Peanut-Oatmeal Drops

These cookies hit you with peanut flavor from two directions: peanut butter creamed into the dough and a full cup of chopped peanuts stirred in at the end. If you’re a peanut person, this is your cookie.

The combination of shortening and peanut butter in the base gives these a soft, chewy texture that stays that way for days. Shortening doesn’t harden when cool the way butter does, so these won’t turn crispy overnight. Brown sugar and white sugar together contribute to the chewiness while balancing the sweetness.

Quick-cooking oats add substance and a slightly nubby texture without making the cookies heavy. They soak up the peanut butter flavor as the dough rests, so every bite has that rich, roasted taste woven through.

Kitchen Tips

• Cream the shortening, peanut butter, and sugars until genuinely light and fluffy. This step aerates the dough and gives the cookies their soft, puffy shape.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each. This emulsifies the dough properly.
• Use a teaspoon measure for consistent sizing. These spread, so 2 inches apart is the minimum spacing.
• Pull them at 10 minutes for softer cookies, 12 minutes for a firmer edge with a chewy center.

Variations

• Fold in ½ cup chocolate chips for a peanut butter chocolate oatmeal cookie.
• Use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth and skip the chopped peanuts for a slightly different crunch.