Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dorcas Annette Walker

I was thinking about April Fool’s Day coming up this Sunday while outside taking photos of my blooming wisteria vine in my enclosed garden that covers a long trellis over my goldfish pond. The blossoms and fragrance of the wisteria this year is gorgeous perfuming the air with a heavenly scent. It struck me that nature itself gives us April fool’s each spring. In previous years, I have thought that the winter season was over when the earth warmed up and spring flowers bloomed only for temperatures to suddenly drop sharply and snow in April freezing all the blooms and flowers overnight- as though the weather slaps us in the face and says April Fool’s!

People certainly are fooled by the manufactures if they buy only the latest styles and trends that change yearly. I’ve noticed recently in home magazines that professional decorators are advising folk to replace their kitchen cupboards and stack their dishes and glasses on shelves. It used to be only the poor folk had to use shelves as they couldn’t afford cupboards. Just think of all the work involved keeping the dust off of everything sitting out on shelves. And you can count on it when everybody yanks out their cupboards the so called experts on style will begin decorating using cupboards again. I read about one specialist with initials behind their name recommend decorating a room only in one color while in the same magazine another professional advised throwing together all kinds of colors in one room- even advocating adding things that don’t match.

I think though the biggest April Fool’s joke is what politics has become. Has anybody noticed anymore that no matter what side of the fence the one running for president is supposed to be all the speeches and debates sound alike in their efforts to try and make sure they don’t offend any voter- while spending most of their time accusing and criticizing the other opponents? Quite frankly, if you’ve heard one you’ve heard them all. And it’s positively amazing the levels candidates now-a-days stoop too to discredit someone else not considering how it shows up their own character.

I thought I’d feature special cookies this week. Are they peanut butter or chocolate chip? They’re both; Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in one. These nutty crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies will fool your family and friends, but once they taste one they will love them. Preparation time for my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies is around fifteen minutes (not counting baking time) and this recipe makes two-and-a-half dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c shortening
1 c crunchy peanut butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c reg sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c milk
3 c self-rising flour
1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

In a large bowl mix together the shortening, peanut butter, sugars, eggs, extract, and milk. Beat until smooth. Add the flour and then the chocolate chips. Mix well. Batter will be stiff. Form balls the size of a large walnut with your hands and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for ten to fifteen minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and store in an enclosed container!

Weekly tip: You can also add raisins, dried fruit, or nuts to make these cookies extra surprising!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com