The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Peanut Butter Cookies

I've been trying to find this recipe online to avoid posting it myself, but have failed to find the exact version. Apparently, the recipe differs depending on which edition you have. My version comes from the 13th edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, published in 1990. The proportions are double that of other editions and but it uses half the amount of salt. More noteworthy to me, and I’ll explain why, is that it calls for shortening rather than butter.

I really don’t like baking with shortening. However, we were snowbound (hey thanks, Mother Nature!) and had precious little butter in the house. And precious few sweets. My darling husband was having a powerful hunger for cookies and I remembered this recipe, one of the few I have that specifically calls for shortening. I used Spectrum Organic Shortening which, unlike Crisco, is non-hydrogenated. I forget why I originally purchased it, but I do remember thinking that if I absolutely had to use shortening, I would prefer to spend a little extra for something a wee bit “healthier.” Both my local Hannaford and Target carry Spectrum Organic Shortening. Maybe it’s willful thinking on my part, but when I use the non-hydrogenated shortening, I don’t notice that yucky waxy mouthfeel that is typical of shortening-based baked goods. I found these cookies really tasty, and I’m reasonably sure that wasn’t the desperation for sweets talking.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (the weight conversions and the editorializing are my own)

1 cup (6.5 oz.) shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup (7 oz.) granulated sugar

1 cup (8 oz.) light brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup (9.5 oz.) smooth peanut butter

3 cups (12.75 oz.) all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a half sheet pan with parchment. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly cream the shortening, vanilla, and sugars. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in the peanut butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda; add to the peanut butter mixture, mixing until thoroughly combined. I used a cookie scoop (purple handled #40, which is 7/8 oz. for those who care about this sort of stuff) to measure the dough; place on the lined sheet pan. Press each cookie twice with the back of a fork to make the traditional crisscross design. Bake for 12 minutes (less if using a smaller portion of dough); cookies will be firm when lightly touched, but not brown. Makes about 4 dozen or so (I lost count of the trays going in and out of the oven and the cookies going in and out of mouths!) using the #40 scoop.

Crisscrossed and ready to go in the oven!

peanut butter chocolate toffee cookies

I love browsing in the baking goods aisle in my local grocery store.  I particularly love looking at all the different kinds of baking chips -- semisweet, bittersweet and milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, and on and on.  Among my favorites are Heath Toffee Bits.  There are two varieties -- Bits O' Brickle, which are just the toffee bits, and Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits, which are pretty much chopped-up Heath Bars.  I found this recipe on the back of the bag of the latter.  Ordinarily, I prefer not to bake with shortening, but I decided to bake them as written to see how they'd turn out.  I was concerned that substituting butter for the shortening would produce cookies with too much spread and that were too thin.  And they are pretty thin, even with the shortening.  Maybe next time I'll try them with the butter and substitute baking powder for the baking soda (baking soda contributes to spread).  One more thing: the recipe cautions to be careful to not overbake the cookies. However, the cookies looked a bit raw at the 8-minute mark so I baked them for another minute or two.  Even then, I thought the centers were a bit iffy.  I had to cool them on the baking sheet for longer than the recommended 2 minutes as well; they were just too soft and fragile to move at that point.

The verdict on the cookies?  Thin and chewy, with crisp edges -- I love how the peanut butter and chocolate toffee bits play against each other. Give them a try!

Heath Bits Peanut Butter Cookies

(from Hershey's Kitchens)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. 

1/2 cup (95g) shortening

3/4 cup (202g) creamy peanut butter

1 1/4 cups (284g) packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons milk (I used 1%)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups (181g) all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add egg; beat just until blended. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Stir in 1 cup bits; reserve remainder for topping. Drop by heaping teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; top each with reserved bits. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until set. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

awesome pb lovers' cookies (aka get well soon cookies)

I love reading food blogs, as is evidenced by the lengthy list on the right sidebar. One of my favorites to comb through is Anna Ginsberg's Cookie Madness. Some months ago, Anna posted the recipe for the Get Well Soon cookies she had created for a sick friend and I immediately bookmarked it for future use. I made them today for L.'s book group gathering and have taken the liberty of rechristening them (just for today) "peanut butter lovers' cookies," because (hopefully) none of the kids present are sick. These soft molasses-tinged peanut butter cookies, with chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Dove Dark Chocolate and Reese's Pieces, are quite addictive. P., who is not normally a big peanut butter cookie kind of guy, couldn't stop eating them.

my thursday with dorie -- chunky peanut butter and oatmeal chocolate chipsters

Tuesdays with Dorie is a group of very dedicated baking bloggers who, once a week, select, prepare and post a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. Although I own the book and I've often considered participating, I haven't yet, I think mostly because I'm frightened what weekly goodies will do to my waistline. So today, I thought I would have my own day with Dorie. I baked her Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters (page 73 for those who wish to follow along).

Maybe it's because I've been so (relatively) good in the past week, but the combination of oatmeal, peanut butter and chocolate came to me several days ago and just sounded so appealing. I proceeded to google cookie recipes with that combo only to discover that I already had such a recipe in my own house! I actually halved Dorie's version since I wanted to continue being (relatively) good, and opted to use creamy peanut butter (it's what I had in the house) and semisweet chocolate chunks (ditto) instead of bittersweet chocolate. The house smells amazing -- baking brown sugar, peanut butter, cinnamon and chocolate -- and (mmmmmmm) the cookies are even more amazing.

chocolate scotcheroos

A lot of people prepare family favorites during the holidays, as a tradition, or even just as a way to connect with loved ones. I don't have much in my holiday baking repetoire that fits that category. Living in Bangkok with my mother, we weren't really in the practice of baking holiday goodies at Christmastime. And when I was with my father in the States, holiday baking was just not one of his traditions.

When I was a teenager, my father was married to a woman who loved all things peanut butter. At holiday time she'd make peanut brittle (and a few different kinds of fudges), but throughout the year she'd make this concoction called Scotcheroos. I actually thought she'd invented it, although I've since learned that it was actually a popular recipe. For potlucks she'd make the complete version of the recipe with the melted chocolate and butterscotch chips on top, but much more often she'd make an everyday version -- just the peanut butter-cereal base -- for a treat, or a snack, or even a pick-me-up after a bad day. Most often she'd make it with Wheaties, and on a really bad day, she'd eat it warm out of the bowl.

I always make my Scotcheroos with the melted chips -- my teenage son demands it -- and I use Rice Krispies rather than Wheaties. I haven't lived with my stepmother in almost 25 years, but every time I make Scotcheroos I always think of her.


Chocolate Scotcheroos

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
6 cups Rice Krispies (or Wheaties)

Cook sugar and corn syrup in a large pot until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and add peanut butter; stir until smooth. Add the cereal and mix until all the cereal is coated. Press into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Let harden. Melt butterscotch and chocolate chips together over hot water (or melt in microwave in glass bowl). Spread the melted chocolate/butterscotch chips over the cereal mixture. Cut into bars after top is firm.