Peanut Butter Cookies

You know when there’s a bobcat in your yard and you need to get your mind off it? You don’t? Well I do and for the past 18hrs I have been freaked the heck out because of it.  See, two nights ago as I was blogging before bed, I heard what I thought was either a female cat in heat or a male cat looking to get some and in the middle of that night, Kyle woke up to animal screams in the yard.  Not a huge deal since we live in a relatively rural area and I had heard those other noises earlier.  Then last night before bed, I heard the same sounds Kyle did (he confirmed it).  He told me then that he had found remains of a raccoon next to the shed in the backyard earlier that day…and they were fresh.  As the pieces come together, I also remembered that on the way to my house one early evening a few weeks ago, my girlfriend had a bobcat cross the street in front of her car.  So yeah.  Amy, if you’re reading this, the bobcat has made it to our yard. And PS to our cat, Wilma, forget about going outside for at least the rest of the spring. Believe me, this will be harder for us than it is for you.

So what does all of this have to do with this food blog, you ask?  Well nothing except for the fact that it’s a gorgeous day and I’m too damn scared to lay in the hammock so I’ve made these incredible cookies to keep my mind off the wild animal in the yard. As it turns out, David Lebovitz not only makes life better with some incredible ice cream recipes, but he also can make you forget about a carnivorous creature lurking in the shadows.  This is the first recipe I’ve made from David’s new book, Ready for Dessert, and I’m thrilled about the other prospects this book has to offer after making this one.  These cookies were fantastic – the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever made, in fact.  They are chewy, moist and sinfully delicious.  And they totally made a crappy afternoon miles better. In fact, it’s amazing how fast a pile of these cookies can vanish when you’re trying to keep your mind off of other things. 🙂

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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated and brown sugars, and peanut butter on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead the dough with your hands until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. (The rest gives the ingredients time to meld so the cookies bake up especially soft and chewy.)

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Pour some granulated sugar into a small bowl.

Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls Roll the balls in the granulated sugar and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. When you’ve filled the baking sheets, flatten and make a crosshatch pattern on each cookie by pressing down on the ball with the back of the tines of a fork.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies begin to brown around the edges but the centers still look somewhat uncooked, 9-10 minutes. (Remove them from the oven before they look done so they’ll stay chewy once cooled.)

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.

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