What a lucky girl to have a grandma like you to make cookies with! Here's how I do it. I have a small cookie scoop (it looks like a small ice cream scoop) that I just dip in the dough, take that dough androll into a ball and put on the cookie sheet. You can't put them too close together because they spread out some. Take a fork and make and light indentation across and up and down--you know how most peanut butter cookies look?

If you don't have a scoop you can use a heaping teaspoon and then roll in a ball and do the same as above.

While they're baking, pour a big glass of milk and wait for the warm cookies to come out of the oven :-) These are crispy cookies rather than soft ones.

Hint: I use two cookie sheets--one in the oven and one to get ready for the oven.

Thanks a million. She is overjoyed to have your directions. We plan on making them this weekend.

Walnutcreek, please have your grand daughter check to see if it's okay to bring peanut butter cookies to school. A lot of school will not allow peanut anything because of allergies. I would hate to see her go through all that trouble of baking them and not being allowed to bring them.

You can also sprinkle the cookies with coarse sugar before baking. Love peanut butter cookies.

I ditto Georgysmom's suggestion--I highly doubt she will be able to bring them to school. People can have deadly peanut allergies. I just read a very sad story last week about a college student on spring break who took a bite of a cookie with peanut oil and died from anaphylaxis. Better safe than sorry.

georgysmom and sleeperblues, that is a very good idea. I will have her check. She is very tenderhearted and would not want to cause harm to anyone.

Wouldn't want to be stuck outside the school door with a bag full o' cookies, either - very disappointing.

Check the road map before setting out on a trip, I guess, huh?

(Thanks for revisiting the recipe - this ole peanut butter lover's gonna hafta try this one!).

o j

That's essentially the recipe my mother used all the time. They're great. She always used shortening. Nice and crumbly. My sister mixes butter and shortening. I usually use the butter flavored shortening. Also she never added the salt. Peanut butter generally has enough salt and if you use salted butter, that too has salt in it but use if you like.

A suggestion to speed things up, just grab a bunch of the dough and roll it in your hands into a log shape about 1"-1 1/2" or however big you want them, then break off the pieces and set in the pan. Take the fork and go at them. My mother's recipe said to dip the fork in flour but I usually touch the fork to the dough then dip it in sugar. As you're breaking off pieces, usually 2-3 in the pan and one in the mouth. Love that peanut butter cookie dough!

Thanks for not taking offense at our suggestion, Walnut. Some people around here are so touchy!

Yes, better check to see if she can even bring a home baked treat into school. Way back when, this was always my favorite cookie to send to school, it also makes a lot.

Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
ü teaspoon salt
Directions:
Mix first 6 ingredients together; beat well. Fold in flour, soda, cream of tartar. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes. Roll in balls the size of walnuts, flatten with fork on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350degrees for 10 - 15 minutes. (or leave in ball and let them flatten out) 6 dozen cookies

Cynic, thanks for the reminder about dipping the fork--I forgot that step. I just dip in flour.

At the center where I work, we are not allowed to bring home made baked goods, or food of any kind for consumption in the classroom. I know, I know, this sounds like things getting out of hand, but they need to be sure that they are made safely for one thing, and that there is an ingredient list for those with allergies.