Peanut Butter Crackle Cookies

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Peanut Butter Crackle Cookies
Peanut butter cookies are always a family favorite, and these cookies do not disappoint. Crackled cookies are always enticing, especially when they’ve had a dip into melted chocolate and a sprinkling of honey roasted peanuts.

These cookies get their distinctive cracking by first rolling balls of dough in granulated sugar, then a second roll in powdered sugar. This double rolling promotes extra cracking by drying out the surface of the cookie before the cookie interior has fully baked.
Recipe type: Dessert | Shaped Cookies | Crackle Cookies
Serves: 4 dozen cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 4 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature or freeze

Help: Cookie Hints and Tips | Melting Chocolate
Ingredients
Parchment paper or small amount of vegetable shortening for preparing baking sheets
Cookie Dough:
  • 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
Topping:
  • About ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • About ½ cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
Chocolate and Nut Garnish:
  • About 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small ¼-inch sized pieces. Tip: you can substitute any chocolate type you prefer, such as semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate.
  • About ½ cup honey roasted peanuts, roughly chopped. Tip: you can substitute salted peanuts if you prefer, or a mix of honey roasted and salted peanuts.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets; lightly grease with shortening, or line with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.
Cookie Dough:
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat together until mixture is smooth and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat until thoroughly mixed. Add peanut butter, continue beating until thoroughly mixed. Add flour mixture; beat together just until well mixed.
  3. Shape dough into small balls about 1” in diameter, using 1 tablespoon of dough for each ball.
Topping:
  1. Roll the balls in granulated sugar until completely coated, then roll the balls in powdered sugar to thoroughly coat.
  2. Bake: Place balls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes or just until the edges are set and the cookies are cracked on top. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Tip: the cookies may seem very soft but they will firm-up as they cool.

  3. Peanut Butter Crackle Cookies
Chocolate and Nut Garnish:
  1. Prepare 2 large baking sheets; line with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.
  2. Place the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Melt the chocolate stirring gently with a rubber spatula. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water. See Melting Chocolate.
  3. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate with a few of the chopped peanuts. Place the cookie on the parchment lined pan, and let sit until the chocolate is completely set, 1 to 2 hours. Tip: instead of dipping the entire half cookie in the chocolate, I prefer to coat just the top half of the cookie. Hold the cookie and “lay” just the top half of the cookie in the chocolate. Use a kitchen knife or small offset spatula to scrape the cookie edge to remove excess chocolate.
  4. Store cookies in an airtight container separating layers with a piece of parchment or waxed paper.

Recipe adapted from bakefromscratch.com