Baking

The perfect Old-Fashioned Criss-Cross Natural Peanut Butter Cookies homemade with Real Peanut Butter that are rich, dense, chewy and just a little healthier. I created this recipe specifically for all you TRUE Natural Peanut Butter Lovers out there!

The Case For Natural Peanut Butter

There are 4 main types of Peanut Butter.

1. The Ultra-Processed type like Skippy, Peter Pan and Jif, that is technically a “Peanut Butter Spread.”

2. The Natural Kind in the jar with a layer of peanut oil on top.

3. The Natural kind you grind yourself in the health food section at the grocery store. Seriously rustic and very good but also can be pricey.

4. The Kind labeled “Natural” that isn’t fully natural.

Many years ago I switched to true Natural Peanut Butter. INGREDIENTS: Roasted Peanuts, Salt. That’s all. So next time you are buying peanut butter, take a look at the ingredients on the label.

The First Peanut Butter Was Just Ground Up Peanuts.

Natural peanut butter is a type of peanut butter that is made from 100% ground peanuts, without any added oils, sugar, or preservatives. It is generally considered to be healthier than regular peanut butter, which often contains added syrups and hydrogenated oil. The first modern commercial peanut butter was produced around 1898 by a company called Krema Products Company. The ingredients were just…Ground Up Peanuts! By the 1950’s “Stabilizers” are mentioned on the labels and Peanut Butter has exploded across the country.

One of the primary benefits of Natural Peanut Butter is it being a great source of protein and the healthy fats. It is also offers dietary fiber and vitamins such as vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium. Natural is the healthy peanut butter.

Peanuts are not nuts, they are legumes.

The Absence of Stabilizers in the Jar:

The oil separates and rises to the top because there are no other ingredients to bind it all together. Once you stir it and chill, the peanut butter will not separate again. Don’t pour off the oil. Stir it in. You CAN skim off some of the oil on the top before you chill it but you don’t want to get rid of all of that oil otherwise it won’t be spreadable. If the oil isn’t on the top when you buy it, it’s probably not completely Natural.

Which Natural Peanut Butter Should I Use in this recipe?

• The oil is on the top, you stir that in and keep in the refrigerator.
• The ingredients on the label are only Peanuts and Salt.
• Must be the VERY SMOOTH TYPE for THIS RECIPE.

While one of my favorite peanut butters is Smucker’s, this recipe does not work well with grainy textured peanut butter, even if it is CREAMY style. I use Dillon’s or Kroger Brand but it depends on what you find in your local grocery store. Most grocery stores carry their own brand. If not, for certain you will find a smooth creamy Natural Peanut Butter in any Health Food store.

Which Shortening to Use:

When completing my final testing of this recipe, I made two batches. One with Crisco and one with Non-Hydrogenated Spectrum Organic All-Vegetable Shortening. The batches tasted and turned out EXACTLY the same. You already know how bad hydrogenated oils are so I don’t need to tell you that. I did feel better about using the Spectrum, knowing it was healthier. However, the tub cost $13.50 at Natural Grocers.

Two Important Tips:

1. This recipe calls for LIGHT brown sugar, if you use Dark Brown Sugar, the recipe won’t turn out. Follow the recipe exactly.
2. To prevent dry crispy cookies, take them out of the oven just before you think they are done-when they start to get puffy. Start watching at the 8 minute mark.  Let them rest on the baking sheet, they will continue to bake and set while they cool down. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes on the sheet. Over-brown and Overbaking will make them crispy.

Tools Needed:

A Silpat Baking Mat is always nice to have when making cookies, but it’s not necessary. You can put them right on a non-stick cookie sheet or parchment paper.

A Cookie scoop if you want them to look like they came off a factory line. That’s how I like my Snickerdoodle Cookies!  If you want the old-fashioned homemade classic look with uneven scrumptious edges, then just wing it with a Tablespoon! But I wouldn’t smush the dough into balls. Watch the video below to see how it’s done! 🙂 

For this classic cookie, you just need a Tablespoon or a cookie scoop.

A FORK is necessary!

A Baking Sheet.

What are the ingredients?

