1 plain, 1 super peanut-ized |
I did substitute butter for shortening for this recipe though. Although I know shortening would prevent spread, I prefer the taste and texture of butter. So I decided to chance it. It was hot the day I made the dough so my butter got a bit soft which meant the resulting dough was soft. I had to chill the bowl of dough first before I scooped it into dough balls then I had to freeze the dough balls for at least an hour before I flattened each with the pointy side of a meat mallet to get the indentations I wanted rather than the traditional criss cross. I got the idea from my culinary school classmate, Annie, who has a successful cookie business and is a peanut butter cookie fiend in her own right. For anyone in Napa Valley, look up Annie the Baker cookies and try some - you won't be sorry (she also takes mail orders).
For the indents, just dip the mallet in granulated sugar, press down on the dough ball, lather, rinse and repeat for all the dough balls. Don't freeze the dough balls for too long or you'll have a hard time pressing down with the mallet. You can freeze the cookies further after you've imprinted on them.
The unbaked version with the mallet indentations |
The baked version |
¾
cup peanut butter
½
cup solid vegetable shortening (I used 1/2 cup unsalted butter)
1
¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar
3
tablespoons milk
1
tablespoon vanilla extract
1
egg
1
¾ cups flour
¾
teaspoon salt
¾
teaspoon baking soda
Garnish (optional)
4 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream, just enough for a drizzling consistency
chopped toasted peanuts
1. Combine
the peanut butter, shortening, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl
and
beat until well blended. Add the egg and
mix well. In a separate bowl, combine
the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add
the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just blended. If
dough is too soft to scoop into balls, chill for an hour first.
2. Roll
the dough into 1- to 2-inch balls. Place in freezer for no more than an
hour. Dip the pointy side of a meat mallet in granulated sugar and
press into each ball, taking care to flatten only enough to get the
indentations but not making the cookies too thin. Freeze for several
more hours.
3.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4.
Bake
for 7-9 minutes, or until lightly browned, and cool on a wire rack.
5. For the optional garnish, melt the peanut butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add powdered sugar then just enough heavy cream to thin. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Spoon into ziploc bag, cut a small hole in one corner and pipe onto the cookies. Sprinkle with chopped toasted peanuts.
Also posted on Trick or Treat Tuesday
5. For the optional garnish, melt the peanut butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add powdered sugar then just enough heavy cream to thin. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Spoon into ziploc bag, cut a small hole in one corner and pipe onto the cookies. Sprinkle with chopped toasted peanuts.
Also posted on Trick or Treat Tuesday
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