PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Prepared in 25 minutes or less.

2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth and creamy peanut butter or almond butter or sunflower sunbutter
1 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar and ½ cup sugar for rolling
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
2½ cups unbleached all purpose flour, un-sifted
Pinch of ground nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
12 oz milk and dark chocolate chips (optional)
1½ cups salted peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper then set aside.

Whisk all the dry Ingredients together. Using a handmixer, cream the butter on medium high speed in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the creamy peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add both the light brown and granulated sugars and beat for an additional 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to fully incorporate the sugar and eggs. On low speed, add all the dry Ingredients, mixing only until they just begin to disappear into the wet mixture. Mix in chopped peanuts and chocolate morsels if opting to use them.

Place bowl with dough inside the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill before rolling into balls. Using a level tablespoonful of peanut butter cookie dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls. Next, drop the balls one at a time into the separate bowl filled with extra granulated sugar.

Roll the balls around in the sugar to lightly coat them before placing them on the baking sheets, leaving two inches between each cookie ball.

Bake for about 12 minutes. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and somewhat soft. Let the cookies sit on a wire rack to cool down. Best I have ever, ever made!