This vintage Peanut Butter Cookie recipe is a nostalgic treat that harks back to classic homemade baking. The simple ingredients reflect the era of pantry staples and warm kitchens, where peanut butter was a treasured comfort food. These cookies are soft, chewy, and full of rich, nutty flavor, making them perfect for lunchboxes, holiday trays, or late-night snacks. They're a timeless staple in American baking and a sweet reminder of how the simplest recipes often bring the most joy.
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat & Prep
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients
- In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, shortening, and brown sugar.
- Add milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry
- Gradually stir dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a dough forms.
Step 5: Drop & Bake
- Drop spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes or until lightly golden.
Step 6: Cool & Serve
- Let cookies cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or store in an airtight container.
Tips
- Add chocolate chips or chopped peanuts for extra texture.
- Chill the dough 20 minutes for thicker cookies.
- Roll dough balls in granulated sugar for a crackly finish.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon for warmth.
- Make them thumbprint-style and fill with jam after baking.
- Swap shortening for butter for richer flavor (cookies spread more).
- Add a drizzle of melted chocolate once cooled.
- Use crunchy peanut butter for more texture.
- Turn them into ice-cream sandwiches using vanilla ice cream.
Transcription of the Original Recipe
Read or copy the transcription
Peanut Butter Cookies ½ c. peanut butter Drop & bake ½ c. shortening 350° 8 min. 1 c. brown sugar ¼ c. milk 2 eggs 2 c. flour 2 t. baking powder ½ t. salt ½ t. Vanilla
From Transcription to Instructions
Hi from Salvaged Recipes, the original recipe is just a quick list with "Drop & bake" and 350° 8 min., so our instructions walk you through the steps the note left implicit: preheat the oven and prep the sheet, cream peanut butter with shortening and brown sugar, add milk, eggs, and vanilla, whisk flour with baking powder and salt, fold them together, then drop spoonfuls and bake about 8 minutes. We didn’t change quantities, we just spelled out when each ingredient goes in so the process is easier to follow.
Nutrition
Calories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2.2gFat: 6.7gSaturated Fat: 1.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.7gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 82mgPotassium: 70mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 7.8gVitamin A: 20IUCalcium: 19mgIron: 0.6mg
