Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

I was e-mailed this basic recipe from myrecipes.com today. I needed a cookie recipe to make for my husband's lunch and he loves peanut butter, so this was perfect timing. Believe it or not, my store was out of peanuts on Sunday, so I decided to substitute peanut butter chips for the peanuts. I just finished eating one of these straight out of the oven and, boy, it did not hurt the recipe at all. They have a very distinct peanut butter flavor without being completely overpowering. They are sweet, so I think I could only eat one at a time. I will be hanging on to this recipe.

Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies:

adapted from Southern Living Food, July 2009

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together first four ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Stir in peanut butter chips and vanilla. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Cool on pan on a wire rack five minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack and cool five minutes. Serve warm or cool completely.

Yield: 14 cookies