Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a metal baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease it if that’s what you have on hand.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and egg. Use a sturdy spoon or spatula and mix until the dough is thick, smooth, and fully combined. It will be soft but should hold together easily when scooped.
Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to portion the dough into 12 equal mounds. Roll each portion quickly between your hands to form balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart.
Lightly flatten each dough ball with your fingertips or the back of a spoon so they are about 1/2 inch thick. If you like the classic look, you can gently press a crisscross pattern with a fork, but leaving them slightly mounded will give you those pretty cracked tops as they bake.
Bake on the center rack for 9–11 minutes, or until the cookies have lightly cracked tops and the edges look just set and golden. The centers will still look a little soft—that’s what keeps them chewy as they cool.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for at least 5–10 minutes to firm up before moving them. Then transfer to a cooling rack, or leave them right on the pan on your counter if you’re going for that cozy, straight-from-the-oven feel.
Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4–5 days. They’re at their best in the first couple of days, but they soften nicely if you tuck a small piece of bread into the container overnight.
Variations & Tips
If your pantry looks a little different from mine, this recipe is easy to adjust. For a slightly less sweet cookie, use 3/4 cup sugar instead of 1 cup; the texture will still be good, just a bit softer and less crackly. If you only have chunky peanut butter, go ahead and use it—the little peanut pieces add extra crunch. To lean into the salty-sweet thing, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky salt on top of each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven. If you’re baking for kids (or just yourself after a long workday), press a few chocolate chips or peanut butter chips into the tops of the warm cookies right after baking. For a little more structure, especially if your peanut butter is very oily, you can stir in 1–2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour from the pantry; this helps them hold their shape and still keeps the recipe simple. And if you’re cooking ahead, the dough can be rolled into balls and frozen on a sheet pan, then stored in a freezer bag—bake straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time for instant “pantry cookies” whenever you need them.
