So I decided I was going to make Traditional Peanut Butter Cookies today. They sounded easy, kind of like fall (yes its 89 degrees here today) and I liked that the recipe called for CHUNKY peanut butter...which makes them so much more healthy since there is whole peanuts in them, right? So I am going along mixing the ingredients and with 8  ingredients this recipe was perfect for my baking skills...with the exception of the minor glitch involving brown sugar...I didn't have any which led to a brief foray to the grocery store. And of course I didn't walk out of the grocery store with only brown sugar I also bought the ingredients to make Cheese Straws which of course I have never made before and will become my project tomorrow I am sure.

I complete the first batch of cookies and I am feeling pretty cocky at this point. They smell good, they look good and since I am drinking at the time of this baking experience I did not taste them as they came out of the oven...but I did eat the dough prior at that was yum! Well anyway I look at the amount of dough I have which is a TON!!! For once this is a cookie recipe that although it says it makes 36 cookies it actually makes way more than that-Love it!!! And as you all know I make pretty good sized cookies. So do to my boredom I decided to try doing a batch with chocolate chips mixed in...I dedicated this batch to a co-worker who loves peanut butter and chocolate together. Again this batch comes out of the oven also pretty dang perfect. So I decide to add some butterscotch chips to the rest of the cookie dough that already has the chocolate chips added and hence heaven was born. This cookie is  perfection with the peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch flavors I am a pretty dang happy camper right now. Which leads to my new cookie motto,"when in doubt try adding something random...worse case scenario you give them to your neighbors."

Here is the recipe:

1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup vegetable shortening ***this totally makes them low fat ***
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine peanut butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a med bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until smooth and creamy. *** I did this part by hand to get some exercise which I figured would help counteract the vegetable shortening listed above ***
3. Combine flour and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Add flour mixture gradually to peanut butter mixture, mixing continually. *** I added the chocolate and/or butterscotch chips at this point. It probably would also be good with peanut butter chips ***
4. Drop by 1 1/2 tsp onto baking sheet. *** I did not measure mine *** Flatten in a criss cross pattern (not to be confused with the 90's hip hop group) with a fork dipped in granulated sugar.
5. Bake cookies until golden, 8-10 min. Cool on baking sheets for 2 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.