Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

Throughout my childhood years my mother always loved shortbread cookies and each Christmas my mom would receive a large tin of shortbread cookies from a dear friend. Due to this tradition, shortbread cookies will always be linked to the Christmas season in my memories. I have tried a variety of shortbread recipes over the years looking for just the right one, and I did find one simple butter shortbread cookie recipe that is as close to those cookies of my childhood as I can find. But today I am going to share a more recent favorite and a recipe that is becoming equally linked with the Christmas season for my own family. I guess it is a new twist on an old favorite!

Peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite flavor combination! Soon after marrying I discovered this recipe for peanut butter shortbread on-line. It was an immediate hit with my family and is a recipe I often make to share at gatherings and over the holidays. This year I made a total of four batches. Since there aren't any eggs in this recipe these cookies remain fresh for quite a while, it fact the flavor improves after the first day or two. They are a sturdy cookie, making them ideal to ship to family out of state.

One double batch of peanut butter shortbread cookies, as well as a batch of Kisses Cocoa Cookies.

Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup confectionery sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour*

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions: 

Cream butter, peanut butter and confectionery sugar. Add vanilla extract, mix well. Add flour, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. I use my hand mixer to prepare the dough, however you can mix this dough by hand. Once the dough is well combined and no longer crumbly, scoop out about a tablespoon of dough. I then roll the dough into a ball place onto ungreased cookie sheet and then press ball to flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until bottom of cookies is lightly golden.

*I use half all-purpose flour and half ultra grain flour white whole wheat, as this adds a great texture to the cookie. However the cookies are terrific made entirely all-purpose flour too.

We all enjoyed this Christmas season and made so many sweet memories. One weekend we made our first gingerbread house, using a Wilton kit. Maybe next year we will try making a gingerbread house from scratch, as it was a fun family activity.

 I think Miranda enjoyed her first Christmas too! She seemed to take special pleasure in listening to records, and watching as they spun. Thankfully all of our records survived the season. : )

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely week as you prepare for the New Year. 

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17