Peanut butter cookies

I've made lots of different types of PB cookies - ones with whole wheat flour, ones with no flour, ones with creamy and chunky PB, ones with chocolate chips, ones with honey, ones with shortening... you get the idea. And I'm sure somewhere along the way I made some really fine cookies, but I am also organizationally challenged to put it kindly. So that perfect recipe is long gone. And since this week has (not) accidentally turned into cookie-baking week, I needed to add some variety and thought, PB cookies would be perfect.

There was a PB cookie recipe I was dying to try from Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, My Father's Daughter, which got high marks on Epicurious.com.  I don't normally have much interest in celebrity cookbooks, but since I know her to be a true foodie and a sorta-friend to Jamie Oliver, plus hearing great things about her cookbook, I decided I needed to give her recipe a try. I was especially excited since it was based on her grandmother's recipe, which is sweet and reminds me of my grandma, etc, etc.

The only variations from the recipe were that I used all dark brown sugar and crunchy peanut butter, since those are my preferences. Everything else I did as suggested. These cookies are really, really good. Thank you, Gywneth!! They are perfect, I think. Thick, chewy and just the perfect PB flavor and I loved the throw-in of PB chips. I haven't done that in ages, and that puts them over-the-top. I can't wait for Jordan to try them tonight! He will definitely be honest - but I don't think he will find much to complain about with these bad boys. I'm adding this to my collection of classic, keeper, make-again recipes. You should, too.

Grandad Danner's PB cookies

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 organic large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugars. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour in thirds and stir until smooth. Fold in the peanut butter chips. Roll the mixture into golf ball–sized balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons). At this point you can roll them in granulated sugar or you can press each cookie down with the tines of a fork. Either way, bake for 10 minutes, in a nonstick baking pan, rotating the pan halfway through baking time. Cool the cookies on a rack before serving.