Sweet, salty, crunchy, crispy, and caramelly, these Cajeta Peanut Butter Cookies truly have it all. A classic peanut butter cookie recipe gets gussied up with the addition of goat's milk caramel and roasted peanuts for a modern, Mexican-inspired twist on the American favorite.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream butters and sugar until fluffy and pale. Add almond extract and eggs, mixing well to combine. Add peanut butter and mix until uniform.
Sift dry ingredients together, then add to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Add peanutsand stir until well combined.
Cover and chill dough for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight.
Roll dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon balls.
Drop each ball of cookie dough into a bowl of granulated sugar and move to coat completely, then place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Use tines of a fork to press down either edge of the cookie, making a pattern like a ribcage.
Bake cookies in preheated oven for 14 to 15 minutes (less for softer, more for crispier). Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Pipe Cajeta into the ridges of each cooled cookie. Enjoy!
Notes
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies - Swap in your favorite cup-for-cup GF all-purpose flour blend.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies - Use plant-based butter, swap in your favorite egg replacer (e.g. JUST Eggs), and use plant-based cajeta to make these cookies vegan-friendly.
Nut-Free Cookies - Want PB cookie vibes without peanuts? Swap in sunflower seed butter and roasted, shelled sunflower seeds for the peanut products.