Peanut Butter Cookies

There's nothing like a good peanut butter cookie to satisfy the soul, and pack on the pounds. As children, my siblings and I were blessed with a mother who baked. Peanut butter cookies were a short-lived staple. This is how she made them.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Methods:

The instructions on my mother's recipe card said "375 for 10 minutes". Brevity is the soul of wit as they say.

For those who may not understand cookie-making shorthand, here's a little more detail. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all of the ingredients together to form a dough. Roll one inch balls of cookie dough and place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Use the back of a fork to press the dough slightly leaving the imprint of fork times on the cookie. Then turn your hand (with fork) 90 degrees and press the cookie again with the back of the fork, creating a crosshatch pattern.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie from the baking sheet with a spatula and place them on a metal rack to cool.