And get everything ready. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line the baking

tray with parchment paper so that the cookies can be released easily.

Put the peanut butter, sugar and egg into a medium bowl and stir it with a

spoon or spatula for about a minute until a thick and smooth dough is obtained with no streaks of egg.

At this stage, if you are adding salt or vanilla, then stir them in.

By using a spoon to scoop out portions about a tablespoon in size and then

rolling them into balls. Put them on the tray about 5 cm (2 inches) apart, as they spread a little when

baking.

On them; gently flatten each ball and then press again in the other

direction to create the traditional crisscross pattern. This will help the cookies to bake evenly.

Bake it for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges have set and the surfaces appear dry although the

centres remain soft; when they are taken out of the oven they will look underbaked and that is the

effect you desire.

And leave the cookies there on the hot tray for five minutes since they become

firmer as they cool and are then much easier to lift; after that transfer them to a wire rack.

Do not bake them for too long; get them out of the oven when the centres still appear soft, since

cookies that have been overbaked become hard and dry when they cool.

If the dough seems sticky, put it in the fridge. This will make it easier to roll, particularly in a warm

kitchen and after ten minutes.

We should carefully measure the peanut butter since too much of it causes the cookies to crumble

while too little makes them spread out thin. Instead, level the cup, don't pack it.

An egg that is at room temperature should be used since it mixes more evenly with the peanut butter

and results in a smoother dough.

Put in a bit of salt; a small pinch will enhance the taste of the peanuts and counteract the sweetness.

Use parchment paper since the cookies have a great deal of natural oil and it prevents them from

sticking or spreading unevenly.

For a sweet, melty twist, fold in one-third cup of chocolate chips.

For the brown sugar version, replace half of the white sugar with brown sugar to get cookies that

have a chewier, caramel-like texture.

To give it a sugary coating: before pressing the dough balls, roll them in granulated sugar so that

they have a sparkling and crisp edge.

For peanut butter kiss cookies, press a chocolate candy down into the centre immediately after

baking.

As an alternative without nuts, use sunflower seed butter and add a small amount of baking soda

to stop the cookies from turning green.

For the vegan version, substitute the egg with two tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce, but

the texture will be a bit softer.

In the majority of cookies, it is the flour that gives them their structure; in this recipe, however, the

peanut butter does the job instead. The proteins and natural fats in the peanut butter keep the dough

together, the egg acts as a binder and the sugar provides both sweetness, crisp edges and a tender

texture. This is the reason why the recipe is so brief and why it is necessary to adhere to the

measurements if you want the best result.

To keep the cookies for up to five days you should store them in a sealed container. If you are

stacking them, put in some parchment paper between the layers.

For the baked cookies, place them in a sealed bag and freeze them for up to three months, then allow

them to thaw at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.

For the freezer (dough): roll the dough into balls and place them on a tray to freeze; when they have

hardened, put them into a bag and bake them from frozen, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes.

It is usually the case that there is an excess of peanut butter, or else the bars have been moved

before they have cooled. So, leave them on the tray for five minutes and then take care to measure.

You can reduce the amount of sugar or use a sweetener that is designed for baking, but the texture

will be affected since sugar helps to set the structure and crisp the edges.

So, in the case of thick peanut butter which has been well stirred, this will happen. Peanut butter that

is very runny or oily will result in greasy and flat cookies.

Not exactly, but a brief coldness makes rolling easier and helps the cookies to retain their shape.

Even though they do not contain any wheat ingredients, you should check the label of the peanut

butter and ensure that it is made in a gluten-free facility if you have to be strict.

Around twelve to fourteen medium-sized cookies