I'm going to go all haus frau-ey for a minute and give you my Peanut
Butter Cookie recipie. Try not to drool all over the place, eh, Homer?
(Makes 4-5 dozen cookies)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder.
Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, margarine and eggs, until
blended. Then add flour, soda and powder. When it's all mixed, crack
open a beer, take the bowl off the mixer, cover it with saran wrap,
then rearrange the contents of the refridgerator so that you can find
space for the bowl. Place bowl in refridgerator.
Walk away.
Drink a few more beers, then when you're good and drunk (after about
three hours or so), preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and pull the bowl
o' dough out of the fridge. Take off the saran wrap and get a few
cookie sheets out of the cupboard. You don't need to grease them. Shape
the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and place them about three inches apart
on the cookie sheet. Get a fork out of the silverware drawer and try
not to poke out your eye in the process. Squish each and every ball
twice---once one way, once another---to form a crisscross pattern. When
all the balls have been flattened, slam that bad-boy into your oven for
about nine to ten minutes. I shouldn't have to tell you what to do
next, but I will because I got you drunk and I generally feel pity for
drunk people so here's what you do: put about five paper towels on the
counter. Get a metal spatula and a hot pad. Take the cookies out of the
oven, MAKING SURE NOT TO BURN YOURSELF and, using the spatula, transfer
the cookies from the cookie sheet onto the paper towel for cooling.
As far as tips, well, I can't emphasize enough how important it is for
you to let the dough rest. The beer helps with this. Trust me. I know
you're impatient for the cookies, but you've got to let the dough take
a nap before you can bake it. Think of it this way: after your second
or third beer, you'll forget you have cookie dough in the fridge and
you'll be able to pleasantly surprise yourself. And honestly, who
doesn't like to surprise themselves with chilled cookie dough? No one
that I know. It's one of life's great pleasures. So, enjoy your cookies
and don't blame the hangover on me!