Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve been eating way too much peanut butter in the past few weeks. Its smoothness, along with the surprise crunch now and then is simply irresistible. There’s simply nothing stopping me just dipping a spoon (or my finger) into the jar and pulling out the golden goodness inside.

Honey Bunches of Oats is another addiction I’ve recently adopted. In fact, my addiction is so bad that I had the cereal for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea all in one day. Yesterday, I had three bowls of it just for afternoon snack. I just discovered their strawberry flavor and it is SO GOOD. I could talk about it all day.

But we’re here to talk peanuts, so let’s get on with it.

Today was my friend’s birthday (Happy 18th Rebecca!) and she received some peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses on top. As soon as I savored the sweet, moist, and aromatic cookie (I ripped the Kiss off the top to maintain my new year’s resolution) I fell in love. At that moment, I knew that I just had to make my own batch that afternoon. There’s no recipe that uses up peanut butter quicker than peanut butter cookies. For just one batch of these, half a jar of crushed nuts must be sacrificed. For course, there’s no denying that they are 100% worth it.

These cookies are incredibly rich so make sure you had a glass of cold milk by your side. Remember, calcium is your friend! The batch I made this afternoon will be for my peers at school tomorrow. I sure hope they enjoy them as much as I did!



Ingredients

3/4 cup trans fat free margarine
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated.
3. Roll the batter into 1 inch balls. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern. You could also use the bottom of a cup to flatten them and etch in smiley faces.
4. Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.