Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

I wanted to make a sweet treat for my girls this weekend, and cookies are fast and easy.  I searched The Ultimate Cookie Book and found a recipe for Peanut Butter 'n Jelly Blossoms.  I decided to use up the milk chocolate bells and caramel Hershey kisses sitting in our candy bowl from Christmas.  I also didn't use any jelly and drizzled them with melted chocolate instead.  My girls enjoyed them!  What's not to like about peanut butter and chocolate cookies?

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
extra granulated sugar for outside
chocolate kisses or candy

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large stand mixer bowl, cream together the sugar, brown sugar, shortening, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until a soft dough forms.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll balls in granulated sugar.  Place the cookies on a non-stick cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and immediately press chocolate kiss or candy into center of each cookie.  Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Melt 1 piece chocolate bark in sandwich bag in the microwave for 45 seconds.  Remove and kneed with hand.  Trim a small hole in the tip with scissors and drizzle cookies with chocolate.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

My girls were so excited the weather forecast for Sunday morning was 5-7 inches of snow.  What a tease!  It only snowed for about 2 hours, and it wasn't even enough for my girls to go outside and play.  The ground was flooded from the rain all night, so we waited for the snow to stick enough to the blades of grass so we could go run around in it.  Then it stopped snowing and completely melted.  Sorry girls!  Maybe next year we will take them to Utah, Colorado, or New Mexico so they can play in the feet upon feet of snow, and learn to ski.  We live in Texas because we love the warm weather. 

Girls' play fort

House across the street