Sweet-and-Salty Peanut Butter Cookies

My Grown-Up Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I absolutely love peanut butter. And as a child, peanut butter cookies were one of my all-time favorites. As an adult, though, my palate has changed, and I often prefer sweet treats that are tempered with a bit of salty flavor. Some traditional peanut butter recipes suggest rolling the dough balls in table sugar before pressing them flat on a cookie sheet. But I find that this makes the cookies much too sweet for my adult taste buds.

Using a traditional peanut butter cookie recipe, I made a few adaptations to create a slightly saltier-tasting cookie. I reduced the amount of salt in the dough from a half teaspoon of table salt to a quarter teaspoon of table salt. And instead of rolling the dough in white sugar before baking, I sprinkled Himalayan pink salt on the cookie tops.

Prepping and Baking Time

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Himalayan pink salt, (for sprinkling on cookies)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease two large baking sheets with butter.
2. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. (You may use a hand blender or wooden spoon to blend the mixture together. Use whichever method is most convenient for you.)
3. Mix in peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
4. Beat in one fresh egg. The consistency should be smooth and well incorporated.
5. Add in table salt and baking soda, followed by the flour. Mix until ingredients together until they're well combined.
6. When the mixture forms into a solid dough, pinch pieces of dough off and roll them into 1-inch balls. Place dough balls on cookie sheets, evenly spaced out (about 12 dough balls per sheet).
7. Lightly flatten each dough ball with a fork. Then, using clean, dry hands, sprinkle a pinch of Himalayan pink salt over each cookie, distributing the salt crystals evenly with the grooves. Don't overdo it with the sal; keep it light.
8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 375°C (190°F). Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely before transferring to cookie tin or plate.

Do You Like to Bake for Other People?

Scientists have figured out why baking for other people is sweetly fulfilling.

I never realized how satisfying it was to bake something sweet for people I cared about until I got over my fear of messing up and made my first cheesecake from scratch. Since then, I've settled on a few favorite dessert recipes that I can confidently whip up without much fuss. Here are some of the reasons scientists, and bakers alike, believe that baking is good for your heart and soul:

• Baking is a creative process and a form of self-expression.
• Baking requires mindfulness. Measuring, rolling, forming and piping icing are all acts that require focus and attention.
• Baking can bring comfort to others and establish a sense of community in the face of upset and turmoil. When people are feeling helpless watching others cope with grief, loss, or illness, baking a cake, some cookies, or a pie and sharing it with the family can help express empathy and understanding when it's hard to find the right words is difficult.

© 2018 Sadie Holloway