Special to the HT
MEEKER | I’m sitting here writing this on Father’s Day morning. Listening to music, while my oven and timers go in the background. Baking time — it’s been a couple of months and it’s not something I do nearly often enough.
The funny thing is, I’m baking something that I absolutely detest. Peanut Butter Cookies. I hate them, because I hate peanut butter. But my dad loves it, and sometimes love looks a lot like making something you’d never make for yourself.
Since he’s up here visiting for Father’s Day, it feels fitting. Father’s Day is about celebrating the dads in our lives and the love, support and guidance that they provide us with. Sometimes, I think food says “I love you” better than words can, especially when it’s something we wouldn’t choose for ourselves. In fact, I believe this to be true of all acts of service. They matter most when they’re done not for our own benefit, but for the people we care about.
Time is short — you never know when your clock, or theirs, will run out. So, while you can, make the darn cookies. And — always, always, remember to tell the precious people in your life just how much they mean to you.
Peanut Butter Cookies
(I used a recipe from www.modernhoney.com, and as usual, tweaked slightly)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
If desired – 2 bars of your favorite eating chocolate – I use milk or dark imported from Italy
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3–4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until everything is smooth and well combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix just until combined.
Scoop the dough into balls using a cookie scoop or about 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie, placing them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Slightly flatten them with a fork for the classic imprint.
Bake the cookies for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops look slightly cracked. Be careful not to overbake. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
If desired, once cookies are cooled, you can make chocolate bottoms — so that your cookies are chocolate peanut butter. To do this, melt the chocolate with about an added teaspoon of vanilla maple olive oil, or coconut oil. in a microwave-safe bowl in 10 second intervals, stirring between each until smooth.
Turn cooled cookies upside down and spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottoms. Place on a baking sheet, or plate, chocolate side up. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes until the chocolate is fully set. If you’d like to speed up the process, place the baking sheet/plate in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes.
By ALEXIS HULL-STONE
