These are the best old-fashioned refrigerator cookies; form the dough into a log and slice off as many cookies as you want to bake, keeping the rest of the log for another time.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1½ cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs, large, beaten with a fork
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2½ cups (375g) Pamela’s Bread Mix
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Yield:
TO MAKE THE DOUGH: In the bowl of electric stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and peanut butter together until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix well again. Add Bread Mix, salt, and baking soda and mix until a soft buttery fluffy dough is formed.
Set out a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Place half the dough along the longer edge of the paper closest to you. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to spread and shape dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Roll dough in the paper to form an even, smooth, compact log, eliminating air bubbles and cracks. Repeat with remaining dough.
The dough is soft, so the log will get a flat side. Chill until firm, and then reroll the log in the paper to get a nice round shape. After reshaping, chill until solid or overnight before slicing and baking. Extra dough, well wrapped, can be held in the refrigerator for three or four days, or frozen until you need it.
TO BAKE: Preheat oven to 350° with rack in the center. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Remove dough from refrigerator or freezer. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice cookies about ¼ inch thick and space about 2 inches apart on sheet pan. Bake cookies 12 to 17 minutes, until crisp and brown.
NOTE: To make traditional hashtags on cookie tops, the slices need to be cold during both crosshatching and baking. Mark top of chilled cookies with fork in both directions, sprinkle with sugar and then refrigerate again until firm before baking. This will help hold the shape and pattern of the hashtag.
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