Peanut Butter Cookies

Today I thought I'd share with you an old family recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies. My Mum used to bake these for us and my brother and I both remember them well. A few years ago I tried to re-create them using modern recipes but they all had a lot more sugar and a lot less peanut butter than I remembered. Then I came across this old exercise book of my Grandmother's. 

It had been kept because of the family addresses in it but, at the back, there were a few recipes. Some of these were in my Granny's handwriting and some were written by her Mother, my Great-Grandmother, Annie. That's Annie in the photograph, taken when she was 18 in 1894. And here is her cookie recipe; it's a bit hard to see as it was written in pencil.

I'm pretty sure that this is the recipe my Mum used - they taste just right. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

3 oz butter, softened

3 oz sugar

5 heaped tbsp peanut butter

1 egg

6 oz SR flour

Heat the oven to Gas Mark 6 / 200°C / 400°F.

Cream the butter, sugar and peanut butter together.

Add the beaten egg and flour.

Divide the mixture into 16 and roll into balls.

Put the balls on two greased baking sheets and flatten each with a fork.

Bake for about 20 minutes (I swap the trays every five minutes) or until golden brown.

Leave to cool on the trays.

Since I started baking these I've had to resort to buying my peanut butter in big tubs rather than jars, 5 tablespoons is a lot! The one I buy is made by  Whole Earth. I hope you enjoy this recipe - let me know if you try it.