Few treats are as iconic as peanut butter cookies. Known for their chewy, moist texture, their crave-worthy nutty flavor, and their recognizable crisscross pattern, this childhood favorite is beloved by kids and adults alike. But what if we told you we could take this famous cookie and make it even better? You’d probably tell us there was no way.

To be fair, it’s difficult to upgrade something made mainly of peanut butter — on its own, peanut butter is like a miracle substance. It goes with just about anything (looking at you, Thai cuisine), makes one heck of a sandwich, and is the perfect glue for our favorite cookies.

So how can you take something that’s already so amazing and actually improve it? It’s not a matter of revamping the entire concept of the peanut butter cookie, it’s just elevating certain aspects of the recipe that make this upgrade so incredible.

Browning your butter will allow you to layer in a more nutty, caramelized flavor into the cookies. Using less flour and more peanut butter will be used to increase the chewiness…and we have no complaints about it. Finally, toasting and then roughly chopped salted peanuts will give you a crunch like none other.

To really take things to the next level, sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt and sugar just before baking. This will make the top of each cooking extra crunchy, browned, and flavorful.

If you’re weirded out by the thought of putting salt on top of your cookies, it’s actually not that crazy; salt helps to bring out the sweetness in desserts, so just a sprinkle will really make the flavor of each cookie pop in a really unique way.

What do you think of this upgraded peanut butter cookie recipe? Will you use these tricks for your batch of upcoming holiday cookies? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Thanks to Food52 for the amazing recipe idea!

The New Peanut Butter Cookie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. While the oven preheats, toast the peanuts on a baking sheet until just beginning to brown (about 10 minutes). Let the nuts cool, then roughly chop them.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling the pan constantly, until it begins to brown and smell nutty. Allow the butter to cool before proceeding with the recipe.
4. Once the brown butter is cool (or not hot at least if you are impatient!), beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together. Add the egg and beat well.
5. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined. Stir in the chopped, toasted nuts.
7. Drop the batter in heaping spoonfuls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the back of a fork, press gently down in a cross-hatch pattern on top of each cookie and flatten the cookie to about 1/2″ thick. If you want, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and raw sugar. Bake until golden, between 8-12 minutes depending on the size of your cookie (don’t overbake!).