Mrs. Schwartz's Peanut Butter Cookies

I met Mrs. Schwartz when I was 4 years old. She lived across the road and would be our neighbour for 5 years. She was a widow and had three children if I could remember correctly. They were in high school and beyond. Although she had great skin, Mrs. Schwartz had gray hair so I was pretty sure she must be really old. Like a good neighbour, she shared with us her peanut butter cookie recipe. This was something we had never had before. Very North American. It was adopted quickly into our recipe collection. This is the only peanut butter cookie recipe I have ever made. I think that is partly because I don't want to ever forget her.

Now that our teenager has moved on from high school and I am getting a few 'light coloured' strands of hair on my temples, I am beginning to think that Mrs. Schwartz wasn't as old as I first thought she was.

Mrs. Schwartz's Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cup peanut butter, crunchy preferred
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/8 tsp salt

Cream together margarine, peanut butter, brown and white sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat. Add the vanilla.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Fold into the cream batter.



Using a scoop, place the balls of dough onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake at 350ºF for 10 - 11 minutes.



Let cool on cookie sheet for a minute and then move to cooling rack.

Makes approximately 48 to 60 cookies.