These are one of the rare cookies that taste best after they’ve cooled. If you can stand to wait that long, it’s well worth it. If someone in your house is allergic to peanuts, these are equally delicious made with another nut butter, like cashew or almond.

Sometimes I add 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, or replace the nut butter with ½ cup Nutella plus ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Sometimes I add both.

Yield: about 8 dozen cookies.

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups peanut, almond, or cashew butter
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats, ground (if desired)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 cup teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper.

2. Place the butter and both sugars in the bowl of mixer fitted with a paddle, and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, and mix until just combined, being careful not to overbeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until everything is well incorporated.

3. Place teaspoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet and transfer it to the oven. Bake until the edges of the cookies are beginning to firm up, about 15 minutes. For crispy cookies, let them cool on the sheet. Let the cookie sheet cool between batches.

4. (Alternately, form the dough into four 1½-inch-diameter logs, cover them with parchment paper, and place in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 2 months.)

From Warehouse to Your House: More than 250 Simple, Spectacular Recipes to Cook, Store, and Share When You Buy in Quantity (Simon & Schuster, 2006)