Classic Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Set 1/4 cup of the peanuts aside and add the rest of the peanuts into the bowl of a food processor. Secure the lid and run the food processor until you have peanut butter, which should take about 5-7 minutes.

Add the peanut butter to a large bowl with 1 cup of the sugar, the egg, baking soda and vanilla. Mix by hand or with a hand mixer until well combined.

In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.

Take two tablespoons of cookie dough at a time and roll them into one ball. Roll the ball in the cinnamon sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Space the cookies out as they will spread quite a bit in the oven. When all the cookies are rolled flatten each ball with the palm of your hand.

Chop the reserved 1/4 cup of peanuts and sprinkle them evenly over the cookies. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set on a rack. Cool cookies on the baking sheet until the cookies are sturdy enough to handle, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Notes: This recipe makes 10 really big cookies. If you would like to make regular size cookies, use less dough and decrease the baking time. You may also substitute one cup of store-bought peanut butter for the homemade used in this recipe.