Peanut Butter Cookies and Memories

My love of baking came along back when I was tiny.  My oldest sister always took care of me; keeping me company when I was feeling left out because my baby brother got all of our mom's attention.  I was probably four or five years old and she would set me up on the stool and talk me through her recipes, step by step.  It was our bonding thing, baking.  Any time I'm in the kitchen, mixing flour and tasting the dough, I always think of how she would tell me stories of how her grandma used to bake with her.

Peanut butter cookies were always our favorite to make, probably because the recipe was the simplest to remember.  There's just something so sweet about the memories behind these cookies, and I love making them for my little ones when I'm feeling sentimental.

This is probably the one cookie recipe that I've never changed up, never played around with the ingredients... it's cookie love, and it should always be made the same.

Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of softened butter (or margarine)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugars
2. Add in vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time
3. Mix in peanut butter
4. Slowly mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time.
5. Make dough balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll in sugar and press into a criss-cross pattern with a fork on baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
7. Let cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 48