A new home and peanut butter cookies

This blog is finally ready.  Since I started keeping a blog in 2005, I've moved my blog twice before to new address and I'm hoping this will be the last time that it moved.  I don't lose many posts when I moved this time, but still, it's a lot of tinkering to do with the layout.  I'm gonna let it be this simple for a while until I've time and energy to make it, maybe, better.  My blog is always meant for me to write recipes, post food photos, and have fun with the process of making food; it's never meant to be the most popular blog in the Internet.  I don't have the energy anymore, I'm getting old!  :D

With that, I'm going to start with this Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies.  I love this recipe because the cookies stay crisp and crunchy after many days, and it's a good medium to eat with other staple pantry foods, like Nutella and strawberry jam.  It's like a shortbread really.  The jam is homemade, made from my fresh picked Hood strawberries last month.  Easy to make, easy to eat.  And I think this goodies are just perfect things to have after the stress of moving.

I hope you'll enjoy your time as was before.  Thank you!

Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies

Makes about 40 to 48 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

⅓ cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon almond extract

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and set aside.  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until soft and smooth.  Add the vanilla and almond extracts and both sugars and beat until incorporated.  Beat in the egg.  Then, on low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat until thoroughly mixed.

Turn the mixture out onto a work surface, knead it a bit, and then "push off" the dough as follows:  Form the dough into a ball; start at the far end of the dough and, using the heel of your hand, push off small pieces (the size of about 2 tablespoons) against the work surface and away from you.  Continue until all the dough has been pushed off.  Re-from the dough and push it off (or "break" it) again; re-form the dough (it will feel like clay).

Form the dough into a long round shape or a long oblong.  Either way, the shape should be 10 to 12 inches log and 1 ¾ to 2 inches in diameter.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until firm, or place the wrapped dough in the freezer for 45 to 60 minutes until firm.

When you are ready to bake, adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350F.  Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Slice the firm dough into ¼-inch slices.  Place them ½ to 1 inch apart on the lined sheets.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until lightly colored (darker on the rims), reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking to ensure even browning.

With a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

Source:  Maida Heatter's Cookies