Did you ever notice that at every large social gathering (graduation parties, weddings, etc) that has cookie trays or platters that there are always the inevitable peanut butter cookies with the Hershey Kiss on it? Along with a wide assortment of too many cookies (a baker has to do research you know!) I always put one of these cookies on my plate.
It's a decision I always come to regret.
To begin with, the cookie always appears suspiciously pale. One bite of bland, useless cookie is enough for me to set it down, pluck off the kiss and pop that into my mouth leaving a bitten, naked cookie behind. It's something I've done dozens upon dozens of time. The cookie has only the barest hint of peanut butter taste to it--in fact, let's call it what it is--tasteless. My only explanation for this tasteless cookie was to blame it on old ladies making the cookie and cutting corners and using disgraceful things like margarine and imitation vanilla instead of butter and real vanilla. (I know that's not a generous thought and if you've got a grandma--or are a grandma--who doesn't do this, I apologize for lumping you in with the others)
How can this be, I've always wondered. When I make this cookie at home it's always delicious and everything it should be. Then, the last time I made this cookie at home, someone pointed out to me that my cookie was rather flat and the Hershy kiss was perched on top and easily knock-off-able. Didn't I use the Peanut Butter Blossom recipe?
Um, no? Why would I do that when I have a stellar peanut butter cookie recipe that over the years I've perfected?
But---the doubt was in my head and over the next few days as I plowed my way through the cookie jar in a race to consume MORE of the cookies than the members of my family did, I couldn't help but think negatively of my Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey Kisses. The cookie was kinda flat and the kisses did fall off a little too easy.
Self doubt finally overwhelmed me and today I dug up a Peanut Butter Blossom recipe and made it. And for the record, all the recipes I found said to use shortening! I did not do such a thing. It's all butter all the time here.
Looks pretty doesn't it? It's disgusting.
Apparently, the secret to making bland-tasteless-large-social-gathering-peanut-butter-cookies-with-a-Hershey-kiss is to use the Peanut Butter Blossom recipe.
The shortening for butter swap? It made it slightly less tasteless. That translates to two bites before I pluck off the kiss and abandon the cookie.
