Happy weekend!
I’ve been reading “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker PhD. It has over 20,000 reviews on Amazon and almost 5 stars! That’s a ton for a non-fiction book really. Most of the reviews you always see are for fiction. But anyway, I digress. If you want to learn the latest and greatest on sleep – this is it. Some of the more astonishing findings and quotes from the book:
“Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer.”
“It is disquieting to learn that vehicular accidents caused by drowsy driving exceed those caused by alcohol and drugs combined.”
“They discovered that naps as short as twenty-six minutes in length still offered a 34 percent improvement in task performance and more than a 50 percent increase in overall alertness.”
“Adults forty-five years or older who sleep fewer than six hours a night are 200 percent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke during their lifetime, as compared with those sleeping seven to eight hours a night.”
Now onto the cookies!!!! We all love peanut butter here. I have never posted this recipe because most of the time I have never quite cared for these cookies. They tend to be dry and crumbly topped with a hard chocolate kiss. These cookies are different! These peanut butter blossoms have over 5000 reviews and 5 stars because they are that good. The peanut butter base is soft and delicious. We tried them the next day, and the cookies stay soft and flavorful.
My son made them, so it is easy enough for a child to make.
Here’s the cookie trick: always freeze your balls! (Of cookie dough, of course) Butter-based cookies – which most cookies are – tend to spread out and get blah in the oven. The trick is to always scoop your dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet (or rimmed stoneware). Then, pop the cookies in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. I know, I know. It is hard to wait. At least 15 minutes then. You need to harden the butter back up so it doesn’t immediately spread into a blob. This works for all cookies.
If you like – try adding the Hershey kiss upside down! This makes the cookie easier to store and stack. You also don’t get that stick of chocolate at the top of your mouth when you bite into it.
I find these cookies are best just a few minutes right out of the oven – while the chocolate is slightly gooey and the peanut butter base still slightly warm.
- 1 and ¾ cup flour (all-purpose)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 stick butter (room temperature), 4 oz.
- ½ cup peanut butter (smooth, or almond will work)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tb. milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp, vanilla extract
- 4 Tb. sugar - this is extra for later
- 48 Hershey kisses (removed the foil first)
- Set aside cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a great big bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and ½ cup sugar. Once light and fluffy after about a minute, add the egg, milk, and vanilla.
- Add the dry flour mixture little by little. Beat in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
- Scoop the dough into 1" balls.
- Place cookie dough balls onto the lined cookie sheet and freeze about 30 minutes or up to several hours. They can be frozen pretty close together. You can store extra in plastic freezer bags if you do not want to bake them all now.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll them in the 4 Tb. of sugar that was set aside.
- Place your cold cookie dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet about 2-3" apart.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Place Hershey kiss in the center.
- Bake another 2-3 minutes. You will know they are done because they are a light brown and crinkled.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy with a tall cup of milk!
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012939-peanut-butter-blossoms
