"How to Make the Easiest & Tastiest Peanut Butter Cookies" by Megan R

Whenever I need to bring a dish for a potluck, family event, party, etc. this recipe is my go to. It is definitely a favorite of all my friends and family and is highly requested by everyone. My great grandma passed this recipe onto my grandma,who then passed this recipe onto my mom,who then passed it onto me. It is the simplest recipe, when you see how many ingredients it takes you will be sure to think I am kidding! It only takes four ingredients to make these delicious cookies and each ingredient can typically be found in either your pantry or fridge, which is why this recipe is perfect for any last minute baking needs. There is not even a need for flour or vegetable oil! It is perfect for those of you who are on gluten-free and dairy-free diets as well! It is also perfect for a family baking session, as kids will be able to follow along very easily. After you have made them once, the recipe will most likely be forever in your memory. In less time than it takes for the oven to preheat, you will have these cookies ready and waiting to be baked. This recipe tends to make around 20 cookies, but can easily be doubled or even tripled if there is a need to make more. I hope you will try these cookies out for yourself and see just how tasty they are, and please be sure to pass it on to your friends and family too!

(Preparation and baking time around 25 minutes).

Materials:

1. A mixing bowl
   
2. A mixer or wooden spoon
   
3. A baking sheet
   
4. Measuring Cups
   
5. Parchment paper or foil
   
6. A fork
   

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of creamy peanut butter (I’ve found commercial brands work best)
   
2. 1 large egg
   
3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
   
4. 1 cup sugar
   
5. Hershey Kisses (optional)
   

Directions:

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Next, in the mixing bowl add together the 1 cup peanut butter, the 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, and
   the teaspoon of vanilla, using your measuring cups.
   
3. Mix all of the ingredients together with the mixer or wooden spoon until the mixture is
   dough like. The dough tends to be grainy and thick from the peanut butter and sugar. If
   you feel as though your mixture is too thick however, just add water a teaspoon at a time.
   
4. Now, take the baking sheet and line the entire sheet with either parchment paper or foil in
   order to prevent the cookies from sticking to your pan and creating a mess.
   

5. Use your hands to roll together tiny balls of dough and place them onto the baking sheet. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, there should be around 9-12 balls. Each ball should be no bigger than the size of a ping pong ball. Evenly place each ball 1 inch apart from each other. (Don’t worry, because of the high fat content of the peanut butter, the balls can be shaped in no time without even sticking to your hands!)
   
6. To make the cookies look even more appealing, I tend to take the back of a fork and place the fork down onto the cookie dough balls twice, once in one direction and then again in the opposite direction, forming a hashtag like shape in the cookie and flattening each cookie a little bit. Dipping the fork into some sugar before pressing the cookies will help with the sticking of the fork to the dough and will add a little extra flavor to each one.
   
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Be careful when checking on your cookies.They tend to not look too cooked at first, but once they are pulled out of the oven to cool down, they will continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet.
   
8. Let cool for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies sit for at least 10 minutes before attempting to eat, or else you will be sure to end up with the crumbs of a bunch of broken cookies.
   
9. The finished cookies should be chewy and dense, and not at all crunchy.
   
10. For a little extra flavor, you can also add one Hershey Kiss onto the top of each cookie, or
    even any topping you would like to make this recipe your own!