a lot of stirrin' up...

For the person who claims to not ever do any cooking any more, it appears that a lot of measuring, stirring, baking, cleaning up has been going on in my kitchen lately. I was perusing the recipe box for something or other, and came across one for some cookies that sounded both good and easy. So I made them last week. My definition of easy is: one bowl, and not much over five ingredients.

This one was something that has been around a while, as I made a notation on the card that when I made the cookies a couple of years ago (obviously not the first try) I reduced the amount of sugar I used. It is reminiscent of those wonderful cookies that have the fork prints on top. You know - where you roll the dough into a ball, and press the tines of a dinner fork on top, in two different directions, making a kind of checker-board effect. It's not really a peanut butter cookie without the 'fork marks'.

The nice thing about this one is that you stir it all up, and spoon in a 9 x 13 inch pan, so there won't be any extended temptation to consume little round balls of unbaked dough. You've already put it all in the pan, patted it out smooth, and stuck it in the oven. Preventing the problem of 'eating a little bite here and there', to the point of having to go lay down while they are baking.

I'll be making this again, and taking them elsewhere to keep from having a whole pan sitting around the house, calling my name.

Peanut Butter Squares

2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 this last time - that seems to be plenty)
3 eggs
1/4 cup oleo or butter
Beat together. When well beaten, add:
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat well, turn off mixer, and then stir in
2 cups self-rising flour

Batter will be stiff. Spread in greased 9 x13 inch pan. Dip fingers or spoon into water to smooth dough, spreading evenly into corners. Bake at 300 for 45 minutes into set and golden brown.
Makes approx. 40 squares.
This is not in the original recipe, but: when I made this last week, I melted some 'peanut butter and chocolate chips' with a bit of cream (or milk) and spread over when they cooled. Actually I tried to put them on top of the cookies as soon as I took out of oven, but they would not melt to spread out - I guess the 300 degree oven was not hot enough to soften the chips, so had to pick them off and put in pyrex cup in micro. to melt, then spread over cooled cookies..