Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Life has been crazy. It's always hectic, but there has been a lot of little projects and stresses occupying my brain space lately. Serious yard work that needs to be done, and then I attempted some of that yard work and ended up with a severe allergic skin reaction that took 2 weeks to get under control (English Ivy is no joke).

My baby girl turns 4 in less than 2 weeks and I'm still trying to wrap my head around that, we took a 1 week trip to WA with both kids to visit family and traveling with them both causes me high levels of anxiety. When we got back from the trip Kent had a medical incident although we still don't know what actually happened but we spent time in the ER and had a ton of tests run to rule out some very scary things. Still working on and waiting to hear back about his disability application which is another hugely stressful thing for me. Managing all of his care and doctor appointments and transportation is never ending. He is a senior in high school this year and I have so many worries about what life looks like for him after graduation. It's been nearly 2 years since his stroke and we're still constantly shifting and adjusting to life "after" and what he needs and how best to provide him independence and support at the same time.

So sometimes you need a break from life - so you bake some cookies! My sister and 2 best friends of ours drove to Chattanooga to visit another friend in the hospital on Saturday mid-day and then met up with Lindsey's dad on the way back to their place to pick her up. I had promised to bake cookies with Lindsey before she went to her dad earlier in the week and we hadn't had time, so I knew we were going to have to make time for it over the long weekend. Last night it was time - Lindsey decided on peanut butter cookies and we did a quick search on allrecipes and decided to make these ones (I didn't even realize at the time it was a new recipe for me - I swear I've baked every PB cookie recipe out there already)! They came together easily and baked up beautifully. Everything you could ask for in a classic Peanut Butter cookie. Crispy and chewy. Definitely a keeper. And they make a huge batch of cookies - so be prepared to freeze some or share! :)

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies from Shirley Sadler on AllRecipes

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions

1. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars together in a bowl; beat in eggs.
2. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into butter mixture. Put dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.

Note: I skip the initial refrigeration, and refrigerate between batches instead. I roll them into walnut sized balls and do not flatten. 10 - 11 minutes seems to be about perfect for these, but if you like them a little firmer with more crunch on the bottom give them an extra 1 - 2 minutes until you can see noticeable browning.