These crunchy peanut butter cookies were a hit with the whole family. I added my personal touch to them because the original recipe I had been using was a little blah.
The photo above is the original recipe from Mom's old cookbooks, which I always used when visiting my Dad. Peanut butter cookies are his favorite, and I make them often. But I enjoy changing things up.
The cookies did not have a very strong peanut butter flavor, and hey, that is the name of the cookie, right? So the first thing to do was add more peanut butter to the recipe. Next, the original recipe called for 3 cups of flour. That much flour made the dough too stiff, and it was hard to mix. So, I cut down the amount of flour.
I like to shake things up and add extra ingredients to cookie recipes. I went through Dad's cabinets to see what he had, and the almost empty bag of chips with small pieces caught my eye. So did the jar of salted dry-roasted peanuts.
Adding the dry roasted peanuts and crispy salted potato chips to the peanut butter cookies was my way of pumping up the taste. I also added extra peanut butter and used less flour. Now the cookies have a more peanut buttery flavor and a bit of crunch!
How To Make Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
Creaming the butter, shortening, and sugars together can be a chore, so I mix them a bit by spoon and then get out the handheld mixer. Dad doesn't have a Kitchenaid Mixer as I do at home, or I would use it for the entire process.
Be sure you soften the butter thoroughly, or there will be tiny hunks in the batter. Also, make sure you break up all the light brown sugar lumps.
I stirred the flour until it was mostly mixed in, and then I used the mixer. If you put the mixer beaters down in that flour and turn them on, you have flour everywhere. Ask me how I know.
Then I added the peanuts and potato chips. I liked the idea of adding the extra salt with these two ingredients. You could use any peanuts.
As you can see, I don't roll my dough into balls or even try to make them look all round and neat. I just push the dough off of the spoon and flatten it just a bit with a fork.
If you're into perfection, make them all round and nice, and neat without little bits jutting off every which way. They taste the same either way.
I bake the cookies on two cookie sheets. When I take one pan out of the oven, I put the next one in. I don't like to bake two cookie sheets at the same time because the cookies don't cook as evenly.
Your cookie sheet doesn't have to be new and shiny, either. Ours have been used a lot.
The Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs spoon-beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup salted ruffle potato chips crushed
- ½ cup salted dry roasted peanuts chopped
Instructions
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Combine sugar and brown sugar.
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Mix butter and shortening into the sugars using a mixer.
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Take a large spoon and continue to mix and cream the sugars and shortening mixture.
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Add peanut butter and mix well.
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Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
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Combine baking soda, salt, and flour in a bowl then add to mixture.
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Add crushed potato chips and peanuts.
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Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. You can also roll them into small balls. Use a fork dipped in flour to press the dough down in a crisscross pattern.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Time will vary according to your oven. The cookies should be lightly browned. They will darken a little after you remove them from the oven.
Notes
Variations
Those are some good crunchy peanut butter cookies. The cook has to test them before sharing.
This recipe makes about five dozen cookies, depending on how big you make them.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies With Dry Roasted Peanuts
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs spoon beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup salted ruffle potato chips crushed
- ½ cup salted dry roasted peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Combine sugar and brown sugar.
- Mix butter and shortening into the sugars using a mixer.
- Take a large spoon and continue to mix and cream the sugars and shortening mixture.
- Add peanut butter and mix well.
- Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Combine baking soda, salt, and flour in a bowl then add to mixture.
- Add crushed potato chips and peanuts.
- Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. You can also roll them into small balls. Use a fork dipped in flour to press the dough down using a crisscross pattern.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Time will vary according to your oven. The cookies should be lightly browned. They will darken a little after you remove them from the oven.
Notes
The cookies in the canister are a batch I made a few weeks ago.
Don't forget to pin and save! Kathy
Kathy acquired the blog, Recipe Idea Shop in 2024. She was raised on a farm in Arkansas where having a big garden and good food to eat was the norm. She shares recipes for homemade comfort food and new trending dishes.
Kathy began her blogging journey in 2011 when she founded PetticoatJunktion.com, a home décor blog focused on repurposing and upcycling furniture, and thrift store finds.
