Heart Warming Peanut Butter Cookies

I think I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of peanut butter – not since I was pregnant, anyway. I will still eat it, it’s just not something I really crave. But my Dad loves it, and while we were in Amish Country we used their fun little Peanut Butter Making Contraption (PBMC) to make our own peanut butter out of nothing by smooshed up nuts. We got some regular, and some that had honey added. Dad thought the PBMC was about as cool as it gets, and he loved the Honey Peanut Butter, so I bough some of it, too, just to make him some peanut butter cookies out of it.

I don’t really have a Go To recipe, but I found one in my Better Homes & Gardens New Baking Book that looked simple and tasty. I just messed around with it until it was what I wanted…which ended up a far cry from the recipe in the book.

Man were they ever tasty! Soft and chewy, full of peanutty goodness. I can’t say I have ever had a better peanut butter cookie. It almost turned me back into a peanut butter lover!

makes 36

5 Tbsp Butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Honey Nut Peanut Butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used vanilla sugar)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

Dash of Ginger

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup AP Flour

Granulated Sugar for dipping

Beat Butter and Peanut Butter until combined. Add sugars, ginger, baking powder and baking soda and beat until combined, scraping sides as needed. Add vanilla, egg and yolk and beat until well combined. Mix in flour. If needed, chill dough, otherwise proceed to next step.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and coat with granulated sugar. Using a fork, press balls onto ungreased baking sheet, making a criss-cross pattern. Space dough around 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. (**I used a Silpat and had no sticking whatsoever…nor did I have any uneven baking. Get a Silpat. Get one now. You need one. Trust me.)

Have a favorite peanut butter cookie recipe you’d like to share? Has anyone ever subbed in Nutella for PB in a cookie recipe? What were the results?

Oh – just in case you are here for the winners of the Romano’s Macaroni Grill Kit Giveaway – here you go! Winners, please email me your name and address ASAP so that I can pass it along and get you your prizes!