Baking Like A Pro

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and it’s never too early to start baking or planning for a holiday. This year I am setting a plan ahead of schedule so there isn’t any last-minute panic. It just so happened that I had a light weekend in mid-January, so I set time aside to bake. Cookies are always great to make in advance and freeze for any upcoming occasion. This year for February I made a childhood favorite, my classic peanut butter cookies, along with my go-to decorated sugar cookies. I shared my perfect vanilla buttercream recipe for Christmas, and it’s perfect for heart cut-outs too! Into the rotation I also added linzer cookies filled with strawberry and red raspberry jams; very complementary for the upcoming holiday. Below I am sharing with you my peanut butter cookie recipe from 1943! Enjoy!

Pro tip: When baking, I only stick to the best brand name ingredients without cutting corners. In my opinion, quality matters. Aside from everything tasting better, everything turns out just right. I rarely steer away from this, however, I recently found a new favorite! Trader Joe’s unsalted butter is an equivalent alternative to my go-to Land O’Lakes and about half the price! Give it a try next time! 

Here are my go-to brands when baking:

• All-purpose flour: King Arthur 

• Granulated sugar: Domino 

• Brown sugar: Domino; always dark brown 

• Confectioners sugar: Domino

• Baking powder: Clabber Girl

• Baking soda: Arm & Hammer 

• Kosher salt: Diamond Crystal 

• Cocoa powder: Hershey’s 

• Butter: Land O’Lakes or Trader Joe’s; always unsalted 

• Vanilla: Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste

• Eggs: no brand specific; always jumbo size, preferably local and farm fresh 

• Spices: McCormick 

• Chocolate chips: Nestle Toll House 

  Betty’s Peanut Butter Cookies:

Recipe yields 3 dozen cookies 

¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature 

¾ cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, such as Jif

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 jumbo eggs at room temperature 

2 teaspoons Nielson-Massey pure vanilla bean paste 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt 

Extra flour for finishing cookies 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

• Cream butter in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until light in color. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and add peanut butter, mixing well. 

• Add sugars, mixing until well blended and continuing to scrape the sides of the bowl. 

• Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add in vanilla again, mixing well. 

• In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients into the mixing bowl about one quarter at a time, mixing until just combined and scraping the bowl after each addition.

• Once dough has come together, using a 1 inch scoop, scoop dough and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. 

• Add an extra tablespoon of flour in a small dish. Using a fork, dip the end into the flour and gently press each dough ball creating fork lines. Repeat again now creating a checkerboard pattern flattening each cookie about halfway down. 

• Bake for 7-8 minutes on the middle oven rack, rotating sheet halfway through baking. 

• Let cookies cool on baking sheet, allowing them to flatten before removing from sheet. 

• Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to three days or frozen for one month.