Recipe: Peanut Butter Biscuits

I have decided (not resolved - I don't believe in resolutions) to start enjoying cooking again. I go through phases when I am skint or tight for time where I stick to the usual spag bol/stirfry/omlette combinations. That's all very well, but it doesn't make exciting reading for the very few people that pop on to peruse my musings, so I've spared you all.

This isn't the most standard of January recipes (hello, hips and thighs!) but I chose to adapt this for my first New Thing of 2013 as it was an excuse to crack the lovely cup measures I got for Christmas...

I love them!

I can see the advantage of cup measures for drier ingredients like sugar and flour, but for peanut butter and butter, it was a slightly messy adventure. I ended up writing down the weights for future reference:

Peanut Butter Biscuits.
Makes 40 (!)

110g butter
110g caster sugar
110g brown sugar
150g crunchy peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp milk or water
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Pre-heat the oven to 180C, and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Cream together the butter, sugars and peanut butter in a large bowl.
Beat in the egg, milk or water, and vanilla.
Slowly add in the flour and baking powder (it will seem very dry to begin with, adding in stages makes it easier).
When the mixture has come together, use a tea spoon to portion into balls. Roll between your palms into a smooth ball, then lightly squash them onto the baking tray. Leave plenty of room between them and don't squash them too flat, as they will spread during baking.
Bake in batches for roughly 12 minutes (until turning golden, but still squashy to poke). Allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting off the greaseproof paper. If you lift them too quickly, then the lovely soft chewy middle bit will be left behind!

These would be really tasty drizzled with melted chocolate - or with chocolate drops mixed in by hand just prior to dividing into portions.

If you share my concerns about 'accidentally' eating 40 biscuits for dinner instead of something a little more nutritionally balanced, you could also freeze them and cook them as you fancy - portion them up on the greaseproof paper then wrap in clingfilm. Remove the cling film prior to baking, and cook for slightly longer from frozen. They should be safe for a few weeks tightly wrapped.