PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

I didn't grow up with peanut butter and I didn't even think I liked it all that much until relatively recently. First there were Peanut Butter Cups and Reese's Pieces then there was the 2007 Edinburgh Moonwalk. Four of us were walking together and on our 20 mile training walk Glenys pulled out peanut butter sandwiches when we got hungry. The perfect mid walk combination of protein and carbs it was the first time that I had eaten peanut butter on bread and enjoyed it. I packed peanut butter rolls on the night of the final walk and at about 4.00am when the sun was starting to peek over the horizon as we walked along the water we all tucked in for a much needed energy boost.



I still don't eat peanut butter regularly but on this year's Moonwalk I once again packed peanut butter rolls and they once again kept me going when hunger hit in the early hours. Since then there has been the end of a large jar of peanut butter sitting in the cupboard. I had been meaning to make cookies with it but every recipe I looked at said the natural stuff wouldn't give the right cookie consistency. Yesterday, on a cookie mission, I decided to go on a recipe hunt and found a recipe that said natural was best and, even better, it only needed a few other ingredients. The cookies took 5 minutes to make, if that, and 10 minutes to bake. They are crunchy on the outside and slightly fudgy within. Delicious and can be made at a moment's notice. Ideal.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES (recipe from Joy the Baker)

1 cup of natural peanut butter
½ cup of light brown sugar
½ cup of caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Mix the peanut butter with the sugar until well combined then add the egg and baking powder and mix. Roll into walnut sized balls and press down lightly with the back of a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are golden brown. Leave to cool on the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a cooling rack.