<P> The early peanut butter cookies were rolled thin and cut into shapes . They were also dropped and made into balls . They did not have fork marks . The first reference to the famous criss - cross marks created with fork tines was published in the Schenectady Gazette on July 1 , 1932 . The Peanut Butter Cookies recipe said `` Shape into balls and after placing them on the cookie sheet , press each one down with a fork , first one way and then the other , so they look like squares on waffles . '' Pillsbury , one of the large flour producers , popularized the use of the fork in the 1930s . The Peanut Butter Balls recipe in the 1933 edition of Pillsbury 's Balanced Recipes instructed the cook to press the cookies using fork tines . The 1932 or 1933 recipes do not explain why this advice is given , though : peanut butter cookie dough is dense , and without being pressed , it will not cook evenly . Using a fork to press the dough is a convenience ; bakers can also use a cookie shovel . </P>
<P> The early peanut butter cookies were rolled thin and cut into shapes . They were also dropped and made into balls . They did not have fork marks . The first reference to the famous criss - cross marks created with fork tines was published in the Schenectady Gazette on July 1 , 1932 . The Peanut Butter Cookies recipe said `` Shape into balls and after placing them on the cookie sheet , press each one down with a fork , first one way and then the other , so they look like squares on waffles . '' Pillsbury , one of the large flour producers , popularized the use of the fork in the 1930s . The Peanut Butter Balls recipe in the 1933 edition of Pillsbury 's Balanced Recipes instructed the cook to press the cookies using fork tines . The 1932 or 1933 recipes do not explain why this advice is given , though : peanut butter cookie dough is dense , and without being pressed , it will not cook evenly . Using a fork to press the dough is a convenience ; bakers can also use a cookie shovel . </P>
why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies
why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies
convenience
convenience