Christmas Cookie #16: Peanut Butter Blossoms

I always planned to make these cookies as part of our countdown. I love them, and I'm guessing that just about any of you reading this post and seeing the picture of these has tasted one before. Right?

The combination of peanut butter and chocolate - oh, sweet togetherness - it's one of life's best combos.

I let the boys taste the cookies plain - and they liked them. Then, they helped press the Hershey's Kisses into our cookies. Of course, they liked them so much better with chocolate on them. It really helped illustrate a great lesson on togetherness.

For the sake of this blog and this kid-friendly countdown, we made Peanut Butter Blossoms.

However, as a result of our MOPS cookie exchange, I will never see them as that, again.

My awesome group of MOPS friends and I were sitting around our table discussing what kinds of cookies we were going to make for our little MOPpy cookie exchange. Jill, our table leader and my she-just-doesn't-know-how-hilarious-she-is-which-makes-her-even-funnier friend, very matter-of-factly blurts out:

"I'm making nipp.le cookies."

The rest of us spit out our orange juice and coffee and gasped, "What did you say?"

"You know," says Jill. "The peanut butter ones with Hershey's kisses in the middle."

And, the uncontrollable laughter that erupted from our table was followed by snorting and deep breaths and more snorting and was surely heard by our sermon-preparing pastor across the building. I can only guess that he paused and thought to himself:

"Those hard-working Moms of wee ones - glad they're having some good, clean fun up there."

Oh mercy. If he only knew.

Our lesson: (for Peanut Butter Blossoms, ahem) Sometimes, it's fun to play with our games and trains all by ourselves. But, the most fun of all, is sharing our toys with our brothers and friends.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
recipe from Hershey's...

48 Hershey's Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
extra sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.