Baker extraordinaire J.C. Gregg will be the first to tell you this particular killer peanut butter cookie recipe likely landed him a position on season three of The Great American Baking Show. “I was in front of three pastry chefs and they were giving me a critique of the three items I brought them to showcase my baking abilities,” Gregg tells us. “One chef said, ‘This is all but a perfect cookie. I thought I made the best peanut butter cookies—until now.’”
So to celebrate National Peanut Butter Cookie Day in earnest, we hit up Gregg for his now-famous recipe. “I worked for two years to come up with what I feel is a wonderful peanut butter cookie,” he says. “They’re kind of my baby and I am pretty proud of it. Peanut butter is clearly my favorite flavor—ever. So it is very important to me to showcase peanut butter and not sugar.”
J.C. Gregg’s Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup room temperature butter
1 cup room temperature peanut butter (your favorite brand)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the first six ingredients and blend on medium low speed until completely combined—with no sign of the eggs present.
Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Blend until combined (roughly two minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and hand stir—making sure to scrape that bottom of the bowl to get anything incorporated that may have not been fulling incorporated with the paddle. (Chef note: Yes, you can make these with a hand mixer or even mix by hand. Just follow the ingredients in order—making sure everything is well blended before you scoop and bake.)
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop up and place on a baking pan lined with parchment. A rimmed half sheet pan can fit eight dough balls comfortably. Bake for 17-20 minutes depending on your oven. (Chef note: If you want them chewy, pull them out at the 17-minute mark as long as they have started to brown slightly. If you want the crunchy, leave in until desired level of darkness is achieved.
Let cool on pan for 5 minutes and remove to a wire rack to completely cool. I bake both, chewy and crunchy. I don’t think there is anything much better than dunking a cookie in my coffee for an evening snack.)
Serve. Share. Enjoy. Repeat. (Chef note: I love to see how others create and am always willing to answer questions and help with any baking needs.)