John Schaub's Peanut Butter Cookies

By bakers_delight85

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
• 3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cups peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and, if desired, line with parchment paper.
Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter, beating and scraping down the bowl before each addition, being careful not to overbeat. Add the flour, soda and salt and mix until everything is well incorporated. Add the peanuts, if using, by hand and stir well.
Place heaping tablespoonfuls on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten with the fines of a fork. If the dough is tacky, dip the fork tines in flour before you flatten the cookies. Transfer to the oven and bake until brown on the edges and soft in the middle, about 15 to 18 minutes. Do not overbake. For crisper cookies, cool on the cookie sheet. For softer cookies, cool for 2 minutes and then remove to a rack. Cool the cookie sheet between batches.