Over the weekend I got this craving for some peanut butter cookies. But not just regular ones… they had to be a little thick, soft, and chewy and that meant making them myself and experimenting a little bit to get them exactly the way I wanted.
Usually, experimenting means that I have to try it a couple times before I get things right (like with the black bean brownies but that’s another story). This time it all worked out the first time! I was impressed and everyone loved them…. but who doesn’t love cookies?
There is just something about cookies that I love so much. They’re so fast and easy to make, you can eat them right away, you don’t need a plate or silverware, and you can pop one in your mouth quickly after you’ve told the kids that they can’t have anymore. See… perfect.
Ingredients
- 3/4 C cream peanut butter - I used Jiff
- 1/2 stick or Crisco Butter flavored baking stick (or 1/2 C out of the container)
- 1 1/4 C firmly packed brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 C all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine the peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until it's well blended and then add in egg. Blend until just mixed in.
- Combine the dry ingredients and then add to the peanut butter mixture at low speed until blended together.
- Scrap down the edges of the bowl and then cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons on to a cookie sheet (I used a scoop for this). Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in sugar to make a crisscross pattern.
- Bake for 7 - 9 minutes, or just until set and the edge is beginning to brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing the cookies from the sheet. Cool completely (if you can wait that long) on a rack.
These are probably not the most healthy cookies but that’s fine as long as you don’t eat all of them at once. Now that I think about it what cookie is really healthy?
I think that what really gives them that softness and extra flavor is the butter flavored Crisco and the full tablespoon of vanilla. You can use real butter if you want to and I don’t think that it’ll change to much but I knew that the Crisco would keep them soft and chewy like I wanted.
When I was younger I remember my grandma and mom using Crisco to bake with… cookies, pie crusts, and to even make the most creamy, delicious frosting ever. I make that frosting to this very day on occasion. I suppose that it’s little things that bring back memories… like cookies.
Give these peanut butter cookies a try and I think that you’ll like them.
