SMS: Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Happy Sunday, everyone! Thanks again to those who preserved with me last week, and also for the kind wishes in support of my half-marathon. It was not my best race, though by no means terrible. As my ever-supportive boyfriend, who has many more years of running experience than I do, reminded me, races don’t always turn out the way you want them to and San Francisco is not the best place to set a personal record. Anyway, onto this week’s Sweet Melissa Sunday treat: Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies! I don’t make peanut butter cookies all that often, but every once in a while I do get an intense craving for them, so I was pleased to try a new recipe. In the instructions, Melissa gives caution to not overbake these cookies in order to make them chewy, which I always try to do (I don’t always succeed with my temperamental oven) because Mr. Penpen likes his cookies incredibly chewy. His mother, also a fabulous baker, has informed me that he used to diligently monitor her baking time when he was a tiny towhead – too adorable. I did not know that peanut butter cookies are her favorite, so I’m glad I brought her some today (I came with cookies and bundt cake, and left with corn and lemons – a great exchange, calorie-wise).



I thought these cookies were the perfect peanut butter cookie and super-easy to make. I reduced the butter by two tablespoons, not so much to cut the calories but because I happened to notice a ¾ stick butter when I opened the refrigerator, which didn’t seem to make a difference in taste, though the cookies may not have spread as much as they were supposed to. Last Sunday, Joy of Hot Oven, Warm Heart made some scrumptious-looking jam thumbprint cookies, which inspired me to make some with these cookies – yum! Many thanks to Stephanie of Ice Cream before Dinner for this fantastic selection. You can find the recipe HERE on Stephanie’s site and see what the rest of the group thought via the SMS blogroll. Also, stop by Stephanie’s Etsy shop to see her brilliant creation: the Smart Measurements Apron – a great gift for bakers who like to scale their recipes, I plan to order one soon (oops, sold-out right now, hopefully it will be back).



I haven’t posted pictures of Eloise in a while and she goes nuts for peanut butter, so this is a good excuse to. Sometimes she can wait patiently for it.



Other times she just really loses control and will do anything she can to get it. I just bought a dog bone cookie cutter, so I guess I’ll have to make her some cookies of her own.