Peanut Butter Cookies

I love peanut butter cookies, and so does my husband, so I tried the recipe in "Joy."  I never have been overly pleased with the peanut butter cookies that I have made.  Don't get me wrong - these tasted good, and we ate them up very quickly, but I just don't get how to make the perfect peanut butter cookie.  First of all, unless the cookie is about an inch and a half wide, a fork never quite flattens them out like it should.  I feel like you have to flatten them out yourself and then make the indentions "just for show," or they crumble around the edges, get stuck in the fork prongs, don't really flatten, etc.  The other thing is that although I would usually like a cookie that is more crisp than super soft, I do really like soft peanut butter cookies, and I have yet to find a good recipe for this.  I know I could just cook them less, but cooking is not the only issue - I don't want an undercooked cookie (these tend to fall apart) - I want a recipe that leaves the cookies soft (and maybe chewy?) after fully cooking.  This blog is supposed to be about the recipe found in The Joy of Cooking, so I apologize for going on about the lack of a fantastic soft and chewy cookie recipe...  If you want to make peanut butter cookies, this recipe is great.  You'll get your normal peanut butter cookie, and everyone will eat it up!  If you do come across a chewier PB cookie recipe, however, please share!