Peanut Cookies
Did you ever wonder whom your favorite chefs admire? If they are good cooks or chefs, they must really be in the position to ferret out the good stuff for us. Well I admire Ina Garten because her recipes work. She tests her recipes before she springs them on us. She admires Anna Pump, her friend and mentor. So when I went looking for a peanut butter cookie, I bumped into this one from Anna Pump. Turns out it is not a peanut butter cookie, but peanut cookie with a drizzle of chocolate. Could I be so easily distracted? Yes. Anna, I hope she doesn’t mind if I call her Anna because now I think she is my friend, owns a specialty shop called Loaves and Fishes. I think she also owns an inn or a B&B in the Hamptons. This is her signature cookie.
There is a Louisiana French word called lagniappe. Doesn’t that word have a wonderful sound? Even better the translation means a little gift, usually given to a customer from a shop owner, a little something extra to show appreciation. This cookie, her lagniappe, is one she places in a cookie jar for her customers and guests. Apparently it is popular and she refills her jar multiple times a day. After today I can see why.
If you do not have anyone with peanut allergies, please make these. I am recommending these; they are that good. They require 9 ingredients. Anna said they make about 30 cookies. I did not get that many since I made larger cookies so I could say I only had one cookie instead of three.
So if in doubt of a recipe check out your favorite chefs and cooks advisors or people they admire. I’m convinced I now have an inside track.
Thank you Ina for introducing me to Anna. Thank you Anna Pump for a great cookie recipe. I will be investigating your cookbooks. Thank you Trader Joe’s for inexpensive peanuts.
I hope you all like these as much as I do. I put these in ziplock freezer bags and freeze them to save myself. It is nice to have these on hand with some ice cream in between. Suddenly you have a fancy dessert.
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup shelled salted peanuts
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional)
- Mise en place ~ Gather ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Parchment for baking sheet.
- Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until the mixture is light.
- Add the vanilla and egg. Beat well.
- Add the flour, baking powder – just to incorporate.
- Add in peanuts - Blend.
- Use your ice-cream scoop if you have one or
- Drop rounded tablespoons of batter, 2 inches apart, onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are light brown – Mine took 14 minutes.
- Cool a few minutes on pan – then place on wire rack to finish cooling.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled cookies.
- Store in cool, dry place.