Who doesn't love classic peanut butter cookies?

Not too sweet, with that rich can't miss flavor of peanut butter, these peanutbutter cookies are a treat for kids and adults alike.

Prep time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. (Editor’s note: While Amish cooks would not have an electric mixer, one can be used for this recipe on the lowest setting.) Stir in the peanut butter, flour, baking soda, and salt. The batter will be thick and should be stirred vigorously with a wooden spoon or kneaded with your hands in the bowl until everything is thoroughly mixed. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press each cookie with the back of a floured fork to make a crisscross pattern on top. Bake until the edges are brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack and then put into sealed containers.

These cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

• When rolling out cookie dough, sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar instead of flour. Too much flour can make the dough heavy.
• If you want to give your cookies a bit of crunch, add 1/2 cups of chopped peanuts to the batter.