Softest Ever Peanut Butter Cookies

The most wonderful things in life are the simple ones; the ones we overlook and take for granted until they're stripped away from us. One of the things I hate about human nature is how much it takes to shake us and wake us up, to appreciate the everyday things that keep us going.

One of these very things for me is a weekend coffee date with my husband. There is nothing profound whatsoever about these outings, but there is something about the simple joy of sitting at a little table with the person I love most with a good cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle or a game of Yahtzee. It's our time to just be together and talk or think about whatever we choose, to laugh and to fall in love all over again. It's a time to just get back to the basics and relax after a busy work week and enjoy each other's company.

On the back-to-the-basics note, once in a while, it's nice to just dig up a simple favorite recipe; one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of recipes. I'm sure you all probably have a peanut butter cookie recipe at home but I'm telling you, these are a special favorite. I've had plenty of dry, crumbly peanut butter cookies in my lifetime but these are exceptionally soft and chewy AND easy to make. I can't take credit for this recipe - this one was generously shared by Della, a friend of the family, after a fun day of snowmobiling a few years ago. One bite in, I HAD to have the recipe. Thanks Della for sharing one of your best recipes with me and for the fun memories that go along with it!

Softest Ever Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. In separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add flour mixture in 1/2 cup increments to peanut butter mixture. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional sugar. Arrange on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Flatten with fork in criss-cross pattern. Bake 7-9 minutes. Enjoy!

The trick to keeping these soft and chewy is to not over-bake them. I took mine out before they turned golden brown around the bottom but at the point where they no longer had that shiny, doughy look to them. When in doubt, take them out! :)

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Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Fact: I'm a little insecure about my feet. They are very square-ish, look kind of hobbit-y (minus the hair...thank GOD) and have indeed been called "shovels" by a shoe salesman at the Puma store in Mall of America. They're alright for activities like swimming and hiking and biking and walking but there is one activity that my square little feet are just not very compatible with. Dun dun dun....dress shoe shopping. Ugh. Not only are most dress shoes are made for narrow feet, I have confirmed that my left foot is most certainly half a size bigger than my right foot. This is a pretty recent discovery.

So now, every time I go dress shoe shopping, #1 I know it's going to be a hassle because my feet were not designed to be confined by strappiness; and #2 I'm faced with a completely ridiculous moral dilemma. Do I buy the larger size and have blisters on my left foot and leave my right foot flopping out of its respective shoe? Do I buy two pairs of shoes and hope to find a friend with a problem opposite mine that I can give the smaller left shoe and the larger right shoe to? Do I do the unthinkable and swap shoes in the store to buy two correct fitting ones even though they're different sizes? Holy smokes! What's a kid to do? Admittedly, I've done the latter ONCE and only once...and then I felt guilty the whole way home and I think about that awful choice every time I look at the shoes. Thank the lord for Dr. Scholls' invention of those little heel inserts, because without them I would either be spreading this half-a-size difference to a lot of unsuspecting shoe-shoppers or keeping the band-aid company in business.

What does this recipe have to do with my hobbit feet? Absolutely nothing other than the fact that eating a cupcake this delightful looking AND tasting takes the sting of oddly shaped feet away completely. These have a wonderful subtle flavor and are incredibly light. I made these for a bridal shower and they were a hit! Don't go feeling like you need a special occasion to make these just because they have champagne in them. Give 'em a whirl!

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Makes about 2 Dozen Standard or 7 Dozen Minis

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 (16.25 oz) white cake mix
• 1 1/4 c. Pink Moscato champagne, room temperature
• 1/2 c. salted sweet cream butter, melted
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp. strawberry extract
• 1/3 c. strawberry preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare standard or mini muffin tin with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combing cake mix and champagne. Stir in butter, egg whites and strawberry extract. Fold in strawberry preserves.

Fill each cup of muffin tin 3/4 full. Bake 14-16 min for mini cupcakes or 20-24 min for standard cupcakes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean). Allow cupcakes to cool in tin for 10 min. Transfer to rack to cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Champagne Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 1 c. salted sweet cream butter, melted
• 4-6 c. powdered sugar
• 2/3 c. Pink Moscato champagne, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. strawberry extract
• 3-4 drops red food coloring
• Pink sugar pearls, optional

Directions:

Combine butter and 8 cups powdered sugar in large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar to desired consistency.

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