1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening (Crisco – the sticks are easier to use than a can)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Press with a fork horizontally and vertically to make the criss-crossed design.
Bake at 350 degrees – watch the first batch to see how long it takes and then deduct a few minutes, because the following batches always bake faster – don’t ask me why, but it’s true.
Tip on baking cookies – always line your cookie sheets with parchment paper, the cookies won’t stick and it helps prevent cookies from burning on the bottom. I use the same sheet of parchment paper for all the batches and switch to a new sheet when I bake a different kind of cookie.