• Unsalted Butter – Make sure your butter is fresh, I like Challenge Butter or Land O’ Lakes.
• Vegetable Shortening – Crisco Baking Sticks are a staple in baking. They are very easy to measure with and then store. No cups needed! However if you are using Natural Peanut Butter for the Health Benefit, you can also use Spectrum® brand Organic Shortening in place of the Crisco. IT does not have any hydrogenated oil in it. 
• Salt – Regular table salt or another ultra fine grain salt, as we don’t want any big chunks of salt in this cookie.
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Some “Baking Vanilla” is good enough, but if you have PURE, let’s go for it!
• Natural Creamy Peanut Butter – Ingredients label should read: Roasted Peanuts, Salt. Stir with your butter knife until the oil is mixed in and be sure to put this jar in the fridge after you use it.
• LIGHT Brown Sugar – Dark Brown Sugar just doesn’t work here. I tried in my testing. Make sure it’s moist and fresh. Brown Sugar needs to be stored AIR-TIGHT or it gets crunchy and pebbly. PACKED means that it is packed into the dry style measuring cup.
• Eggs – You need these eggs to give the cookie some weight and density.
• All-Purpose Flour – King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour is my choice. Found in MOST grocery stores in the baking section.
• Baking Powder – Baking powder gives your cookie some fluff and lightness to it. Sometimes it’s hard to find, but if you see baking powder labeled “Aluminum Free”…get that one, although Rumford or Clabber Girl work perfect in this recipe. NOT BAKING SODA. Baking POWDER already has Baking SODA in it, there is no need to double up on the same ingredients. IF you are using an old can from your pantry, be sure to check the date. It does go bad and start to degrade once it is exposed to air for a long period of time.

How to keep the cookies soft or crispy:

If you want soft and chewy cookies, take them out of the oven right before they are done, let cool and put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag right away once cooled.

If you want them crispy, bake them a little longer and let them sit out on the rack to cool longer. They won’t be sitting around long so you probably won’t have to worry about that! 🙂

A Common Question: Why Can’t you use Natural Peanut Butter in Peanut Butter Cookies?

You CAN in this recipe! Most recipes just weren’t created or written with Natural Peanut Butter in mind because most households have used and consumed the popular processed peanut butters since the mid-century.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT IN THE VIDEO BELOW.

Natural Peanut Butter Cookies

The perfect Old-Fashioned Criss-Cross Peanut Butter Cookies homemade with Natural Peanut Butter that are rich, dense, chewy and just a little bit healthier than regular peanut butter cookies.

5 from 5 votes

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Total Time: 45 minutes

Author: Lanie

Ingredients

• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened, but not melted
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups light brown sugar packed (Do not use Dark Brown Sugar)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp regular table salt
• 1 cup creamy Natural Peanut Butter stirred
• 2 eggs beaten

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In Large bowl, with mixer on low speed, add soft butter, shortening, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add peanut butter.Mix on low until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
• Crack eggs into a small bowl, whisk and add them to the mixture. Continue to mix on low-medium until smooth. About one minute.
• Turn off mixer and switch to a large spoon. Fold in the flour-baking powder mixture until well-combined. Press dough into bottom of bowl and place in refrigerator. Cover with wrap and Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• IN Tablespoon size scoops, drop balls onto baking sheet two inches apart.
• With fork, press gently into the tops, once going each direction like Tic Tac Toe.
• Bake for 8 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool on pan.

Video

What is a Snickerdoodle?

You might think a Snickerdoodle is simply a sugar cookie, dusted with cinnamon and sugar…Well not exactly. The one defining ingredient which differentiates it from its sister sugar cookie is Cream of Tartar. If it doesn’t have Cream of Tartar, it’s really just a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar, not a Snickerdoodle. The origin is thought to be with the Pennsylvania Dutch. They said it’s from the German word Schneckennudeln (lit. “snail noodles”) but others claim it’s simply a New England cookie with a “fanciful name.”

Have you ever dipped your finger in some Cream of Tartar? It’s tart and has a similar taste of baking soda. Cream of Tartar is a natural substance that is derived from crystals that form in the casks during the fermentation process of grape juice. I think it’s safe to say, however, that Cream of Tartar is non-alcoholic! It will help to stabilize a baked good that contains egg whites.

