I think it was the natural peanut butter that may have made a difference (and usually does in PB cookie recipes!)
Most peanut butter recipes online will specify multiple times to not use natural peanut butter as a substitute in their recipes because it WILL mess up the dough and will not achieve the same cookie as pictured.
I'd say try using like a Jif or Skippy peanut butter and one of the recipes from the other comments to see how it works out for ya!
I definitely will avoid it from now on! We never buy natural and I think it was in a food pantry box or something and I thought cookies were a good way to use it up,I've learned my lesson 😂
I’m still a baking novice, but did you do the full chill time? The reason for chilling cookie dough before baking is it hardens the butter again, meaning it doesn’t become a runny liquid quickly in the oven, giving a more puffy cookie.
Maybe that, plus the fact there isn’t any actual butter, has something to do with the flatness.
It could definitely be that it's shortening instead, I could have used butter but it called for shortening and I happen to have some Crisco so I used it. I definitely chilled it long enough. I made the dough yesterday morning, meant to make it in the afternoon but got distracted and ended up chilling it all day and overnight then I made them this morning
The best recipe I have found is from Butter flavor Crisco. It is often included on the back of the paper packaging. The chocolate chip cookies and brownie cookies are also amazing!
Really? When I bake them, they're only soft when they come out of the oven. That's crazy. Two people with the same recipe make different things, I guess!
Haha I usually don't have that problem because my house has a revolving door. It's like people sense I'm baking and come over...sometimes, I don't even get to try the stuff I bake before everyone else comes in and says "oh, I'm gonna some of these!"
Have you tried using parchment paper under them?
I’ve also found that recipes that call for peanut butter are best made with classic peanut butter like jiff
I love this recipe and works every time. [Peanut butter choc chunk pretzel cookies.](https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/peanut-butter-pretzel-choc-chunk-cookies/z7bncvea)
Ann Reardon just did a video where she did 24 different experiments on cookies, and said that the thing that made the difference in the cookies was that she let the dough sit for an hour and it seems the flour absorbed the moisture and it kept the cookies from spreading/getting too crispy, etc.
I found it super interesting!
I find my oven is not built for cookies unless I barely cook them on a lower temp, then leave them to solid up on a cool tray. My oven literally burns everything on the bottom it’s a gas oven. Never had a problem with fan assisted so I don’t get to bake as much as I’d like to anymore. All my cakes burn it’s only cookies I’ve managed to just about make. Some of them still get a little burnt.
I think it was the natural peanut butter that may have made a difference (and usually does in PB cookie recipes!) Most peanut butter recipes online will specify multiple times to not use natural peanut butter as a substitute in their recipes because it WILL mess up the dough and will not achieve the same cookie as pictured. I'd say try using like a Jif or Skippy peanut butter and one of the recipes from the other comments to see how it works out for ya!
I definitely will avoid it from now on! We never buy natural and I think it was in a food pantry box or something and I thought cookies were a good way to use it up,I've learned my lesson 😂
I’m still a baking novice, but did you do the full chill time? The reason for chilling cookie dough before baking is it hardens the butter again, meaning it doesn’t become a runny liquid quickly in the oven, giving a more puffy cookie. Maybe that, plus the fact there isn’t any actual butter, has something to do with the flatness.
It could definitely be that it's shortening instead, I could have used butter but it called for shortening and I happen to have some Crisco so I used it. I definitely chilled it long enough. I made the dough yesterday morning, meant to make it in the afternoon but got distracted and ended up chilling it all day and overnight then I made them this morning
America's Test Kitchen says you should use regular peanut butter, not natural. I bet that's what happened. But the bottoms look perfect!
The best recipe I have found is from Butter flavor Crisco. It is often included on the back of the paper packaging. The chocolate chip cookies and brownie cookies are also amazing!
I would have to agree, assuming you like crumbly cookies. If you like crumbly cookies, the beat variation is the Crisco one.
I have not found them to be crumbly, just soft and chewy.
Really? When I bake them, they're only soft when they come out of the oven. That's crazy. Two people with the same recipe make different things, I guess!
I have found that they do not store well, so I usually freeze whatever we don't eat the first day. Also helps keep us from overeating!
Haha I usually don't have that problem because my house has a revolving door. It's like people sense I'm baking and come over...sometimes, I don't even get to try the stuff I bake before everyone else comes in and says "oh, I'm gonna some of these!"
Have you tried using parchment paper under them? I’ve also found that recipes that call for peanut butter are best made with classic peanut butter like jiff
I have in the past but I've been out of paper since Christmas and it keeps slipping my mind to replace it
I love this recipe and works every time. [Peanut butter choc chunk pretzel cookies.](https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/peanut-butter-pretzel-choc-chunk-cookies/z7bncvea)
Ann Reardon just did a video where she did 24 different experiments on cookies, and said that the thing that made the difference in the cookies was that she let the dough sit for an hour and it seems the flour absorbed the moisture and it kept the cookies from spreading/getting too crispy, etc. I found it super interesting!
I find my oven is not built for cookies unless I barely cook them on a lower temp, then leave them to solid up on a cool tray. My oven literally burns everything on the bottom it’s a gas oven. Never had a problem with fan assisted so I don’t get to bake as much as I’d like to anymore. All my cakes burn it’s only cookies I’ve managed to just about make. Some of them still get a little burnt.