Criss-cross

Working at a coffeeshop offers ample oppurtunities to meet all kinds of people; if you're lucky, you'll come in contact with some that aren't completely insane (yet). Instead of focusing on the crazies who either like you a lot (for no real reason) or hate you so much (for no real reason), it's easier to thank the customers who are pleasant to be around. When one of these regulars remarked that his favorite cookie was homemade peanut butter and that his birthday was in a week, I accepted the challenge.

Usually when I put peanut butter into a cookie, it's combined with something else, like oatmeal or chocolate chips. Honestly, I don't have much experience with classic peanut butter cookies. Obviously, I turned to the master for help: Martha. Surely, I thought, she will not lead me astray.



All in all, I thought they were kind of...forgettable. Believe me, they were peanut-butter-y and crunchy and chewy, and the customer was really happy with them. I guess I just don't like plain peanut butter cookies.



Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 4 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine.

Pinch off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a fork, press balls in a crisscross pattern, flattening to a 1/2-inch thickness.

Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Snicker Delight

My boyfriend (Andrew/gb) is allergic to milk, so I often have the challenge of trying out new recipes that are dairy-free. Luckily, he can have milk as long as it is baked into something, so that broadens my baking horizons a little bit. I have recently just been substituting soy milk in icings as well and will probably be more soy-dependent in the future.



Anyway, he really enjoys sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, especially his mom's recipe. As I didn't have much experience with cookies that aren't chock-full of nuts and chocolate and such, I've been searching endlessly for a recipe for superb snickerdoodles.



I'm assuming I found the recipe a while ago, because it was just randomly saved onto my computer; if I remember correctly, I found it on a forum somewhere after I had googled "Snickerdoodles" in hopes of finally finding that one recipe. I didn't remember ever having made them, so I decided the other day that I should bake him some cookies.



These were rewarding; they weren't as magnificent as his mother's, but they were pretty darn good. Andrew was pumped about them and promptly devoured three or so when I gave them to him. I added some vanilla to the recipe because it seemed a little to utilitarian to be considered as whimsical as Snickerdoodles should be. I thought about adding a little bit of cream of tartar because I have never actually seen a Snickerdoodle recipe without, but in the end I decided to give it a whirl and they turned out just fine.



Snickerdoodles
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl (I recommend using a fork to combine these more thoroughly). Shape dough into 1 3/4-inch balls; roll in cinnamon -sugar mixture. Space 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets; press each ball down gently with three fingers.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.