Peanut Butter Cookies

My mom sent me a brand-new stand mixer for my birthday (which isn’t until the 29th, so it was early), and I, of course, wanted to break it in right away. Unfortunately, I had almost nothing in the way of ingredients due to a lack of motivation to walk the block and a half to Kroger. I scoured my reserves and found that I had just enough to make delicious, crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside peanut butter cookies. I’m not exactly sure where the recipe came from originally, but I’ve modified it a bit.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time: Approx. 30 minutes

1/2 cup sugar, plus about 1/4 cup to roll the cookies in later
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick margarine, room temperature (or butter if you prefer)
1 egg
1 cup crunchy peanut butter (you can also use smooth, I just prefer crunchy)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a couple of baking sheets. Or just put parchment paper down on them (NOT wax paper). In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Beat in the egg. Then mix in the peanut butter and vanilla until the mixture is super smooth. Add salt, baking soda, and flour and mix well.

Put the extra 1/4 c. sugar in a little bowl or plate. Roll the dough into 1” balls and roll in the sugar to get an even, light coating. Plop on the baking sheet about 2” apart to give them some room to spread.

Flatten with a fork, then bake for 12-15 minutes.

When I say 12-15, I mean you must watch these cookies. They can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds. I usually bake for exactly 12 minutes. I’m at sea level; high altitude may be different. Just watch them when it gets close to the end. They should be a tiny bit golden-brown on the edges when they’re done, and the tops will crack a bit.

Cool on racks (if you can wait) and enjoy! Yum!