Health Food

Today I made peanut butter cookies.  I like to think of them as a health food because peanut butter is a good source of protein, isn't it?  Never mind that these cookies are clock full of butter and sugar.   I used all natural peanut butter so I should at least get some credit for making an effort.

I think everyone should adopt my somewhat relaxed standards for what is and what is not healthy.  We would all be happier.  A little thicker through the hips but happier nonetheless.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookie cookbooks.  Alice Medrich sure has a way with her cookies.  Every recipe in Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies calls out to me.  In case you are interested, this recipe for peanut butter cookies falls into the category of "melt-in-your-mouth".  And they do.

But I must warn you.  These cookies are a little fragile which means that (1) you should make sure they're completely baked when you take them out of the oven and (2) you should be very careful when transferring them to a wire rack to completely cool.  What do you expect?  They're melt-in-your-mouth yummy which means that they're a bit, shall we say, delicate.

Recipe:  Peanut Butter Cookies

(Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Melt-in-You Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich, 2010)

Note:  The recipe calls for refrigerating the dough for at least an hour or two before baking.  It's a good idea but if you're pressed for time, Medrich suggests using melted butter instead of softened butter and then baking them straight away.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon flaky salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups natural chunky peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flours, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, use a mixer to mix together the sugars and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix again until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix again, this time until the ingredients are just combined.

Scoop slightly more than 1 level tablespoonful of cookie dough, and form the dough into balls. Arrange the balls on the lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball with the tines of a fork into a cross hatch pattern.

Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes until they are lightly golden brown in color.  Rotate the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

Cool the cookies on a baking rack. They will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.