Baking Day

Another typical dreary Ohio day.  Sometimes in November, we get lucky and will actually see the sun, but mostly we get overcast and sometimes rainy days like today.  Fortunately for me, I have to do a lot of baking so the weather is cooperating and making it a perfect baking day!! 

Today I am making Peanut Butter cookies and my "award-winning" Apple Pie for my husband to take to work.  His fellow employees are having their "Thanksgiving Party" tomorrow and he was told to bring his wife's apple pie.  PLUS earlier this week I baked him Peanut Butter cookies for his lunch (I pack his lunch every day).  Apparently the cookies were a HUGE hit.  I hate to admit it but they are good!  Here is the recipe, they are from the JIF website, though I didn't use JIF peanut butter in the recipe (don't tell them that I used Skippy!!).

Jif's Irresistable Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter (or whatever brand you have handy - but you didn't hear that from me!)
1/2 cup Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening  (I use the butter flavored Crisco)
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the  oven to 375°F.

Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.
Add egg. Beat just until blended.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto greased baking sheet.
Flatten slightly in a crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

OK, let's see if anyone knows this answer.  Do you know why peanut butter cookies are always marked with the tines of fork?  Have you EVER seen a peanut butter cookie without the crossed fork imprint?  Well, the answer is to flatten the cookie to make it crisper. A good peanut butter cookie has a crisp edge and is soft in the center.  The flattening  of the dough actually helps to keep the cookie dough together and uniformed. Otherwise, it may just crumble apart while baking.   Also it helps the cookie to bake more evenly, too.