Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies Without Eggs — Simple Homemade Recipe

For the third month of the Home Baker’s Challenge, Viji of Virunthu Unna Vaanga chose cookies as the theme. She shared four recipes; I picked the peanut butter cookies because I had never made them before. The original recipe called for crunchy peanut butter, but I had creamy peanut butter on hand. To add texture, I roasted a handful of peanuts, removed their skins and crushed them into the dough. The result is a soft cookie: warm from the oven they feel very tender, then they firm up slightly after a few minutes. Visually they appear crisp, but the first bite reveals a surprising softness, complemented by the crushed peanuts’ pleasant crunch. My husband and Sruti—both peanut lovers—enjoyed them.

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart
Yields: about 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
– Unsalted butter — 1/4 cup
– All-purpose flour — 3/4 cup
– Creamy peanut butter — 3/4 cup
– Roasted peanuts (crushed) — 1/4 cup
– Light brown sugar — 1/2 cup
– Baking powder — 1/2 tsp
– Milk — 1/8 cup

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spread the peanuts on a baking tray and roast for 3–4 minutes until browned and the skins crack.
2. Remove the peanuts from the oven and transfer them to a plate to cool slightly. Rub them to loosen the skins and discard the skins.
3. Crush the peanuts lightly using a mortar and pestle, or pulse them briefly in a food processor. You want small pieces, not a paste.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and the crushed peanuts.
5. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and light brown sugar until smooth and slightly fluffy.
6. Add the milk to the creamed mixture and beat to combine.
7. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
8. Cover the dough with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Chilling firms the dough and makes shaping easier.
9. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 175°C (347°F).
10. Pinch off small lemon-sized portions of dough, roll into balls and place on the tray, leaving at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each to allow spreading.
11. Use a fork to press each ball into a criss-cross pattern.
12. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
13. Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies sit on the tray a few minutes until they firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. Serve with coffee or tea and enjoy.

Roast peanuts until the skins crack and the nuts are browned.

Rub the peanuts to loosen and remove their skins.

Crush the skinned peanuts for texture.

Combine the crushed peanuts with flour and baking powder.

Cream butter, peanut butter and light brown sugar until smooth.

Add milk and mix to incorporate.

Add the flour mixture and combine to form a soft dough.

Chill the sticky dough until firm for easy shaping.

Roll chilled dough into small balls.

Flatten each ball with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern.

Make the criss-cross impression on all cookies before baking.

Bake until they turn a light golden color.

Let the cookies cool on a wire rack before serving.

Serve and enjoy with your favorite hot beverage.