Foodie Fridays - Peanut Butter Cookies

Happy Good Friday everyone!  As I said in an earlier post I'm writing for our local paper here in Macon, The Macon Beacon.  I thought I would share my first article I wrote, a recipe for peanut butter cookies.  This is a tried and true recipe I've been making since I was a teenager (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and the wheel was still a philosophical concept.)  Hope you are having a great day!

From the Macon Beacon March 10, 2016

When I was thinking how to start my first article for the paper I really wanted to start with something easy and personal for me.  I hope in the weeks to come I can share not only some recipes with you but also some stories from around the county.  Noxubee County is a wonderful place to live and even though I’ve only been here for about nine years it has come to feel like home.  I learned early on that food is a big part of all things Noxubee.  Since it was a big part of my upbringing too, it was my entry point in getting to know people in the community.   Nothing breaks the ice like bringing a dish to the potluck and everyone wanting the recipe.  Having something in common makes it easier to get a conversation started, and everyone has to eat and most everyone loves food.  From my earliest memories I could always remember my grandmothers making peanut butter cookies.  You know the kind with the little crisscross design made by pressing the dough down with a fork dipped in sugar.  I’ve always wondered who came up with the first recipe for peanut butter cookies and I should have known it was our favorite peanut farmer.  We have George Washington Carver of the Tuskegee Institute to thank for the creation of the peanut butter cookie when in 1910 he published a peanut cookbook that included the recipe.  The book was entitled “How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption,” and was published to promote the crop.  The original recipe only contained chopped peanuts and finally 20 years later peanut butter was added to the recipe.   Those famous fork marks are attributed to a 1936 Pillsbury cookbook.  No explanation as to why and we are still doing it the same way eighty years later.   A simple cookie but when done right is oh so crisp and delicious!  I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe from Our Cookbook published by the Washington State Grange.  It was published in 1981 and I shameless stole it from my mom when I got married and moved away primarily because of this recipe.  I’ve shared this recipe with friends and it always comes out perfect.  Be prepared to make a double batch because I guarantee they will not last long.  

Peanut Butter Cookies

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup white granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup creamy style peanut butter

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. soda

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 to 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 to 3 tlbs. white sugar

Blend butter and sugars in a large bowl until creamy.  To this add the egg, peanut butter, salt, soda, and vanilla.  Add flour gradually until it forms a soft workable dough.  Dough should not be sticky and should be easy to handle and roll into balls.  Roll dough into small balls.  Place on a greased cookie sheet or a sheet lined with parchment paper.  Press flat with fork dipped in white sugar.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.  Yield - 5 dozen cookies.  

One last thing - please feel free to drop me a line at lanapugh@gmail.com.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!