Apple Peanut Butter Cookies

A Grandma Recipe

This recipe looked like a Grandma one because it contained several of the ingredients she loved. Oatmeal. Check. Grated apples. Check. Peanut butter. Wait. That was unexpected. Not many recipes in her collection called for peanut butter, so I was proud of Grandma for branching out. I also wondered if these cookies would taste like one of my favorite snacks--apple slices with peanut butter. Well, there was one way to find out.  

 How to make Apple Peanut Butter Cookies

The process looked like many of her other cookie recipes except that this one started with margarine instead of shortening. I used butter because I prefer it over margarine but I knew that the consistency of the cookie would be slightly different.  

I creamed the sugars and the butter together and then realized I should have added the peanut butter too. Oh well. It went in as an afterthought. I then added the eggs, vanilla, and the apple I'd grated with one of my favorite tools.  

I  beat that together then sifted the flour with the salt and leavening into the bowl. 

After I'd thoroughly mixed in the flour, I added a cup of oats. I then turned the card over and saw these words: "Chopped nuts may be added." Well, then. If I was given permission to add things, I wouldn't stop at nuts. Chocolate chips were going in too. But wait, you say. Chocolate and apples? Do they go together? I did wonder that, and then I remembered all the wonderful caramel apples I'd eaten from Caramel Craze Apples that had both caramel and chocolate. Yes, I decided. They would go together. So in went nuts and chocolate chips. 

My beaters weren't going to handle all those mix-ins, so I pulled out my other favorite tool--a Danish whisk. (By the way, these are not affiliate links.)

It brought everything together nicely, and then we were ready to scoop. By we, I mean me and my other favorite tool. (Yes, I have lots of favorite tools.) Grandma would have used two spoons because that's what we had back in the day. I bless the person who invented scoops because it made short work of the task. 

When the first batch came out of the oven, the cookies had puffed up and spread in unattractive ways. 

I was sure the spreading was the fault of the butter I'd used in place of margarine, but I was okay with the tradeoff in flavor. I did want to try a trick though, so I spaced out the cookies for the next batch. After I pulled the sheet out of the oven, I placed a glass over each cookie and swirled it around. Here's the result:  

Much more attractive, right? And the trick also thickened the cookies so that they were sturdier once they'd cooled. Here's a comparison between a non-swirled cookie and a swirled one. (No, that's not the technical term for the trick. I don't know what the technical term is.)

How did they taste? That's what you're really wondering, isn't it? And you should be because that, in the end, is what counts. 

The Verdict

I tried the cookies two ways--warm from the oven and cool after having sat out overnight. The warm one was slightly gooey, chewy from the oats, and yummy. The day-old cookie was just as delicious, still moist and flavorful. By flavorful, I mean these cookies have a subtle peanut butter flavor and a hint of fruitiness. Add in the chocolate and the crunchy nuts, and you have a winner.  

If all those elements seem like too many flavors and textures to you, then by all means, leave something out. As for me, I love a cookie that's chockful of variety. I also love anything with peanut butter, especially apples, so maybe it was a given that I would like this cookie.     

Ready to try them? Click on the upper right corner of the recipe card below to print it out.