Classic Crisscross Peanut Butter Cookies

Name: Classic Crisscross Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1¼ cups (155 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; ½ tsp (3 g) baking soda; ¼ tsp (1 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (3 g) fine salt; ¼ cup (4 tbsp) (57 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, soft but not greasy; 1 cup (260 g) creamy peanut butter, conventional (non-separating), at room temperature; ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 1 whole (50 g) large egg, at room temperature; 1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1 tbsp (15 ml) whole milk; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, in a small shallow bowl

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Soft-centered, lightly crisp-edged peanut butter cookies with deep brown sugar flavor, rolled in sugar and pressed with the traditional fork crisscross.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 45 min
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Makes: 24 cookies

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Ingredients

24 servings

1¼ cups (155 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
½ tsp (3 g) baking soda
¼ tsp (1 g) baking powder
½ tsp (3 g) fine salt
¼ cup (4 tbsp) (57 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, soft but not greasy
1 cup (260 g) creamy peanut butter, conventional (non-separating), at room temperature
¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 whole (50 g) large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp (15 ml) whole milk
For rolling
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, in a small shallow bowl

Equipment (8)

2 large rimmed baking sheets (about 18×13-inch / 46×33 cm)
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Medium bowl for dry ingredients
Fork for crisscross marks
Small shallow bowl for rolling sugar
Wire cooling rack
Tablespoon-size cookie scoop (optional)

Steps

Before you start

Take the egg and butter out 30 to 60 minutes ahead so they are at room temperature.
Use conventional creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy). Natural peanut butter that separates makes crumbly, greasy cookies.
Dough needs 30 minutes of chilling, so plan for that before baking.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

1
Prep pans and ovenOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 350°F (175°C).
Tip: Preheat while the dough chills, or start it at step 5 if you prefer.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds until evenly combined.
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Ready when: No streaks of baking soda or powder remain.
3
Cream fats and sugars
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once, until the mixture is pale tan, fluffy and no sugar lumps remain.
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Ready when: Mixture looks lighter in color and fluffy.
Tip: Break up any brown sugar clumps with your fingers first.
4
Add egg and flavorings
- Add the egg, vanilla and milk.
- Beat on medium-low for about 1 minute, until smooth and fully blended, scraping the bowl as needed.
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Ready when: Batter is smooth with no visible egg streaks.
5
Mix in flour
- Add the dry mixture all at once.
- Mix on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, just until no dry flour is visible.
- The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
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Ready when: Dough is uniform and holds together when pinched.
Tip: Overmixing makes cookies tough and dry.
6
Chill the dough
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the dough firms up enough to roll without sticking.
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Ready when: Dough is cool and no longer sticky to the touch.
7
Scoop and roll
- Scoop level tablespoons of dough (about 35 g each; you should get 24) and roll into smooth balls.
- Roll each ball in the ¼ cup (50 g) rolling sugar to coat, then place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared sheets, 12 per sheet.
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Ready when: Each ball is evenly coated in sugar.
8
Press crisscross
- Dip a fork in granulated sugar if it sticks.
- Press the tines gently into each ball, then rotate 90 degrees and press again, flattening the cookie to about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick.
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Ready when: A clear crisscross pattern with edges that are only slightly cracked.
Tip: Press firmly enough to flatten; unflattened balls bake into domes with raw centers.
9
BakeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake both sheets at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, swapping and rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers look puffed and slightly soft.
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Ready when: Edges are set and golden; centers look slightly underbaked but no longer shiny wet.
Tip: Cookies firm up as they cool; overbaking makes them dry and crumbly.
10
Cool
- Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheets for 5 minutes so they set, then transfer to a wire rack with a thin spatula and cool for 10 minutes more.
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Ready when: Cookies lift off without bending or crumbling.
Tip: Bake and cool in two rounds if your oven fits only one sheet; use a cool sheet each time.

Good to know

Tips

Measure flour by spooning and leveling, or by weight; packed flour makes dry, crumbly cookies.
If cookies crack heavily when pressed, let the dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
For softer cookies, pull them at 10 minutes; for crisper cookies, bake the full 12.
Add a pinch of flaky salt on top right after baking for a sweet-salty finish.

Make ahead

"Dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days, or portioned into balls (unrolled in sugar) and frozen up to 3 months. Roll in sugar, press and bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes."

Storage & reheating

"Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, layered with parchment; thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes, or warm at 300°F (150°C) for 3 to 4 minutes to refresh."

Substitutions

creamy peanut butter → Chunky conventional peanut butter. Same amount; gives a bit more texture. Avoid natural, oil-separated peanut butter.
light brown sugar → Dark brown sugar. Same amount for a deeper molasses flavor and slightly chewier cookie.
unsalted butter → Vegetable shortening. Same amount; cookies will be slightly softer and paler.
fine salt → Salted butter and ¼ tsp fine salt. Use salted butter in place of unsalted and cut the salt in half.