Three Types of Cookies from One Batter! Father's Day, 2013

Yes, I realize this is another belated post, past the event.  But, in my defense, we didn't celebrate Father's Day with my dad until this past Sunday because he was out of town.  I wanted to make cookies, and peanut butter sounded good.  To JK, peanut butter and jelly sounded even better.  So, I started to make them, and then after I made the first batch, I became bored with the idea of all the cookies being the same, so I tweaked the toppings, and ended up with a nice variety of cookies to share with my parents.  They became: Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies, and Cinnamon Almond Peanut Butter Cookies!  I used raw sugar in the recipe, and discovered that was the slight crunch my dad was trying to pinpoint.  He said he really liked that sweet crunch, so keep that in mind if you want to make these.  I also used my mom's homemade plum jelly for the first variety, so that was a nice touch for them, too.  (For the first variety, I veganized and tweaked a recipe from a Costco cookbook.)

On a different note, it turns out it wasn't the juice that ruined my keyboard, so GR's off the hook.  My "j" key was apparently clogged with lots of black, kitty-sized fur.  Hmm, Cleopatra?!  So, now, my "j" kinda works.  I have to press really hard on it, and sometimes have to delete all the extra "j's" that will appear.  I'm thinking I want a  new keyboard -- but what do when she snoozes on her favorite spot again?

 From left to right: Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies, and Cinnamon Almond Peanut Butter Cookies

Here's a close-up of the beauties!

Three Types of Cookies from One Batter!

Ingredients for the Batter:

1 cup raw sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 and 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Topping Ingredients for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies:

1/2 (or so) of your favorite jam

Topping Ingredients for Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies:

Extra raw sugar

Topping Ingredients for Cinnamon Almond Peanut Butter Cookies:

1/4 cup cinnamon almonds, chopped medium to small

Directions for Batter:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Put the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth.  Add the dry ingredients right on top and mix well with a spoon.  Take a spoonful of batter, roughly a heaping tablespoon or so, and round it into a ball about an inch or so around.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Finish with a third of the batter.  I can fit twenty cookies on my cookie sheet.

Directions for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies:

Bake cookies for seven minutes.  Remove from oven and make a small well in each cookie with the back of a teaspoon or a small melon baller.  Place a small dollop of jelly in each well and bake for an additional two minutes.  Cool on a cooling rack.

Directions for Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies:

Flatten each ball of cookie dough with the back of a fork, crisscrossing once, so you have a kind of fork "x."   Sprinkle a small pinch of raw sugar on each cookie.  Bake for nine minutes.  Cool on cooling rack.

Directions for Cinnamon Almond Peanut Butter Cookies:

Press a few chunks of chopped almonds into the top of each cookie dough ball.  If it starts to give way, just mold it back together.  Bake for nine minutes.

Note:  You should be able to make twenty cookies of each variety.  They are so good, and everyone can have their own favorite.  Feeds five hungry vegans, a Grannyma and a Poppy...and more for the next day.