Monday Menu ~ Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

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.

peanut butter cookies

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

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

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. 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.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients and then add to the peanut butter mixture at low speed until blended together.
  4. Scrap down the edges of the bowl and then cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
https://withjustabitofmagic.com/soft-chewy-peanut-butter-cookies

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.

Peanut Butter Pie

Last week on Twitter SuZ from Not Your Typical Mommy sent out a Tweet seeing if anyone wanted something written or something along those lines (I don’t remember the exact wording). Well, I jumped on it and asked if she would want to guest post for me this week!

Let me tell you…. when I read her recipe I was all but wiping the drool off my computer! I’m a HUGE fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and have been known to dip my mini Hershey bar in the jar of peanut butter for a quick snack. So when I saw this I knew that it was something that I would love as well as my family! I’m thinking of topping it with some hot fudge & whipped cream! YUM!

You can find SuZ on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Go check her out!

 

With my official baking season right around the corner (Hello, Fall!), I’m gearing up to spend my days knee deep in cake mixes, pies, bread dough and more.

Baking season, for me, runs from the beginning of October to very end of December. I picked these months as my baking season because who really wants to spend the hot summer months in front of a stove or spend the glorious spring season inside?

I celebrate baking because anything that is yummy and tasty deserves its own season. I love baking so much and I’m not biased about just one bakery item. I make cookies, cakes, pies, candy, ice cream… you name it. I’ve baked it, or attempted to bake it (I’m not the best baker, but I really do try. I swear!).

The one item I make constantly (especially because it’s my husband’s favorite) is peanut butter pie. A staple in any family holiday event we host. Seriously, if we show up and we don’t have peanut butter pie in our hands, we’re told to run back home and get it.

It’s that good.

It started with my husband’s grandmother and the recipe has been passed down and now it’s in my hands. I think that because it was started by this wonderful woman we want it on our table at every family event so it feels like she’s still with us.

PB Pie

Ingredients and Directions

• Mix four ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup of powder sugar together in your stand mixer.
• Then add in 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter (any brand will do).
• In a separate bowl, mix together 1 box of Dream Whip Whipped Topping with 2/3 cup of milk (Whole milk works best).
• You want to whip that until it’s stiff then add in the peanut butter mixture.
• After it’s good and mixed, put it in a graham cracker crust and freeze overnight.

Pure heaven, I swear by it.

And don’t worry, you don’t have wait until Baking Season to make this, go ahead and do it now.

Seriously, now! Your family will thank you, I promise.