Recipe: Apple Peanut Butter Cookies

As white ladies in the fall are wont to do, a friend and I went apple picking at Homestead Farm. Even though I have done this before, every time I seem to forget that I do not need 10+ pounds of apples. But you get into the groove of picking (or simply keeping the unbruised ones from the ground), and you realize you've paid $20 for fruit. We finished off our day with a tour and wine tasting at Rocklands Farm Winery, where we enjoyed vegan dogs and cheese before heading home.

After a much needed nap (picking and carrying apples is hard work), I figured I should bake something with all my apples. Unfortunately, I picked a recipe from Taste of Home that only calls for one apple. So I might need to make these again. Twenty times.

Ingredients

•          1/2 cup shortening
•          1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
•         1/2 cup sugar
•          1/2 cup packed brown sugar
•          1 egg
•          1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•          1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•          1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•          1/2 teaspoon salt
•          1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•          1/2 cup grated peeled apple

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the shortening, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in apple.
• Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.

And you know me: I couldn't follow the recipe to a T. I've never used shortening in my life, and when I read online that I could replace it with applesauce, I thought that would taste better anyway, especially for this recipe. I also used creamy instead of chunky peanut butter (The recipe specifically warns that using reduced-fat peanut butter won't work. Who eats that anyway?). My cookies don't look quite like the pictures on the website, but they do taste pretty good. Some comments online said that the peanut butter flavor wasn't that strong. I disagree, but I will admit mine have a somewhat rubbery texture. So not the best thing I've ever made, but not the worst. I think I'd be just as happy eating apple slices with peanut butter in their original forms.