Classic Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

When it comes to Peanut Butter Cookies, I'm a purist.

Getting Ready to Go in the Oven...Mmmm!

It's my favorite cookie, and I don't like when bakeries try to spruce them up with crunchy peanut butter or roasted peanut halves. There's just something special about a classic peanut butter cookie that lets its natural peanut butteriness shine underneath that traditional crisscross design.

Here's my personal favorite recipe.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

375˚ for 7-10 minutes

    ½       cup granulated sugar
    ½       cup packed brown sugar
    ½       cup peanut butter
    ¼       cup shortening
    ¼       cup butter, softened
    1        egg
    1 ¼    cups all-purpose flour
    ¾       teaspoon baking soda
    ½       teaspoon baking powder
    ¼       teaspoon salt

Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter, and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Shape dough into 1 ¼-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.  Firmly press for nice design.

Bake 7-8 minutes for a softer cookie or 9-10 minutes for a crispier cookie. 

Cool 5 minutes. Then remove from cookie sheet to cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 ½ dozen.
   
(Source Betty Crocker)

Download the 3x5 Recipe Card

See my How To Guide for Shipping Cookies as a care package.

Care Package Ideas for Homemade Goodies

Someone my husband and I love needed a little cheering up, so I decided to put together a care package of my homemade Classic Peanut Butter Cookies.

I couldn't put a gift together without a homemade tag! I thought this little "Donut Be Sad" stamp was so adorable, and it makes me smile to see it every time. There's just something endearing about a smiling donut with a tear....Don't you think?

How to Ship Cookies:

• Try to bake your cookies within 24 hours of shipping.
  
  
• Let cookies cool to room temperature before packaging.
  
  
• Place cookies in an air-tight container.
  
  
• Put waxed paper or parchment between each layer of cookies to keep them from sticking to each other. (I just recycled the parchment paper I baked the cookies on for this.)
  
  
• If cookies don't completely fill the container, add shredded or crumpled waxed paper, parchment paper, or cupcake liners to fill the gap.
  
  
• Place container in a shipping box with 2-3 inches of packing on all sides to keep cookies from breaking during shipment.
  
  
• If shipping the next day, freeze your box of cookies overnight to ensure freshness longer. If you're shipping during the cold-weather months, that will help, too.
  
  
• Mark the box FRAGILE.
  
  
• It's best to send your cookies on Monday or Tuesday to ensure the cookies don't sit in a post office or warehouse over a weekend and start to get stale.
  
  
• I recommend USPS Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery) as a fairly fast and economical shipping method. 

 Here are two guides for shipping other handmade treats:

• How to Ship Cupcakes by Project Cupcake
  
  
• How to Ship Cinnamon Rolls as seen on Your Homebased Mom

Here's one last look at my care package before it goes into its shipping box and the freezer.  I just got this Caribbean blue twine from The Twinery this week, and it matched my tag so perfectly!

Do you have any tips for shipping home-baked treats?

Circus Party Supplies - New!

If you saw my post yesterday about Joshua's 2nd Birthday Circus Party, then you know I have a new line of Circus Party Supplies for sale from Belly Feathers.  Here are some additional photos of the products with pricing.  I can also design additional coordinating items for your party, so just ask!

Don't forget about my handy Circus Party Planning Guide full of ideas for decorations, party outfits, refreshments, favors, and more.  It's only $25.

Circus Invitations - $20 for a Printable PDF

Circus Party Stickers (2.5") - $5 for sheet of 12

Photo Posters (10x16") - $30 for printable PDF of both designs

Pennant Party Banner - $5 per letter

I'd love to help with your next Circus or Carnival Party!  Please feel free to email me at Betsy@BellyFeathers.com.

 

More Circus Party Ideas
Circus Party Theme: Joshua's Two Ring Circus Birthday Party
Big-Top Circus Birthday Party for Marley & Kelsey
Handmade Circus Birthday Party: Let Your Birthday Boy Be the Ringleader
Caden's 2nd Birthday Party Carnival

Circus Party Theme: Joshua's Two Ring Circus Birthday Party

I love circus themed parties!  So, I was thrilled to help with Joshua's Circus Birthday Party, especially after designing party supplies for his Sailboat 1st Birthday Party.  This year, his mommy Katie wanted me to create some custom circus birthday invitations and party supplies just for him.

