#2 of 40 Days of Baking: Peanut Butter Cookies

People say to me all the time, 'When did you know that you had fully become an American?' And I say, 'The day I realized I loved peanut butter.'

- Ana Navarro

I’m preparing to apply for the Great AMERICAN Baking Show…

And what is more American than peanut butter and jelly?

Except perhaps baking with pre-packaged kits and store-bought mixes?

As I mentioned in my explanation video a couple of days ago, I’m guilty of baking with these “cheat codes” on a regular basis. Maybe it’s simply the norm here in America, maybe it’s my generation, or perhaps it’s just me 🤷‍♀️ Whatever the reason, I’m used to cooking with them; I know what to expect and how a bake should turn out when using them.

I also have a panty full of them that I’m eager to use as I explore and expand my homemade-from-scratch skills. To that end, I’ll start each week’s theme with a store-bought kit or mix.

For Cookie Week's first bake, I turned to Betty Crocker (according to her presence in my pantry, she and I are fast friends!) and her trusty pouch of peanut butter cookie mix.

To put my own stamp on today’s bake, I decided to finish the cookies in four ways:

Traditional Crisscross

Sprinkle of Sugar

Chocolate Topping

PB & J

After judging, I can attest they're all really good!

I like the strawberry jam topping best; the traditional crisscross came in second on my list. My other two judges — Angel Girl and MawMaw — like the traditional and sugar-dusted best, with PB&J tying as their next favorite.

A taste is all we kept, as the rest are filling care packages headed to Texas for Coach and SonShine.

I hope they love the cookie surprise half as much as I miss those two 🥹

Until tomorrow...with love and hugs,