Shape a Peanut Cookie

These peanut butter cookies are as fun to shape as they are to eat. Each piece of dough gets rolled, pinched in the middle, rounded at one end, and scored with crisscross lines to look like an actual peanut in the shell. It’s a great baking project with kids who want to get their hands in the dough.

The surprise ingredient is orange zest. It adds a bright, citrusy note that lifts the rich, roasty peanut butter flavor and keeps the cookies from tasting flat. You won’t taste “orange cookie," but you’ll notice the peanut butter tastes more interesting than usual.

Cream the margarine and peanut butter together until smooth before adding anything else. That smooth base is what gives you a workable dough that holds its peanut shape through baking instead of melting into a blob.

Chef Tips

• Space the cookies at least 2 inches apart. These spread during baking, and crowded cookies fuse together into one big peanut-flavored sheet.
• Use the back of a butter knife for the crisscross lines. Press gently so you score the surface without flattening the whole cookie.
• Knead the dough just a few times on a floured board to bring it together. Overworking it develops gluten and makes the cookies tough instead of tender.
• Bake 10 minutes for chewier cookies, 12 for crispier ones. They firm up as they cool, so pull them when they still look slightly soft.

Variations

• Chocolate peanut: Dip one end of the cooled cookies in melted chocolate for a half-dipped look.
• Chunky version: Use chunky peanut butter for visible nut pieces throughout each cookie.
• Lemon zest swap: Replace the orange zest with lemon for a sharper, more tart citrus note.