Peanut Butter Cookies: Three ways

I thought it might be nice to post a classic cookie recipe to start out. These peanut butter cookies are buttery and sweet. The only real embellishment they need is the tiny grid pattern that comes from being lovingly crisscrossed with the tines of a fork.
Of course when I had a bag of mini peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips in my pantry I just couldn't leave them alone! I divided the batter into three parts and left one plain, then mixed peanut butter chips into the second and topped the third with mini peanut butter cups after baking.
The result: I really enjoyed all three variations, There really is no way to go wrong with peanut butter. The plain cookies satisfied my love of the classic, while the peanut butter chips and cups were a wonderful way to guild the lily. The peanut butter cookie recipe comes from the book Sugar by Anna Olson and I really hope to make more of her recipes in the near future.

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie
from: Sugar by Anna Olson

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and blend in. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and crisscross mark them with a floured fork.
3. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies just start to colour around the edges. Makes about 2 dozen cookies