This weekend was a pretty perfect weekend over here in the Chi. Not only did the weather 100% cooperate by being absolutely beautiful, but for me, it had both alone and social time, set in perfect proportions for me to feel relaxed and not rushed, giving me the perfect peace of mind with which to start my week. The best peanut butter cookies helped too, but more on that in a sec.
Yesterday after a great, dance-party-spin workout, I spent a good chunk of the afternoon doing my absolute favorite thing- reading in a coffee shop, the sun peering through the large open window at the newly opened Le Pain Quotidien as I enjoyed my book of the week, an almond café au lait and a wonderfully gluten-free coconut macaroon.
Afterwards I joined some of my favorites for a tapas dinner, one of the last with all of us together before my friend Em moves herself out west at the end of the month. It’s going to be sad, but may provide the perfect reason to Eat Seattle later this year. The night ended with some karaoke…which is never a bad thing.
This Sunday morning was bittersweet. I felt rested and happy from my aforementioned perfect day but sad since it is, after all Father’s Day. This will be the fourth one without my dad, and as I woke up to Facebook with my friends posting wishes to either their fathers, their husband, or both, a pang of sadness swept over me for the phone call I would not make today. While we never really made a big to-do about it growing up, it did at least guarantee grilled steak and fettucinni alfredo for dinner (a huge treat from our normally healthy fare) and a Carvel ice cream cake for dessert, all of the Big Buddha’s favorites.
I had planned on moving forward with some more Turkish and Greek delights through this week, but as an ode to the dad, I decided instead to make parts of his favorite dinner (STEAK!), along with his favorite cookie. So here I bring to you, a little late for National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, Mom’s recipe for her peanut butter cookie which he loved as a snack with a cuppa tea.
Mom collected this recipe at the tender age of before-high school. I’ve heard time and again how Arthur Munch of Buffalo, New York’s (her childhood best friend) mom made the best peanut butter cookies and how even then back in the day, mom thought enough to secure the recipe. Tweaked to be her own, of course, it’s really easy to remember (everything, you’ll see, is in ½ cup increments) and never fails to be a fan favorite. It was definitely a Buddha favorite.
Note: Gotta go with JIF. While I don’t usually insist, here I insist.
Happy Father’s Day!
Best Peanut Butter Cookies
The Best Peanut Butter Cookies you'll ever eat- full of peanut butter chips and only the best JIF peanut butter, you'll never need another recipe.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, unsalted
- ½ cup crunchy peanut butter (I prefer JIF)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, large
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cup flour (gluten-free works just dandy)
- 1 cup peanut butter chips (preferably Reeses’s)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Step 2 In a stand mixer (or, by hand, if you choose), cream the butter, sugars and baking soda until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat another 3 or so minutes until fluffy and well incorporated.
- Step 3 Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add the flour and mix until is one.
- Step 4 Mix in the peanut butter chips. Don’t over-beat.
- Step 5 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough, about 1 TB at a time, into balls and place on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart (12 cookies per sheet). With a fork, press the dough down to flatten the cookie.
- Step 6 Bake 9-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool about 3 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to continue cooling.