I’ve tried a few recipes that claim to be the best, but every good vintage recipe can be better, and I hope that is what I’ve achieved here in my salute to the Snickerdoodle.

The Standard Ingredients

The original recipe I worked from is a typical one found in cookbooks and on-line. It calls for two eggs, which I thought left the cookie with too much of an egg-scented essence, so I removed one yolk and reduced the flour. There were also two teaspoons of Cream of Tartar, which I thought overpowered the overall cookie. It had an equal part butter and shortening component, which works well in some cookies but in this case the cookies were hard by the end of the day. I increased the shortening and decreased the butter to leave us with a soft center and butter crisp edge that is less greasy. A cookie that is too greasy is not suitable for dipping in tea or coffee!

Sugar Burns Faster

Finally, the instructions in most recipes say to roll the whole ball in cinnamon and sugar, but leaves the bottoms easily scorched because of the sugar. For best results, just roll the top part of the cookie in the sugar mixture. Here is what happens when you roll the whole ball in sugar.

I hope you will enjoy a little classic cookie flavor from the past.

Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodle Recipe

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Author: Vintage Cook

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, plus 1 egg white
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Cinnamon & Sugar Mixture

• 3 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large bowl, cream together with a fork (or mixer on low speed) the shortening, softened butter, and extract until light in color. Slowly add in the sugar until all creamed together. Then add the egg and egg white until incorporated well. Set aside.
• In another medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. With a spoon, gradually mix into the wet mix bowl. May use your hands to finish blending as it gets thick.
• On plate, mix the 3 Tbs. sugar with cinnamon.
  With a cookie scoop, measure out equal Tablespoon-sized balls, and gently roll on one side into the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place un-coated side down onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or baking mat. If you do not have parchment paper or a baking mat, lightly grease pan with Crisco shortening or cooking spray.
• Bake for 8 minutes or until just golden. Let cool, and store in an air-tight container to keep soft. Special Note: Take them out a little bit before they start to golden. The centers will still be bubbling and you might think you are taking them out too soon, but they continue to cook once you remove them. AS soon as they are just cool, put them in an airtight container. This prevents them from getting hard.
  
  

The EASIEST ONE-BOWL Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that uses part butter and part margarine for a crisp edge and chewy center.

Most recipes on the web, claiming to be the “BEST” are made with ONLY butter. I like to use butter AND margarine. The reason I started using part margarine is that even though the all-butter recipes are divine when they first come out of the oven, by the next day they are crispy like potato chips. Also, I find the all-butter a bit too greasy on the corners of my mouth.

In my mind, The perfect chocolate chip cookie is gently crisp on the edges, but not greasy, and chewy-soft on the inside, even the next day. I’ve been making my Chocolate Chip Cookies this way for about 20 years.

No, no vanilla extract. But add it if you like!

No sifting, no hand-mixer…Just put all of the ingredients in the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. I use no fancy flour and no waiting by the freezer. The only tools are 1) A cookie scoop 2) and a baking mat OR Parchment paper (not waxed paper). If you don’t have either of those, some Pam Baking Spray will be fine too.

Once I started using parchment paper, I was hooked. It makes everything so much easier. CLEANER. Not just cookies, but for meat loaf, baked chicken, you name it. No more scrubbing pans and soaking them in the sink. Then, out came the BAKING MAT. (When I first wrote this blog post over a decade ago, baking mats were just not a thing.)

The cookie scoop isn’t REALLY necessary but it will make all of your cookies the exact same size resulting in a batch of cookies uniform in color and texture. It’s an inexpensive kitchen staple.

*Remember that cookies continue to bake on the sheet from the bottom up for about 2 minutes after you pull them from the oven, so you might want to pull them out right before you think they are golden.

“I LIKE” CHOCOLATE: I like semi-sweet. I like the mini-chips. I like Dove dark chocolate bars chopped up. Anything goes! What do you like? Put it in there! I like equal parts chocolate chips, equal part cookie. But some like chunks of chocolate with just cookie holding it all together. So I will let you decide how much chocolate you like! B

Let’s get the word out that part butter/part margarine chocolate chip cookies are the best! 🙂