Peanut Butter Cookies Resurfaced

So I was looking through our blog to try to find a peanut butter cookie recipe I just KNEW I had posted somewhere. It was hard work (by that I mean I had to throw in a couple of extra clicks, but still!). I found it hiding as a comment and decided this recipe deserves a more prominent, tagged position on the blog. So now, should you desire some delicious peanut butter cookies you can find it under "peanut butter" or "cookies".

Posted in response to a request for a great peanut butter cookie recipe:

If you have been on the fence regarding your opinion of peanut butter cookies behold the recipe that just might make up your mind! I have tried it twice and had ooey, gooey and deliciously soft peanut butter cookies. Both times. Mmm....

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Combing your flour, soda and salt with a whisk and set it aside. In another bowl blend your sugars and butter and you'll get a grainy paste. Add the eggs and peanut butter and vanilla. Now it should get light and fluffy and you can mix in your dry stuff but just until it is mixed.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a sheet and with a wet fork do your little crisscross deal.

Bake 15 or so minutes or until just brown on the edges then don't let them sit on the pan too long. Get 'em on the wire rack right away. They may still seem a bit underdone but they will keep from getting crumbly this way.

Cayenne

Chewy Granola Bars!

Finding snacks that pack well, taste good, and will actually fill up little tummies is hard work. My son loves granola bars, but they can get expensive (not to mention sugary), particularly when he eats 6 of them at a time. I found a recipe at Kitchen Stewardship for granola bars. The whole family agrees that they're delicious (minus the baby who can't have honey yet). They hold together well. And while the ingredients can get rather expensive (1 cup honey and 1 cup butter per recipe), I don't think they'll end up costing any more than store-bought granola bars (probably less). However, they are much more wholesome and filling. So it should take us longer to go through them and actually tide us over for longer. They're not hard to make either. It's a good thing to throw together while you're baking something else anyways.

Chewy Granola Bars


4 1/2 cups rolled oats (toast ahead of time for some extra flavor)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup honey
2 cup add-ins such as chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, and sunflower seeds

 Grease a 9x13 or large jelly roll pan.  In a large mixing bowl combine butter and honey.

Add all ingredients except add-ins.  Beat hard until combined.  Stir in add-ins.  Press mixture into pan — really jam it in there so your bars don’t fall apart.  (Getting your hands wet and then using them is the most effective method that I've found.)  Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars.  Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving.

Variations:

• Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder and skip the chocolate chips
• Use 1/2 cup natural peanut butter in place of 1/2 cup of butter

Rosemary

BTW, if anyone finds a recipe for something like a Clif Kid Z Bar, please let me know! I think they're pretty great, but they're EXPENSIVE.