Secret Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Mmmmm, peanut butter cookies! One of life's simple pleasures. What is it about cookies that makes them so darn appealing? I'm guessing the main reason is obvious, they are just plain delicious! I have never met a cookie I didn't like. What's not to like after all?

Peanut butter just happens to be my oldest son's favorite cookie. He puts peanut butter on his pancakes, waffles and dips chocolate cookies into the stuff! Like mother like son I guess.

I used instant pudding mix in this recipe (the secret ingredient). It does a fabulous job at keeping them moist. You can use butter or palm shortening in this recipe, or even better, a combination of both. The palm shortening keeps then tender and the butter gives them a wonderful flavor. Butter makes everything better! These cookies practically melt in your mouth!



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (any variety)
• 1/4 cup palm shortening
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 tablespoons instant pudding mix (vanilla is best)
• 1-1/4 cups of my All-Purpose Flour Mix
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the flour mix, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum. Mix well and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter, palm shortening and two sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually add the flour mixture with the mixer running on low speed until well combined. The dough will be fairly thick almost like pie crust dough, not at all sticky.

Scoop out a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball, then roll in the granulated sugar to coat evenly.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Press the tines of a  fork into the cookies giving them the traditional cris-cross pattern.

Chilling the cookies for 10 minutes in the fridge minimizes any spreading as they bake, but I usually don't want to delay the tasting and eating part and just throw them straight in the oven.

Bake them for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown. The darker they are, the crispier they will be. I prefer a more chewy cookie, but that's just me.

Cool them on the baking sheet for 1 minute.

Using a thin spatula, remove the cookies and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container, that is if there are any left! Hehe