In a medium-sized bowl, sift the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (omit salt if using salted peanut butter). This will ensure there are no lumps in the batter.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or alternative, cream together the butter and granulated sugar.
Add peanut butter to the creamed mixture and mix a little before adding the vanilla extract and egg. Mix these all until well combined.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix for about 8 minutes or until there are no more lumps in the batter.
Preheat oven to 350℉ if you want to bake right away.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, scoop out even-sized balls of cookie dough. I recommend at 1⅓ ounce cookie scooper (Size 24). Once they are portioned out, use a fork to press down and make the classic cross hatch pattern.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350℉ for 12 - 15 minutes. No pre-chilling is required but you can if you want to pre-make the dough!
Remove the cookies from the oven when done baking! You can adjust the bake time to achieve your desired texture. The longer you bake the crispier and crumblier the cookie will turn starting with the edges. I recommend baking until the edges are crumbly but the center is still soft!
