Peanut Butter Criss Cross Cookies

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a really old cookie and I have enjoyed it since I was a little girl when my own Mother made them for us. She gave me the cookbook she used a while back. It was titled "The Way to a Man's Heart". This is not the recipe she used but I always think of her old cookbook and that it was a wedding gift when my parents married and I see the notes she penned in the recipe. You see her recipe made 100 cookies. Mine makes 2 or 3 dozen depending on how large you make your cookie!!!

Adapted from "The Betty Crocker Cookbook", the first cookbook I had when I was married.

1/2 C. shortening half butter half shortening softened
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 C. flour
3/4 t. soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1//4 t. salt

Mix thoroughly shortening, peanut butter, sugars, and egg. Blend in dry ingredients. Cover and chill at least an hour. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough into 1" balls. Place 3" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. (I use Silpat mats or parchment paper and Do NOT grease these). Using a table fork dipped in granulated sugar flatten the cookies in a criss cross pattern. Bake 10-12 minutes until set but not hard. Yield 3 dozen. Cool and store in an airtight container. These also are good with a Hershey kiss candy pressed into the center rather than the criss cross.