Dad’s Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookies

Today is National Peanut Lover’s Day. While I realize peanut butter cookies is a bit of a stretch, I really wanted an excuse to share my childhood recipe for these crisscross delights. I will admit, I’ve used more modern recipes, but none can compare to the one found in his seventy-three year old cookbook.

Growing up, there was a cookbook in our house that was the Holy Grail of cookbooks. It’s a thick book, with very little pictures and packed with information. The title alone gives a hint as to what pearls of wisdom lay between the covers; “Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book”. The one in our house was published in 1946; Dad still swears by it. My sisters and I have argued for years as to who would inherit this priceless book. That is until Hubby found a copy at an antique street fair a few years back and gave me my own copy for Mother’s Day.  In addition to the recipes, this book contains an entire section dedicated to useful information (like how to boil water) and Table Setting (including the best placement of ash trays for a formal and informal setting). There is even an entire section on the value of proper nutrition and meal planning for the woman of the house. While some of the contents are laughable by today’s thinking and standards, there are recipes in those pages that are tried and true and still just as delicious as they ever were.

Did you know that nuts are most healthy in their raw form? Yeah, that may be but I still love a good roasted peanut. Studies show that people who eat nuts regularly live as much as three years longer than those who don’t. Hum, wonder how they conducted such a study? The most common food allergy is an allergy to nuts. Most interesting of all is that half of the world’s nuts are poisonous to humans. Must be why peanuts are so popular; accounting for two-thirds of the snack nuts consumed in America. I wonder how many people suffer from Archibutyrophobia, the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth? One thing is for sure, having your peanut butter in a cookie will prevent the peanut butter from sticking – that is unless you are eating your cookie dough raw.

Dad’s Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookies
1-1/4 cups Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Peanut Butter, Creamy
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg, well beaten

Sift flour; measure; add baking soda, baking powder and salt; sift again. Set aside.

Cream shortening and peanut butter; gradually add the sugars and cream together thoroughly.

Beat the egg well, add to the creamed shortening.

Combine the dry ingredients and creamed mixture together. Chill well.

Form into balls 1-inch in diameter and place on a lightly greased and floured baking sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in flour, making a crisscross pattern.

Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) for 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest on pan for 1 minute, then transfer to a rack to cool.

Depending upon the size of the balls, this recipe will yield between 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.