattern. (If the fork sticks, either spray it with Pam or dip it in flour.)
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.