Peanut butter makes the world go round... :)

Today was amazing. What started out as a tough day - no more coffee left at home and an injured back so no running - ended up being perfect. This morning I lazed around and watched some Food Network before making these delicious cookies for my friend Lea's birthday. :-)

I got to see my best friend Ka for his birthday too - same day! - and got to see some of my favorite people at the party. These cookies are quite simple but totally delicious- and addicting!

The original recipe, by Ms. Dorie Greenspan (first recipe I'm making from her cookbook- my newest addition to my collection!!) is supposed to yield 40 cookies, but somehow I managed to make 62! Perfect however, since I wanted to bring them to a party and save a few for myself as well ;) I made only a few slight adjustments to the recipe; I skipped the nutmeg, baked them for 10 minutes per sheet rather than 12 since they were a bit smaller, and since the recipe calls for salted peanuts and I only had roasted UNsalted, I toasted them in the oven for about 10 minutes with an initial sprinkling of salt and then another round after being toasted. Finally, the recipe suggests rolling the balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar before pressing down the crisscross pattern on them, and I passed on that too. The combination of chunky peanut butter and fresh toasted peanuts adds all the flavor I think these cookies need and there is DEFINITELY enough sugar in them to not really require extra. :)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. Beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanyts. You'll have a soft, pliable dough.
4. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Press a fork onto the top of the cookie in one direction, and then perpendicularly, so you have a beautiful crisscrossed pattern.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes rotating the sheets from top to bottom racks at the midway point for even browning. When done the cookies will be lightly colored and a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transfering to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.
6. Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

With no refrigeration time needed either, these cookies can go from separate ingredients to mixing bowl to oven and then to your mouth in less than 30 minutes, so give 'em a try!


Happy Baking!
Jessica