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.
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.
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.
