Peanut Covered Peanut Butter Cookie Slabs

Total Time: 29 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 14 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted peanuts

Recipe

• 1 sift the flour and baking soda into a medium bowl and set aside.
• 2 in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and peanut butter just to blend them together.
• 3 stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.
• 4 add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until smoothly blended, about 30 seconds.
• 5 add the egg and vanilla and mix until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute.
• 6 on low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated.
• 7 form the dough into a rough 5x3x2 1/2" rectangular slab.
• 8 wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to firm the dough slightly.about 30 minutes.
• 9 shape the rectangle again and rewrap it (this makes the shape more defined).
• 10 refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight, until it is cold and firm.or wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 1 month, thaw in the refrigerator before using.
• 11 position a rack in the middle of the oven.
• 12 preheat the oven to 350°f; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 13 unwrap the cold dough.
• 14 use a large sharp knife to cut the dough into 15 1/3" thick slices.and place the cookies 3" apart on the prepared baking sheet.
• 15 sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the chopped peanuts evenly over the top of each cookie, and press the peanuts gently but firmly into the dough.
• 16 this pressing will make the cookies spread about an additional 1/2".
• 17 bake one sheet at a time until the edges and bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.
• 18 cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 19 serve them at room temperature.
• 20 the cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.