Circus Themed Invitations

Since Joshua was turning two, I used "Two Ring Circus" as the inspiration for his Circus Invitations.  I love how they turned out with the big-top tent in the center.  Of course, I had to put a big number 2 above the door.

The bottom of the invitation is anchored by train cars full of circus animals including a lion, giraffe, elephant, and a juggling monkey.  I put a number 2 on the second train car, too.

Circus Party Games and Location

Katie was looking to do something a little simpler for Joshua's 2nd birthday party, so she decided to host the party at Cats Gymnastics in Boca Raton, FL.  The facility rental included activities, party plates/cups/napkins, and clean-up, which makes for a happy mommy!

Upon request, Cats Gymnastics transformed some of their normal birthday routines into circus themed activities by giving them new names:

• Tight Rope Walking (Balance Beam)
• Trapeze (Rings)
• Lion Taming (Somersaults)
• Clowning Around (Slide)

Birthday ringmaster Joshua even made a special flying entrance to the party (see below).  Cats Gymnastics reserves that for guests of honor only, which I think it is a special touch (and great way to book more parties).

Circus Birthday Cake

Joshua's birthday cake (pictured above) came from Publix and featured the little circus train topper below, which tied in perfectly with his invitations. The cars even have animals inside! The train candle holder was included with the price of the cake, but you can also order the same topper separately from Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply on Etsy.

Photo by Sweet Estelle's Baking Supply on Etsy

Circus Party Supplies and Decorations

My favorite circus decorations at the party were these Circus Photo Posters.  They were inspired by old circus posters that would be placed around cities get everyone excited about the circus coming to town. I love how the design turned out, and the two photos of Joshua were so much fun to work with!    These could easily be turned into photo thank you cards after the party or even party invitations.

Here are close-ups of both circus poster designs.

Don't these just look festive?!

Katie also ordered Mylar balloons shaped like a big-top circus tent and lion to decorated the party room.  I created the Pennant Party Banner to hang over the refreshments.

The one downside of having Cats Gymnastics provide the party plates and other supplies was that they were generic and didn't tie in with the theme.  I helped Katie solve this problem by designing 2.5" Circus Party Stickers in a few different styles.  She stuck them on everything from party hats to serving bowls to personalize Joshua's circus birthday party.

I think using the plastic buckets for serving dishes is such a cute idea!

Circus Party Favors

Katie used these popcorn bags from Dollar Tree for the Circus Favors at Joshua's party. So fun!

They were filled with a variety of circus goodies, most of which were also found at Dollar Tree.

My favorite items in the treat bags were these pieces of polka-dot sidewalk chalk, which Katie wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon. I think these would make wonderful party favors all by themselves, especially for summer parties.  Of course, Katie lives in sunny south Florida, so these are perfect year round!

Katie, thank you so much for letting me share these photos from Joshua's 2nd birthday party!  It was such a treat to work with you again!


Looking for more Circus Party Ideas? Check these posts out.
Big-Top Circus Birthday Party for Marley & Kelsey
Handmade Circus Birthday Party: Let Your Birthday Boy Be the Ringleader
Caden's 2nd Birthday Party Carnival


Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Circus Invitations
Pennant Party Banner
Photo Circus Posters
Party Stickers
See pricing and more photos.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

When I saw this Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie recipe on Celebrations at Home, I knew these cookies were going to make the "To-Eat" List on my diet cheat day. My husband and I are on a slow-carb diet from the 4-Hour Body book, but on Saturdays we can eat anything we want....have I mentioned how much I LOVE Saturdays???  Anyway, the thought of these cookies got me out of bed bright an early on Saturday, so I could bake them before going out of town.  They were so worth it, too!

Mine didn't turn out nearly as cute as those in the photos on Celebration at Home (maybe they sprinkled some extra chocolate chips and coconut on top of their dough balls before baking), but I did think they looked super cute on my new two-tier Valentine's Day tray from Target. 

Before bed time on Saturday, I decided I would sneak into the kitchen and eat just one more cookie while it was still cheat day.  I ate THREE!!!  Needless to say, these cookies had to leave the house, so this is how cute they looked on Sunday when they made their grand exit!

I hand stamped the "A Little Yummy for Your Tummy" tag and mounted it on sparkly background paper.  The two things that really set it off, though, were the dimensional flower and the cute red and white baker's twine from The Twinery.  I've really been enjoying my Twinery twine so much that I placed an order for additional colors this week.

Unfortunately, the recipients of the cookies were also on diets. Whoops! Sorry, guys!

