PBX Cookies (Peanut Butter Criss Cross)

Have you started dreaming up cookie ideas for your holiday cookie exchange yet?  No?  Why not, don't the rest of you plan your life around cookie exchanges?  Well, here's ones I'm adding to MY list.  And there's a story behind it...

So, this awesome young lady that I know offered to babysit for an ENTIRE Friday night for me in exchange for my making a plate of her favorite cookies.  Are you kidding me?  Deal.  The only problem?  She wanted peanut butter.  I don't do peanut butter.  I don't not like it, but I, by no means, really enjoy peanut butter, so I was a little flustered.  Nonetheless, I pushed through my mental block, did some research on the best peanut butter cookies - and here's what I came up with!  

They were beautiful, soft and chewy with a little crunch from the sugar sprinkled on top.  And -ME- of all peanut-butter loathing people rather enjoyed them with a tall glass of ice cold milk.  Yum. 

3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup (1 stick) butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar, (+2 TBS. for sprinkling on top of dough)
1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Combine peanut butter, shortening, sugars, milk and vanilla in large bowl.

Beat with hand mixer at medium speed until well blended.

Add egg. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, baking powder and soda.

Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Drop on greased baking sheet with a melon scooper.

Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake at 375ºF for 8-9 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown.  Let cool 5 minutes on pan.

Yields about 3 dozen cookies.  Freeze some dough if you don't want to make them all - they last about 3 months in the freezer!