PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth and soft, then add each ingredient in the order listed, mixing about 15 seconds after each addition. (either by hand or mixer). It is important to do all the mixing to make the cookie light and crisp. The final dough will be fairly soft.
• Grease cookie sheet.
• Drop the dough by teaspoon on the cookie sheet. These cookies do not spread, so you can place them about 1-inch apart.
• Flatten by making an "x" on the top with the tines of a fork. Dip the fork in a small bowl of flour between each pressing. If the fork sticks too much, put the dough in the refrigerator for five or ten minutes. Hot cookie sheets can make the dough too soft. While one batch is baking, you can lay out and flatten the next batch on sheets.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, until the bottoms are just browned. Lift one cookie with a spatula to check. The tops of the cookies will be light in color.
• Cookie Varations:.
• Sandwich two cookies together with:.
• •fruit-sweetened strawberry jam, or any flavor you like.
• •or honey (creamy raw honey is particularly good and healthful).
• •or smooth peanut butter, mixed with a little honey, if you would like.
• Peanut Butter Thumbprints:.
• •Instead of flattening the cookies with a fork, make a "thumbprint" depression with your thumb to form a crater. Dip your thumb in flour between each pressing if it sticks. Before baking, fill each cookie with fruit-sweetened strawberry fruit spread, or any flavor you like.