Be sure to check out the Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies recipe on Celebrations at Home!

21st Birthday Ideas: A Dinner with Family That's Not Too Embarassing

My brother David had his 21st birthday a week before Christmas, and my mom and I wanted to plan a little celebration. When thinking of 21st ideas, I tried to keep two things in mind for a guy's 21st Birthday Party:
#1) don't embarrass him and
#2) he's probably got more fun things to do that night...Hello? He'll be 21!!

We decided on an early dinner at David's favorite Japanese steak house, Samurai in Andalusia, Alabama, with just immediate family, so David could go hang out with his friends for the rest of the night.

21st Party Decorations

I wanted to do something special for decorations, while keeping rule #1 (don't embarrass) in mind. I came up with these little double-sided table flags, and they were perfect! I picked up these jars and beads at Dollar Tree and embellished the jar with a little brown ribbon. I made three to place around the hibachi, and because they were so low, only the people at the next two tables over could see them (minimizes embarrassment). Since they were pretty small, they were easy to transport, too.

Having David's name on the flags allowed our Samurai chef to really personalize our dinner experience, too...making for an extra fun night! He called David by name all throughout the meal, and the rest of us got called by name, too...well, sort of. We were "David's Mommy", "David's Sister", "David's Brother-in-Law", "David's Daddy", and my Dad's girlfriend Debbie was "David's Daddy's Friend". His persistence in calling us all by name was really funny, as they became quite a mouthful for him at times!

Clearly, I forgot to tell Samurai about about Rule #1.  They made things even more festive with balloons, drums, and a delicious pineapple boat. Well, I guess you can't get out of a family gathering without a little embarrassment...right?!

21st Birthday Gifts

For David's 21st birthday presents, I came up with the idea for a "Find Your Favorite Beer Tasting Kit".  Over Thanksgiving, David had been asking me what beers I liked to drink, probably in prep for his birthday, so I thought he would enjoy doing a taste test to find his favorite.

The Fresh Market has these really neat looking six-pack containers for mix and matching beer to create a custom six pack.  Unfortunately, their beers were a little too gourmet for this project, as I was looking for the basics, but they kindly gave me the box with my grocery purchase.  I was able to find the single beers I needed at a gas station.  I filled the pack with a Miller Lite, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona Light, Heineken (in case he has more refined tastes), and a Blue Moon (one of my favorites).

My husband and I gave him something a little more substantial, too, and of course, the wrapping had to match the rest of the party decorations!

21st Birthday Cake

David also loves Sugar Rush Bakery in Andalusia, so my mom picked up a variety of mini plain cheesecakes, mini turtle cheesecakes, and chocolate cupcakes.

So yummy!  It was wonderful because everyone could pick what they liked.

 

I found these cute plates and napkins to match everything else at Party City.  The plates are actually a hard plastic, so you could reuse them if you wanted.  For convenience, we just left them behind at the restaurant, though.

I think David had a good time at his 21st Birthday Party!  Samurai Japanese Steak House even surprised him with a porcelain samurai figure, too, which was so thoughtful.  (David must eat there a lot!!!)

Do you have any 21st birthday ideas?

What fun things have your done to celebrate?

Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Pennant Table Flags
"Find Your Favorite Beer" Tasting Kit Sign
Hand-stamped Birthday Gift Tag

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Today is one month away from Valentine's Day, and I have a special treat for you. These Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes would be perfect to make for your special someone!

Chocolate cake filled and coated with chocolate peppermint ganache and then topped with peppermint cream cheese frosting and crushed peppermint candy - YUM!!!

I'll admit two layers of frosting is a bit decadent, but I promise it is worth the effort for a special occasion like Valentine's Day. For stress-free prep, it helps to make the chocolate cupcakes one night, and then do the ganache and frosting the next day. The cupcakes would be delicious with either the ganache or frosting alone, though (just skip the filling if you want to do ganache only to get a pretty finish).

Also, add the crushed peppermint candy shortly before serving because it will bleed into the cream cheese frosting after a few hours. I just used crushed up candy canes off my Christmas tree for this.

This peppermint cream cheese frosting makes a FABULOUS pretzel dip, too. In the future, I think I'll make some of this just for this purpose...that's how good it was! If you do a small dollop of frosting on top of your cupcakes like I did, you'll have a lot left over for pretzel dipping. 

Head over to Your Homebased Mom for these wonderful recipes and how-to instructions.

Do you have any special Valentine's Day traditions?