Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Peanut Butter Cookies (with a hint of chocolate)

I wanted to bring a little treat to the hospital, and my husband adores peanut butter cookies. But of course, I can make anything that's completely normal. I decided to use white wheat flour to make the cookies a little healthier, and then I added a butter-vanilla emulsion that I recently found. If you don't have that emulsion, use vanilla extract instead.

And then for something really different, I rolled the cookie dough in P2B Chocolate before flattening. It's a powdered peanut butter that has had the oil removed. And the chocolate version has - obviously - chocolate in it.

Peanut Butter Cookies (with a hint of chocolate)

1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon butter-vanilla emulsion
2 tablespoons water
Chocolate P2B

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening and sugar. Beat until it is light. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined. Add the egg, butter-vanilla emulsion and water. Beat until combined.

Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Gather the dough into a ball and put it in a zip-top plastic bag. Or, if your prefer, bu the dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate at least a few hours or overnight.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper (Or use one sheet and bake a second batch after the first is done.)

Using a small scoop or a spoon, portion the dough into about 18 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls, then flatten them slightly to a fat disk. Put a few spoons full of the P2B on a plate or a small bowl. Dip the top of the cookie into the P2B, then place the cookies on the baking sheets, leaving room between them.

Using a fork, flatten the balls, making a crosshatch pattern on top of the cookies

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees until they're lightly browned, about 12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for a minute or two, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
Yum