Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Pam Crooks

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The fillies love sharing their favorite recipes, and I’m happy to be the first to kick off our new “Cowgirls in the Kitchen” series featuring cookies with a little bit of a different flair.

I found my Peanut Butter and Cheez-It Cookie recipe in a Midwest Living magazine recently, and the combo immediately caught my eye.  Who doesn’t love peanut butter and cheese together? These still taste like peanut butter cookies, and the crushed crackers blend in beautifully.  Add in the peanut butter chips (I also had chocolate chips), and what’s not to love?

 

Peanut Butter and Cheez-It Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter, plus more for topping
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 cups bite-size cheese crackers, crushed
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter-flavor chips
  • 16 whole bite-size cheese crackers for topping, if desired

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line two or three cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, granulated sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

  2. Add milk, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and salt; beat on low to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, followed by flour, beating on low to combine after each addition. Stir in crushed crackers and peanut butter chips.

  3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions (about 1/2 cup per cookie). Shape into 2 1/4- to 2 1/2-inch balls. Place balls about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Slightly flatten each ball into a 3-inch round, reshaping edges if needed. Top each cookie with a dab of peanut butter and a whole cheese cracker.

  4. Bake one sheet at a time, until light brown and centers appear set, 18 to 22 minutes. (Internal temperature of cookies should be at least 160°.) Cool on cookie sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Notes:

Be sure to beat the dough for the five minutes instructed. It really does change the texture of the dough, making it creamier, and the cookies bake up nicely.

Sometimes instructions confuse me.  🙂  So when it said 3 1/2 cups crackers, crushed – does that mean 3 1/2 cups BEFORE crushing or after?  So I measured out the 3 1/2 cups of crackers and THEN crushed them.  Worked perfectly.

I baked the cookies in two sizes – 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup portions – before rolling into balls and flattening them.  The 1/2 cup size bakes up like a monster cookie, and both portion sizes are thick and chewy.  I did use my thermometer to check for temperature since the dough was so thick.

My grocery store didn’t have peanut butter chips, only a  peanut butter chip and chocolate chip combo.  I love the addition of the chocolate!

Also, I garnished the bigger cookies with a dollop of peanut butter and a cracker as suggested, but I didn’t bother with the smaller sizes.  Totally your preference!

As the instructions state, this batch only makes 16 cookies if you make them full size.  More, of course if you use smaller spoonfuls.  I hope you enjoy!

22 thoughts on “Cowgirls in the Kitchen – Pam Crooks”

  3. Odd combination but I bet they are good. I haven’t
    made cookies in years but made a batch of oatmeal raisin a while back and hubby wouldn’t stop eating them.

    • Well, there you go, Quilty Lady. You need to make more cookies for your husband!! He must have been craving some, and I bet he’d love this recipe. 🙂 (My husband did.)

  4. Wow–interesting cookies. I confess, I am neither a peanut butter fan or a fan of cheese crackers. That said, I do love cookies, so maybe this could be a whole new taste sensation for me. I’m fascinated that these cookies ask for both baking soda and baking powder, yet they don’t seem to rise up to be fluffy… hmmm… Thanks for a new idea, Pam!

    • Well . . . if you’re not a huge peanut butter fan, Nan, you could substitute all chocolate chips in lieu of the peanut butter ones, and that might help lessen the peanut butter taste for you.

      Maybe the menfolk in your life would like to try them. 🙂

  10. These sound good. My husband loves peanut butter cookies. I like Cheez-its. I could likely find peanut butter chips, but chocolate chips sound much better to me. Thanks so much for sharing.

    • I absolutely live for peanut butter but with cheez- it definitely not for me. Very interesting cookie recipe and such a creative idea. Never seen anything like that here in New England.

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