Smoked Paprika Peanut Butter Cookies

recipe from david lebovitz
yields 30 cookies

Cookie Dough

280 g all-purpose flour
40 g whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
230 g unsalted butter, room temperature
305 g chunky peanut butter
135 g packed light brown sugar
150 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

To make the cookie dough, in a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flour with the baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher or salt, and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or by hand, 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, making sure to reach down to the bottom of the bowl, as you'll likely find some unincorporated flour lingering underneath the dough.

Scrape the dough into a shallow bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 3 days. (The dough can be frozen at this point for up to three months, although I recommend doing it after scooping it in balls. Let thaw before baking.)

Paprika Topping

1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix together the turbinado and granulated sugar, paprika, and flaky sea salt.

Weigh out 30 cookies at 40 grams each. Roll each cookie into a ball and then roll each ball in the sugar and paprika mixture so it's evenly coated, and place each on the baking sheet so they're about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets in the oven midway during baking, until they are golden brown across the top, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to gently tap the tops of each cookie to flatten them slightly, which makes them more attractive, and chewy when cool.