Week Three - Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

First, I've got to say I'm not fond of Peanut Butter Cookies. I may have eaten a few more than I should have at some time in my misspent childhood... and I just don't eat them any more. Other folks like them, however, so here is a sort-of-variation of Peanut Butter Cookies.

Ingredients
1 Cup Chunky Peanut Butter
4 oz. melted Butter
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1 Large Egg
1Tablespoon Vanilla
1 2/3 Cups AP Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Washed Raw Sugar for sprinkling on tops

Directions:

Wait to preheat oven to 350 until you take the dough out of the refrigerator.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a medium-sized mixing bowl) combine the Melted Butter, both the Brown and White Sugars, Peanut Butter, Egg, and Vanilla. Mix on Medium speed until combined. Sift the dry ingredients onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment, then add them to the mixer (always add dry ingredients a little at a time, on low speed) increasing speed to medium and mixing until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Dough will stick together in a solid mass. Pour the dough out onto the waxed paper and fold the paper to completely cover the ball and place it in the refrigerator for about two hours, until firm.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and place parchment on two half-sheet pans. Now is the time to pre heatthe oven to 350...

Flour your hands then pinch the dough off and roll into 1" balls between your hands. Place the balls about 2" apart on the cookie sheet. When ou have filled the sheet, press the tops of the cookies with the tines of a fork to make the traditional lines in the tops of the Peanut Butter Cookies. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with raw sugar to add crunch, and bake for about 12 minutes, or until goldy-brown. Remove cookes to a rack to cool.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk !