Peanut Butter Cookies

It's day two of sweet treats week, and also the beginning of my Christmas break. Hallelujah!!! No work and a much needed break for 8 days!! While I do thoroughly love the Christmas season and all the baking that comes with it, I did quite a number on myself this past weekend and this first day of vacation I'm going to take it easy. No baking for me today. But no worries, I have plenty of sweet treats to share with you in the coming days!! 

I now debut the peanut butter cookies that I have been working to perfect for the past few years. I do not like thin, crispy cookies of any sort. I like them soft and chewy, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't get peanut butter cookies to come out of my oven as anything other than flat and crispy. Until this year, that is. I made a few tweaks based on other cookies I've made and it was a success!! Thick, soft cookies full of peanut buttery deliciousness. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
3. Using a medium cookie scoop, shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.