A Cookie Jar of Memories

Today my memory was triggered buy some sugar, peanut butter, and flour. Benjamin was entertaining himself with an empty jar of peanut butter while I was baking one of grandma's recipes. The peanut butter cookie dough whirled about the mixer as I fondly recalled spending time at the kitchen counter with my mom talking about grandma. My grandma passed away when I was only four-years-old. Sadly, I don't have many memories of my grandma, but every one that I do have is happily cherished. Most of my memories are of grandma's kitchen and her yummy baked goods. My grandma loved to bake for her family. My love of baking must have been inherited from grandma. I'd like to think that I have some of her other good qualities too, but I know we have baking in common at least. I imagine that she enjoyed seeing the smiles and hearing the happy conversations her family enjoyed over one of her yummy pies or a batch of her freshly baked cookies. All of the relatives probably complimented her on the desserts she made and I can picture her modestly accepting their praise as she said something like "Oh, it was nothing". After my grandma was gone, mom would tell me stories about her while we baked up one of her delicious recipes. I loved hearing stories about grandma while we mixed together one of her tried and true goodies. It would have been so nice to have had her around just a little bit longer and known her a little bit better. But I'm so grateful I can remember grandma and the things my mom told me about her over a bowl of dough and sheets of hot cookies.

Grandma R's Peanut Butter Cookies
Cream together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup peanut butter. Mix in one egg. Dissolve 1 tsp of baking soda in a small amount of hot water and add to peanut butter mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 tsp of salt. Roll into balls and make a criss-cross pattern with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Pour a cup of coffee or a glass of milk, dunk a cookie and remember your grandma :)