Nothing like a cookie with friends over coffee…or as a bribe to get a husband or son to remove the dead bird your cat just dropped at your feet.
The recipes for peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies that follow fill the bill in either case. I’ve made both kinds hundreds of times and often serve them as after-dinner dessert.
I’ve adjusted the measurements of ingredients so each recipe now provides 2-1/2 dozen cookies…enough for guests with only a few left over for me to pig out on.
My recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies comes from the well-thumbed pages of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook I was given by my Aunt Ann as part of her wedding gift. (Since I didn’t even know how to boil water, it was a great gift.)
I’ve changed just two ingredients over the years. The recipe called for “shortening” which I was told meant “Crisco”. Never had any on hand so have used butter or trans-fat free margarine. I’ve also used chunky as opposed to smooth peanut butter.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1/2 cup shortening (I like to use www.landolakes.com butter or trans-fat free margarine)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (hubby’s favorite SKIPPY® chunky peanut butter)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cream shortening, sugars, egg, vanilla and peanut butter. Sift and stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture.
Drop by rounded teaspoons or soup spoons) on ungreased cookie sheet. Press back of fork into each to make crisscrosses.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes till lightly browned
My second go-to cookie also began as a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook recipe called Oatmeal Crisps. Due to my penchant for changing recipes, the original version has evolved quite a bit. I love incorporating unusual grains in my recipes so this variation for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Amaranth includes amaranth, millet, sunflower seeds and raisins. The cookies are yummy.
Cultivated centuries ago by the Aztecs, amaranth is not a grain that’s well-known today. It’s gluten-free and a high-quality source of plant protein. It’s also high in iron and calcium. I use just a handful in this recipe to add texture and a delightful crunch. Amaranth can be found in organic markets as well as some supermarkets.
Millet is another gluten-free grain that originated in Africa. It’s high in essential minerals and has a sort of nutty taste that I’m fond of. I use millet in many recipes, usually grinding it first in a coffee grinder. The millet adds additional texture to the recipe along with sunflower seeds. Look for millet in supermarkets or organic stores.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Amaranth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and plump 1/4 cup of raisins and/or dried cranberries in hot water
1/2 cup shortening (or substitute butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
Scant 1/4 teaspoon of cinammon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 handful of amaranth grains
1 handful of millet (ground in a coffee bean grinder is best though can leave whole)
Approximately 1/4 cup of hulled sunflower seeds (or can use walnuts)
1/4 cup of plumped raisins (and/or dried cranberries)
Cream shortening or butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Mix together and add flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Stir in oats, handful of amaranth, handful of millet, and sunflower seeds. Mix. Fold in plumped raisins and/or cranberries.
Form into rolls and refrigerate in plastic wrap. When chilled, slice dough into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place on cookie sheet……or simply cover dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and chill. Then scoop dough from bowl with teaspoon or soup spoon. Place on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees and bake until lightly browned (10 to 12 minutes).
