Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Molly's Six-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies #recipes @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE:  Not hard to tell what food is featured in AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, the 5th Food Lovers’ Village Mystery, is it? I finished the book about this time last year, which meant testing Christmas cookie recipes out of season. That made my Mr. Right quite happy, as you might imagine.

If you’re like me—and my protagonist, Erin Murphy—you don’t consider peanut butter cookies holiday fare. They’re more of an every-day cookie. When Erin’s young cousin Molly, whom Erin quickly points out is not half-Italian, making her food choices somewhat suspect,  brings these to the annual cookie exchange, Erin rolls her eyes. A Christmas cookie, in Erin’s considered opinion, is a snowball (aka a Russian teacake), a fudge ecstasy, a candy cane cookie, or an almond cloud.

But guess which cookie her sweetie, Adam Zimmerman, favors?

When they’re this tasty, who cares what time of year you make them?

These cookies are gluten-free, and freeze nicely. Spritz your measuring cup with cooking spray—one quick burst will do—before scooping up the peanut butter, and it will slip right out and clean up easily. Adams’ No-Stir Chunky peanut butter is perfect for this recipe—and not just because of the name! I have seen a recipe using Eliot’s Spicy Thai Peanut Butter; I haven’t found it yet, but am hoarding a jar of Honey Chipotle Peanut Butter for the next time Mr. Right needs a special treat.

AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, the 5th Food Lovers’ Village Mystery, will be out June 8 from Midnight Ink, in trade paper, e-book, and audio. Available for pre-order now.

Molly's Six-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies


Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter (see note above)
2 cups white sugar (scant)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pinch salt



Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Stir in baking soda and salt. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Press a fork into the top to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake 10–12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen.






From the cover of AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #5 (Midnight Ink, June 2018, available for pre-order now):  

In Jewel Bay---Montana's Christmas Village---all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.

When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

19 comments:

  1. This really is a great peanut butter cookie. And though it looks deceptively everyday, I have always thought it could hold up to any occasion. Glad to see that cookie given a spotlight.

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    1. i took a plate to a dinner gathering when I was recipe testing, and no one could tell they were "simplified" at all!

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  2. I've made a similar cookie and they are so simple and yummy! Perfectly peanut buttery! PB cookies are an everyday kind of cookie, I think, but I usually only see peanut blossoms at Christmastime. Thanks for sharing your recipe, Leslie!

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    1. Peanut blossoms? Now I admit, those would make these much more festive!

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  3. Not being able to resist guilding the lily I might add chocolate chips, or a kiss on top (peanut blossom), or a drizzle of melted chocolate on top.
    Delish!

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  4. This looks good! With no flour are these cookies crunchy or chewy or what? I'll have to check out this PB brand; I've never heard of it. Still remember the aroma of PB cookies our high school lunch room baked daily for sale. Ambrosia!

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    1. They're more on the crunchy side than the chewy, which is fine by me! Any good "natural" style PB should do -- brands vary by region -- I'd just avoid Jif or other highly-processed varieties.

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  5. I've been drooling over this recipe since I saw them in your arc! I must, must try them soon!!! The only thing holding me back is that I know I will eat the ENTIRE batch by myself :)

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    1. LOL! I've been holding off trying them with the Honey Chipotle PB for the same reason -- although if they are as good as I think they'll be, I'll be lucky to get half!

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  6. Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing it. Can't wait to try it out!

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    1. And you don't have to wait for Christmas! Enjoy!

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  7. This sound like they’ll taste amazing. The only thing I would substitute is coconut sugar for the white sugar. Is the peanut butter you used unsweetened? I might very well add chocolate chips...because they make everything better...don’t you know?

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    1. Definitely unsweetened, Jane -- just peanuts. Because the texture is a little different than traditional cookies made with flour, I'd go easy on the choc chips on your first try!

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  8. These actually sound simple enough for me to make! I think these are perfect any time of year!

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    1. If it gets a person cooking and people in their life like to eat them, then it's always in season!

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  9. I have never made peanut butter cookies with no flour. Will try this out. Thank you so much.

    Best of everything with your series'.

    Cynthia

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