Back in November, this cookie was making the rounds on the web. I had to try it as it had my two of my favorite (I have lots of favorites) ingredients in it – peanut butter and paprika. It was done on about 4 or 5 sites, I liked the one David Leibowitz did which he adapted from a cookbook – Sister Pie: The Recipes & Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit. This is an adaptation of his adaptation and is my 2018 Christmas Treat #10 – Peanut Butter and Paprika Cookies.

Smoked paprika can make or break a dish, use it sparingly and if you are not crazy about the taste, substitute regular paprika or even a little cayenne (remember my roasted garlic and cayenne cookies from a few years ago?! – check it out at https://www.foodbloggersofcanada.com/christmas-cookie-swap-recipes ). I used natural peanut butter but any type will do – even the Kraft kind. If using natural, remember to stir the oils back into the peanut butter before using. I like the unusual recipes and this one works with my taste buds.

There is an optional but oh so nice to thing to do with these cookies. I placed a chocolate piece on top of some of the cookies as they came hot out of the oven; topped others with crushed peanuts, and still others with chocolate and peanuts – absolutely no risk with any of these items – all pictured above. I also baked some in a mini-muffin tin, really wanted to top these with a layer of chocolate but didn’t finish, just left it as it was. Made for a nice treat regardless.

This makes a lot of cookies, I got about 35 small cookies using a big tea spoon as a measure. This will be a lovely addition to the different flavors of cookies on my sweet table – rye, lime, orange, chocolate, tahini, pumpkin, cinnamon, cardamom and coconut (coming up). Something for everyone – and we are not done yet! As always – enjoy!

For the cookie dough
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (40g) whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
8 ounces (230g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup (305g) peanut butter, smooth or chunky
¾ cup (135g), packed light brown sugar
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the paprika topping
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika (original called for smoked again, I switched to regular)
1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon or just Kosher salt

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter, peanut butter, and the light brown and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, stopping the mixer between adding each egg to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Stir in the dry ingredients until completely incorporated – make sure you scrape to the bottom of the bowl, this is where I always find dry flour
Scrape the dough into a shallow bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (original recipe suggests up to 3 days)
Preheat the oven to 350f and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, paprika, and flaky sea salt
Scoop small amounts of the dough into the palm of your hand – roll into 1” balls
Roll the balls into the paprika sugar mixture to coat – repeat until all the dough is done
They will spread so space them about 1 ½” apart on the tray
Total bake time should be 10 – 12 minutes depending on how big you make the balls of dough
Rotate the trays half way through about 6 minutes into the baking process
Cookies are done when they are still puffy and have a golden brown color
Gently tap the tops of each cookie to flatten them slightly (optional, I didn’t do this)