Marilyn's Peanut Butter Cookies

These are easy cookies that you will want to bake any time of year if you love peanut butter. My mom made these with my sisters and me. My own children were lucky and didn't have nut allergies.  They loved mixing up peanut butter dough with Nama, and rolling it into cookie balls.

Eat these at home after baking (don't send them to school in case they are shared with children who have nut allergies.)

Ingredients should be at room temperature.

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky, if you have it)
• 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, mixed.
• 1large egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp baking soda sifted with...
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

A tip when measuring peanut butter or anything sticky: rinse the measuring cup with hot water (don't dry it) and it will be easier to clean later.

Cream the peanut butter and butter.
Add the sugar mixture and egg.

Gradually add the flour mixture.

Roll into small balls.

Place on greased cookie sheets.

Flatten cookie balls into thin rounds with a fork twice (so that the tines leave a criss-cross pattern on your cookie.)

If the fork sticks in the dough, dip the tines in flour, but too much flour will make the cookies tough. Do not "smish" the cookies too flat or they might fall apart after you bake them.
Bake at 350 degrees about 8-10 minutes, till the edges are slightly brown.

My mom says to start watching the cookies after 5 minutes, as the timing depends on how flat you have "smished" your cookies.

Remove from the pan with a spatula and cool on a wire rack.

This recipe should make about 2-1/2 dozen.