A vintage baking secret my aunt shared with me years ago.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease it with a bit of cooking spray or a thin swipe of oil. This keeps the cookies from sticking and makes cleanup easy, just like my aunt always did.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) so it’s fully heated by the time your dough is mixed. These cookies bake quickly, so an accurate temperature helps them stay soft and tender.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and egg. Stir with a sturdy spoon or spatula until the mixture is smooth, thick, and evenly blended with no streaks of egg or sugar remaining.
Let the dough sit for 2–3 minutes while you clear a little counter space. This short rest helps the sugar hydrate slightly and makes the dough a bit easier to roll into balls.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll it between your palms into small balls. Place each ball on the foil-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between them to allow for gentle spreading.
Using the back of a fork, press down gently on each dough ball to flatten it slightly and create a criss-cross pattern. Press once in one direction, then turn the fork and press again to form the classic vintage peanut butter cookie look.
Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and bake for 9–11 minutes, until the cookies look set around the edges and just barely golden on the bottom. The tops will still look soft; avoid overbaking so they stay melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the foil for at least 5–10 minutes. They will be very soft right out of the oven and firm up as they cool, so resist the urge to move them too soon.
Once they’ve set enough to handle, gently lift the cookies off the foil with a thin spatula. Serve warm from the pan for that straight-off-the-baking-sheet magic, or let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Variations & Tips