Why Buy When You Can Bake

I have to confess something. I'm broke. It's a well known fact to us people with chronic illness but something most people don't think about. When you get sick your cost of living goes up, and I mean way up, especially if you have an on going illness like I do. Where sometimes my co-pay left on my meds is over $1000 a month. A $1000 that was not in the budget! If that wasn't enough to break you your ability to make a living may go WAY down.  I just can't go out and do location shoots and half the time I can't do shoots in the studio without having to run to the bathroom. I'm down by over $100,000 from what I used to make because my doctor told me to quit or die. Those were his exact words. I didn't quit, I love what I do, but I did slow down a lot.

This year after getting Disseminated Histoplasmosis during a photographers most busy time of year, the fall when the trees are pretty. I missed all those family photos people do just before Christmas. This makes things even tighter then they have been in the past, so it's onto frugal cooking here. No packaged cookies at the store, not when you can make your own for 1/4 of the price. This weeks cookie is a family favorite, especially during the holidays when we can add chocolate stars to the tops. No chocolate stars in the stores this time of year, and I won't pay for chocolate kisses, besides the wrappers take forever to peal off. So just a plane old favorite warm from the oven and served with a cold glass of milk, better then prepackaged any day.

Peanut Butter Cookies

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl beat peanut butter and butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough in 1-inch balls, roll in sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies by making crisscross marks with fork tines, dipping fork in sugar between flattening each cookie. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks. Cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe came from the better homes and gardens cookbook