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These “Slice and Bake Peanut Butter Cookies” were a side step from some vegan and gluten free cookie baking experiments. I liked the sandy texture of those special diet cookies so much that I did a search for a traditional recipe using regular all-purpose flour and butter. So while these aren’t gluten-free or vegan, they are egg-free and they have that sandy texture and flattened appearance of the old school lunch room cookies.
Another bonus is that they are sliced off a log of dough, and the log of dough freezes well. Plus you can make them in one bowl. Putting the candies in the dough makes them hard to slice, so in this recipe I recommend sticking them on after you cut the circles.
Slice and Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Slice and Bake Peanut Butter Cookies are made in one bowl. The log of dough may be chilled for a few hours, or frozen until ready to use.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (72 grams)
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter 90 grams
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 130 grams
- 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- Small handful Reese’s Pieces
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Beat until fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often.
- Stir in the flour to make a dough, then stir in the peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips.
- Shape the dough into a compact 6 inch log and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Try to keep the log as round as you can by removing it from the refrigerator every so often and rolling it gently on the counter. Chill the log for at least two hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the log into either 1/4 inch thick or 1/2 inch thick rounds -- your choice. If circles crumbly when you slice, just piece them back together as you arrange on the baking sheet. Keep them about 2 inches apart.
- Push a few Reese's Pieces into each round.
- Bake on center rack, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies appear set and edges are just very slightly browned.
- Yield will vary. If you make the cookies thin you can get as many as 24. For thick cookies, you'll get about 12.
Notes
The recipe is adapted from one on Food Network called Slice and Bake Peanut Butter Sandies. My changes were to add peanut butter and chocolate chips and embellish the cookies with Reese's Pieces. I also changed the thickness, as they suggested 1/8 of an inch. It would be really difficult to make 1/8 inch thick cookies given the chocolate chips, but both 1/4 and 1/2 inch work great!
These look good. I think my favorite basic peanut butter cookie is from a post of yours that I can’t currently find. I think they were called Criss-Cross Peanut Butter Cookies AKA Anna’s Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies.
With a few more ingredients and a little more work that CI recipe you mentioned is also very good.
Thanks for recommending the other recipes! Have you tried King Arthur’s Triple Play Peanut Butter Cookies recipe? I think that one and Cook’s Illustrated Super Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies are tied for number 1. My other favorite is this one, though it’s technically Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk. Using European style butter makes the cookies really fat and round.
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2005/11/gigantic-peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-cookies/
Your adaptations sound great!!! Slice and bake cookies are so convenient! I personally don’t like sandy peanut butter cookies, so instead, my favorite recipes are Cook’s Country’s Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies and another soft, chewy one from The Mixer Bible for Peanut Butter Cookies. Mmmmm, love both of those! For a very different style (nearly hard and crunchy), Cook’s Illustrated’s Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies or Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Honey-Cinnamon Filling are truly amazing.