Peanut Butter Cookies from Dot's Kitchen

 Last week I shared a new to me recipe from my great-grandmother's kitchen. This week I'd like to introduce you to Dot's Peanut Butter Cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies from the Kitchen of Marie Reyer

Cream ½ cup peanut butter, ¼ cup of butter, 1 cup of sugar

Add one egg

About 1½ cup of flour and ½ teaspoon of soda

Break off small amount

Roll between fingers put in pan press with fork tines.

You might notice that there's some information missing from the recipe, namely time and temperature. The current theory is since these were probably originally baked in a wood or coal oven, there was no temperature dial, and they were done when they looked done. I went with 350 degrees and they needed about 16 minutes to be completely cooked. 

I have to tell you also, I was missing an ingredient. I usually set out all of my ingredients before I get started, so I don't get halfway through and realize I'm without something integral, but I was so excited to make these, and I absolutely knew I had it all...cue the realization that the peanut butter jar in the cupboard was completely empty. After we ran around for awhile rounding up some peanut butter, I was finally able to get started.

These were really super crumbly when I followed the directions, so I added two eggs (one at a time), along with 2 TB pb – and it was still pretty crumbly. I looked up some suggestions for making them again, and they included using more butter, and/or brown sugar instead of white.

They were crumbly, and they did fall apart pretty easily, but they were so very good. The flavor was wonderful, and they were soft and melt-in-your-mouth good.

              

This is the third time I've retyped this addition because I keep forgetting to update it before I get distracted. 

First batch 2021 - I tweaked some stuff but forgot to write it down, and I made peanut butter bars by just flattening the dough into the pan and cutting squares after it baked.

Second batch 2021 - I forgot to crosshatch the first pan but remembered on the second. I doubled the recipe and tweaked a little.

Cream 1 cup plus about 1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup of butter AND 

1/2 cup of margarine

1 cup of granulated sugar AND

1 cup of brown sugar

Add three eggs

Mix dry ingredients separately and add to wet - 

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

Roll between fingers put in pan press with fork tines.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

The first batch went 12 and they were turning brown on the bottom.

Even John the Baptist had Doubts and Fears - Sunday, December 27, 2020

 

Christmas Jammies and a few photos!

 

Merry Christmas!

We saw a post on our community's Facebook page about stepping out onto your front porch at 6 PM on Christmas Eve and ringing a bell for two minutes. 

We happen to have a pretty big bell, which we rang for two minutes on Christmas Eve :). 

Christmas Cookies 2020 and Amazing Treasures - Sugar Cookies from Dot's Kitchen

 I wasn't sure whether to bake this year with all the craziness happening, but I figured if I make sure I'm healthy and I wrap my treats well, they will also be quarantined in their own packaging. 

I have oodles of recipes from last year, and new ones I'd tried out for Fair, but if you know me, you also know that I love a new recipe. I found several fun ones on the internet, and I'm sure I will try at least one, but I also have an amazing new treasure. 

My dad was going through boxes in their barn, and he found a box of recipe books and boxes of recipes that belonged to his grandma, my great grandmother! My mom sent them, and I've been exploring the treasure trove. I've got some that I need to transpose before they are unreadable, some that have already been lost, and a Sears and Roebuck Catalog from 1902!

Here's an example of one of the recipes I transposed, without punctuation and I'm not sure how much water for the filling...or if it's in a double boiler and the water is under the pan in which I'm cooking...as Paul said, I'm just going to have to experiment. Plus we tossed the last batch of dates because they weren't getting eaten and they were old, so I'm either going to have to go buy some, or I'll need to play with alternate ingredients as well. 

Sugar Cookies from Dot's Kitchen

Cream one cup of shortening and 2 cups of sugar, one of white and one of brown. 3 eggs. 1 teaspoon of soda, ½ teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla, flour enough to mix

Roll and cut filled cookies use same recipe roll oblong cover with filling roll in waxed paper put in refrigerator overnight – cut in thin slices and bake

Filling

Cook ½ pound of dates cut fine ½ cup sugar water cook until thick. Cool.

Here's that recipe in its original format, and the book where I found it:

Oh these cookies are GOOD! Soft and tasty! Our daughter came in and picked up a cookie, and she hates dates. I was just about to warn her, but I hesitated and she took a bite. She said "This is good, Mom",  and she didn't even taste them!

12/11/2021

*Update: I realized I had forgotten to explain how much flour I used! It was about four cups, and the whole process seemed much easier this year (2021), possibly because I had done it before. I did mash the dates with my pastry cutter when they were soft in the saucepan.

Here's the crazy thing. These placed 1st last year, but this year I entered them, and they got marked down because they "don't look like sugar cookies". I kind of want to include the recipe next year LOL.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

 

Proverbs Chapter 1 Bible Study - Wednesday, December 9, 2020

 

Build Your House on the Rock - Sunday, December 6, 2020

 

Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

 This year I made Pumpkin Applesauce Mini Loaves, using this Pumpkin Applesauce Muffin recipe from Southern In Law. I made a few variations, and baked several batches.

My regular furry companion abandoned me for awhile for some "guy time", but he arrived a little while after I'd started baking, "accompanied" by our youngest daughter.

And yes, we have an egg carton or two on our refrigerator!

I did make some changes to the basic recipe, along with the variations. I made two batches with the oat flour, like the original, but I didn't use gluten free flour at all. 

The third batch I used only regular flour.

Variation 1: Oat flour and regular flour, sugar and maple syrup

Variation 2: Oat flour and regular flour, Cocoa powder, sugar

Variation 3: Regular flour, sugar, chocolate chips

For the mixed spice I used ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. 1 large can of pumpkin puree was enough for three batches.

Original Recipe from Southern In Law:

3/4 cup gluten free plain flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour or gluten free oat flour (the choice is yours!)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup egg whites or 2 eggs 

1 cup pumpkin puree (if your pumpkin puree is quite liquidy, you may need to add 1-2 tbsp of flour)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4C-1/2C honey (use more/less depending on how sweet you like things - if vegan, use maple syrup and you can also use sugar if you prefer)

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F

In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking powder, baking soda, spices and a pinch of salt.

Combine your egg choice with the pumpkin puree, applesauce, honey and vanilla.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on size, until a skewer removes clean

I also wanted to try out this baking spray I found!

I used my handy dandy Ninja, with the dough bowl and blade.

Dry ingredients and Wet ingredients

Putting it together