How to make your teenagers happy, in three easy steps

Sunday, November 28, 2010

  1. Bake peanut butter cookies.
  1. Don’t be overly fond of peanut butter yourself, so you’re not muscling in on their supply.
  1. Don’t tell their father you’ve made cookies, so he isn’t muscling in on their supply.
If I had known making teenagers happy was this easy, I would have tried this recipe years ago.

It’s useful to know that a plate of peanut butter cookies can make your kitchen contractor happy, too.  If you find something that delights both your kids and the guy who is redoing your kitchen, then you've found the secret of life.

Work fueled by peanut butter cookies.
 Here’s the secret to your teenagers’ – and contractors’ – hearts.



Peanut Butter Crisscrosses
(from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg (I omitted this, as nutmeg makes one of my teenagers unhappy)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups chopped peanuts
about ½ cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. 

In a separate bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two.  Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute.  Add sugar and brown sugar, beating for two more minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the dry ingredients, mixing only until just combined.  Mix in the chopped peanuts.

Pour the half cup of sugar into a small bowl.  Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls and drop them into the sugar.  Roll to coat them in sugar, then place on baking sheets, leaving two inches between them.  Dip the tines of a fork in sugar and press the tines against each ball, first in one direction and then perpendicular, to leave a crisscross shape.

Bake for about twelve minutes.  Let them sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks.

30 comments:

Kayte said...

They look wonderful to me! Don't laugh, but I have the only kids in the entire world who won't eat peanut butter...go figure. PB&J Sandwiches, forget it...peanut butter anything...forget it. Weird, isn't it? My husband will eat peanut butter but not IN things. Doomed...I have to score these kinds of treats on the streets or risk eating the whole batch. Can I come over next time you make them?

Anonymous said...

You not only show impeccable logic here but have also used a dream of a recipe for these peanut butter cookies. Now if only I could convince my son to bake these for me instead of vice versa!

Valerie Gamine said...

:D I'm so glad these made Everyone happy! They are indeed, magic little cookies.

Jess said...

Thanks for the recipe! I made the grave mistake of not doing the criss-crosses once, and my twelve-year-old was not happy. He informed me that that didn't taste the same :)

Faith said...

Thanks for sharing this..I love how simple your recipe is! will make prefect afternoon snack.

Have a great week a head

Unknown said...

I haven't made pb cookies in such a long time, and these look so scrumptious. Many thanks for the reminder!

Monet said...

Delightful! These would make me very happy too! I am a big fan of peanut butter cookies, and I was actually thinking about making a batch this afternoon! Thank you for giving me additional inspiration. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Tasha said...

I have a while until I get to the teenager point, but I am pretty sure it would apply to those of the preschool age as well.

I do wish I'd known this tip when I last hired a contractor. Perhaps then the addition to our home that was supposed to take 6-8 weeks would not have taken almost a year...

Katerina said...

I am sure after tasting these cookies, he will work even harder to finish your kitchen.

Velva said...

Love peanut butter cookies!!! This is a great recipe. I know it's the way to make me happy.

Cheers!
Velva

Carol said...

At this point, forget the kids and give them to the workers, LOL, but then they might never leave!

shaz said...

Ah it looks like you have found the secret to getting the most from your builders :) I would be very bad at not muscling into the supply, I'm the sort of person who eats peanut butter straight from the jar (sorry if that just grossed everyone out!). Definitely going to try baking these cookies.

Anonymous said...

I was never a big peanut butter cookie fan until my friend introduced me to a good recipe. Turns out I was just being deprived of the really good ones!

And yeah- as a girl obsessed with peanut butter, all it takes is an endless stash of it to keep me happy. :)

Jeanne said...

Just looking at these cookies makes me happy! I love peanut butter cookies so I can see why these make everybody happy. Plus, it's so important to keep your contractor happy and fueled. :)

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I've made many a peanut butter cookie when my girls were younger! Teenagers and contractors - the two most important people to keep happy right now...well, okay, husband too ;)

These look delicious! I wish I had a house full of teenagers and contractors to justify making them!

Anonymous said...

I have made these and they are good. Dorie gives us the tools and we simply have to use them and then, if there are the kids to eat them, everything is just right.

Amie Kaufman said...

How to make an Australian happy in 3 easy steps:

1. Make peanut butter cookies.
2. Label cookies in a misleading fashion, so neither customs nor any husbands in the area will consider them interesting.
3. Post. Listen for howls of delight from another continent.

Joanne said...

These would also make twenty-something year olds plenty happy as well. Case in point. Moi. Just saying.

Anonymous said...

I am a firm believer of bribery with cookies. Not telling their Daddy that there are fresh cookies is key. Works every time!

Victoria said...

I'm no longer a teenager, nor am I a contractor, but I promise these would make me very very happy :) Love pb cookies!

Emma said...

I would love these cookies, peanut butter and cookies are two of my favourite things.

Glad your kitchen contracting is going well, keep those cookies coming!

Cakelaw said...

The kitchen is looking good Beth! Pretty nice cookies too.

Sweet And Crumby said...

These are one of my favorite types of cookies so I would definitely be muscling in on the supply! Yours look so perfect!

Claudia said...

Haven't done cookies in a while - but cookies season is upon us and I will definitely try these. And hide them from my husband. Dorie's recipes always work.

Sue said...

I have to admit, classic peanut butter cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookies!

Unknown said...

peanut butter makes the world a better place ;)

Joyti said...

My dad loves peanut butter too...I don't think he'd forgive my mom if she had made me peanut butter cookies and not told him.
These look delicious!

Anonymous said...

I like peanut butter, but am not necessarily a huge fan of this... so this would be a good cookie for me to make for people when I don't want to end up eating half of them myself! ;)

Nirmala said...

I love peanut butter anything. Love it! Thanks for sharing such a simple recipe.

Julie said...

I wish I still had teenagers at home to bake for! I miss those days! Hope all is going well with the contractors!

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