Use the right fat. Recipes calling for
butter or margarine will produce good results with either, as long as you use a
margarine that contains at least 80 percent vegetable oil.
If it's not clear from the front of the
box, check the nutrition label: The margarine should have 100 calories per
tablespoon. Margarines with less than 80 percent vegetable oil have a high water
content and can result in tough cookies that spread excessively, stick to the
pan, or don't brown well.
Peanut Blossoms
1 3/4 C. Pillsbury all-purpose
or unbleached flour
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. shortening
1/2 C. peanut butter
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
Sugar
48 Kisses milk chocolates, unwrapped
Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large
bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening,
peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg; mix at low speed until stiff dough forms.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased
cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each
cookie with 1 milk chocolate candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around
edge; remove from cookie sheets.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies.
Recipe developed by Freda Smith of Gibsonburg, Ohio, for the 9th Pillsbury
Bake-Off in 1957.
