Peanut butter cookies

The only ingredients you need to make great peanut butter are peanuts and salt, so check the label for intruders like palm oil and sugar. The flavour of these small, soft-textured cookies is even better if you opt for the darker roast peanut butter.

Makes roughly 3840 little cookies Ingredients

225g butter

100g caster sugar

100g soft brown sugar

1 egg

150g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

200g peanut butter

Roasted, salted peanuts to decorate

Methods

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Cut the butter into small pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor with the sugars. Beat until soft and fluffy. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork, just enough to mix the yolks and white together, then add little by little to the butter and sugar. (I do this in 3 or 4 stages, so the mixture doesn’t curdle. If it does, stir in a spoonful of the flour.)

Sieve together the flour and baking powder, then add to the mix and continue until the flour has been incorporated. Stir in the peanut butter. Set the oven at

170°C. Place level heaped tbsps of the mixture on to a baking sheet, lined with greaseproof paper, leaving plenty of room around each to allow the biscuits to spread. With the back of a floured dessert spoon press lightly on each one to flatten the top. Roughly chop the salted, roasted peanuts, then sprinkle 2g (about 1 tsp) on each biscuit.

Bake for about 12 minutes until the biscuits have spread and turned pale gold. They should still be soft to the touch. While the biscuits are baking, prepare a second tray and repeat until the mixture is all used (I do about 4 batches). Let the cookies firm up a little before transferring carefully to a cooling rack.