When we were growing up, the ONLY kind of peanut butter my mom would buy was Skippy Super Chunk. There was always a jar of it in the cupboard, and we had it on our toast and in our cold lunch almost every day. I didn’t even realize that smooth peanut butter existed until the mid-70’s or so, when I had lunch over at a friend’s house! I came home from the playdate effusing with happiness over the exciting news: you could actually buy peanut butter where all the peanuts were perfectly smashed, and it was wonderfully delicious! We didn’t have to have those annoying crunchy chunks in our Peanut Butter & Wonder Bread sandwiches anymore, and wasn’t that super news?

My dad caught wind of my peanut butter recommendation and immediately had something to say about it. “Aww, YUCK, Leah!” he said. “Creamy peanut butter is boring and way too sweet! Chunky is the only way to go!”

Hmmff. And so it was and continued to be at our house.

But I remember the very first time I bought a jar of peanut butter when I was out on my own. In fact, I distinctly recall the glorious day I went to the Harris Teeter in Rock Hill, South Carolina (where I went to school) and was able to choose which kind of peanut butter I wanted – and hey Dad, guess what!?! Choosy college co-eds choose SMOOTH PEANUT BUTTER!

That was the revelation. I hope you weren’t expecting anything deeper out of me.

These days, the only time I make an exception to my ‘smooth peanut butter only’ rule is when I make these amazing cookies. Chunky peanut butter was on sale last week, and this week the other key ingredient, roasted salted peanuts, are on special. If you’ve got Super Chunk fans at your house, these cookies will knock ‘em dead!

In fact, I can’t wait to have some waiting for my dad when he comes for Christmas.

Happy Monday!

BIG, SUPER-NUTTY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Makes Approximately 3 Dozen

Source: cooksillusrated.com

• 2 ½ c. flour
• ½ t. baking soda
• ½ t. baking powder
• ½ t. salt
• 2 sticks butter, salted
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. extra-crunchy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 c. roasted, salted peanuts, ground in the food processor to resemble coarse crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or by hand), beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts, stir gently until just incorporated.

Working with two tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into large balls, placing them two inches apart on the cookie sheets. Press each dough ball with the back of a dinner fork to create crosshatch marks. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges, but not on top, 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

*NOTE: sometimes I divide the dough in half and freeze it – this works great and is much better than having stale cookies hanging around!

If there was ever a ‘jam’ you’d want to get in to with your kiddos, this is it — especially if they appreciate a good cooking project!  My girls and I whipped up two separate batches of this yummy stuff after dinner last night, and it took a grand total of what — forty five minutes from start to finish?!   The recipe is quick and easy, and you won’t even make a very big mess of your kitchen!

You’ll be so glad you have this jam socked away come  January!  Just think of how happy we’ll all be when we have a little taste of summer to spread on our buttered toast when the winter winds are howlin’.

Oh, and speaking of toast, when you run out to grab your berries, pick up a loaf of the Sendik’s Artisan Country French Bread too (on sale for 3.59/loaf).  I love this bread, and it’s perfect vehicle for this raspberry jam!

ENJOY!

RASPBERRY FREEZER JAM

Makes:  5 – 1 cup containers

Source:  Saveur.com

Don’t attempt to double this, it won’t work properly.  If you’d like a double batch, you’ll have to make them separately.  Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is!

• 4 c. fresh raspberries, rinsed and drained well (this was about 4 ½ packages)
• 4 c. super-fine sugar
• 1 – 3 oz. pouch of liquid fruit pectin (find this on the bottom shelf of the baking/spice aisle)
• 3 T. FRESH lemon juice, do not even THINK about using the stuff in the little plastic lemon!

Place the berries in a large bowl.   Crush them to the consistency that you like (I used my pastry blender for this).  Stir in the sugar, allow to sit until the sugar fully dissolves, about 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so.

Combine the pectin and the fresh lemon juice.  Add the pectin mixture to the berry mixture, stir for 3 minutes.  Ladle in to containers and set aside at room temperature for 24 hours.  Place in the freezer and use jam at your leisure!

I have plumb gone off the berry deep end, it’s plain to see.

But  I’ll tell you a little secret and I hope it doesn’t get me in a heap o’ trouble… (come closer…,closer…, that’s it, I’m whispering, you see – shh!) :  I know people who know stuff, and blueberries AREN’T going to be on special next week, so we’ll be chatting about something else instead when the new ad comes out!

But for now, if you’ll indulge me and my blueberry obsession one more time, I have the burning desire to share this simple sauce recipe with you!  It’s so unbelieveably easy, quick, and delicious that you’ll want to ladle it all over anything you can think of!  Springing to mind are my personal favorites: pound cake (on SALE this week, as pictured), angel food, pancakes, shortcakes, ice cream, frozen yogurt, even vanilla Tofutti, for heavens sake!

Double it, freeze it in little containers, and save it for a berry-less season.  Certainly, this pretty sauce is elegant enough for entertaining, and down home enough for pancakes the morning after.

No need to thank me.  I live for this stuff.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Serves:  Many!  Makes roughly 3 cups.

• 2 pints fresh blueberries, washed and picked over
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 t. cornstarch (plus an additional 1 t. dissolved in 1 t. water, if needed)
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 c. water
• A little splash of vanilla, optional
• A little squeeze of lemon juice, also optional

Place all of the ingredients (except the vanilla and/or lemon juice) in a small saucepan over a medium-low flame.  Stir to combine ingredients well.  Bring berry mixture up to a bubble and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.  Berries will burst and the sauce will thicken.  If you’d like a thicker sauce, stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and simmer until desired consistency.  Taste sauce and add the vanilla, if desired.  If sauce is too sweet, balance the flavors with a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Cool sauce slightly; then serve or cover and refrigerate for later use.