Peanut Butter Cookies

So Mom and Dad bought this amazing swingset/playhouse type situation for Curtis:



Having researched this model, they were aware it would take a team of carpenters and engineers at least three full weeks and several committee meetings to assemble. They dropped the boxes off at my house, and wisely sped away.

Luckily, my in-laws were visiting for the week, and my father-in-law is a wonder. He builds things. As soon as their camper is parked, he conjurs wood from thin air and starts hammering. It took him two days to put the whole mess together.

He never asked for anything in return, but I had it on good authority (MIL) that he wanted peanut butter cookies. This gave me a great excuse to whip out THE BOOK and try this recipe!
__________________________________________

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

• 1 cup butter (I like to use the real stuff)
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (or creamy if you prefer)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp baking soda

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour - this helps it firm up some so you can handle it better.

Roll into 1-inch balls and put on baking sheets - leave room between them, because they do spread. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 375 in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown. Allow to cool before removing from cookie sheets.

__________________________________________

I had been looking for the basic, classic peanut butter cookie recipe and I think this is pretty much it. They turned out a little flatter and crisper than I had intended (and I don't know enough about the chemistry of baking to say what I could adjust to make them softer and fluffier? Help?) but they were still very good. The flavor was light and buttery, and it was a great sweet/salty mix of awesome. Father-in-law approved.

This recipe makes A BUNCH of cookies, like a whole platter of them. So I took some over to the neighbors' crawfish boil and they were gone before I even set the plate down.

Maple Pecan Thumbprints and Lemon Pecan Snowdrops

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone had a great one, full of fun and family and, of course, food!
Here are the two things I make every year without fail:

Lemon Pecan Snowdrops (more commonly known to us as Lemon Balls; these are my MIL's favorite!)

Cookie

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon, softened
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 to 3 tablespoons milk

Topping

Coarse grain white sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. Combine 1 cup butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, pecans and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Beat until dough forms.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine all glaze ingredients except milk in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding enough milk for desired dipping consistency. Pour glaze into small bowl.

Dip tops of cooled cookies into glaze; shake off excess glaze. Place onto waxed paper; sprinkle tops with coarse grain sugar. Let stand until glaze is set (about 1 hour). Store in loosely covered container between sheets of waxed paper.


Maple Pecan Thumbprints (MY favorite!)

Cookie:

1 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
1 egg white, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 375.

Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and beat at med speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour and salt and beat until dough forms.

Put pecans in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch round balls. Dip each ball into egg white and then roll in pecans. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Make indentation in the center of each cookie with your thumb or back of teaspoon. Bake 11-13 minutes or until very light browned and set. Cool completely.

Frosting:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
3 T. butter, melted
2 T. Milk
3/4 tsp maple extract

Combine all in small mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until smooth. Fill centers of each cooled cookie.

(Both of these recipes come from some magazine Land O'Lakes put out - this is in tiny print because the magazine is REALLY OBNOXIOUS, putting their brand name in every ingredient list. But I ain't no thief! Except for the part where I stole their pictures.)

Apple Oatmeal Cookies (and pizza results)

The pizza turned out ok…it definitely needs improvement. I browned the sausage in a pan with onion and red pepper, added a little salt and Tony’s and my spinach and cooked until the spinach was juuuuust wilted…brushed the dough with olive oil and a LITTLE bit of pesto (because I just CAN’T SAY NO TO PESTO) and put my meat and veggies on. I did one half mozzarella and one half provolone. If I ever decide to do this again, I will add more salt, stick with full provolone (I just love provolone and sausage together, although this is the first time I’ve used it with smoked sausage and not ground Italian on a pizza), and brave the rainstorm to get some fresh basil out of the garden. This would have been SO GOOD with fresh basil! It was edible though and was done it no time, since I didn’t make a homemade crust. If you have some sausage lying around (and I’m pretty sure you do), try it!

I tweeted about Apple Oatmeal cookies and my buddy Danielle asked for the recipe, so here it is. Keep in mind this is another Weight Watchers diet recipe, so it’s not at all sweet and probably not that good in comparison to “real” cookies. I loved them, but if I ever made them for others, I would add sugar…then they would be awesome. As is, they are alright.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

(makes 12 cookies)

1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats, toasted*
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon**
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cups light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup butter
1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream brown sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the apple, egg, and vanilla, beat until combined. Add the oats mixture, stir to blend, then stir in raisins.

Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet; flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes.

*just put your oatmeal in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and toast ‘em on the stove for a couple of minutes, keep stirring!
**my secret ingredient to everything ever is nutmeg. If it calls for cinnamon, go ahead and put that in, and then throw in a bit of nutmeg for extra oomph.