Pecan Toffee Shortbread

In keeping with my glutton for punishment personality, I created and baked yet another brand new shortbread cookie recipe after spending three consecutive twelve hour days knee deep in what I will call this year's Cookie Palooza. Otherwise known as my annual holiday candy making and cookie baking overly ambitious madness. The good news is it all got done. And twelve carefully packaged up holiday cookie boxes were entrusted to the post office to be delivered to both friends and in return for unexpected generous kindnesses received in the past year. The bad news is I only ruined and lost one pound of white chocolate in the process. However, I am not at all bemoaning this little disaster as I at least learned, or rather relearned a lesson in the process (i.e., never melt white chocolate in the microwave). In spite of having to clean up the huge mess made in my long galley kitchen, there is always a moment of euphoria experienced, along with a sigh of relief, after the boxes are dropped off to be shipped. I say moment, because now I have to hold my breath (figuratively speaking) for the three or yikes, four days it will take for these packages to arrive at their intended destinations. Because I once sent a box of holiday cookies to a wrong address (we won't talk about the angst this caused me), I still keep my fingers crossed I didn't inadvertently transpose numbers, use the wrong zip code, or use an old address. Funny how you can look at something at least three times and still not see the mistake. My eyes sometimes see what's in my head, not what I see on paper. Proofing is yet another one of my flaws. But enough of this self-depricating disclosure of my flaws, I would rather spend time talking about this incredibly scrumptious Pecan Toffee Shortbread.

In spite of the fact that you need to soften the butter in advance, roll out dough, use a cookie cutter, and use a piping bag, I would say this isn't at all a fussy cookie to make. From start to finish you can make three dozen of these tasty little beauties in just a couple of hours. And in the big picture of things, two hours is a blip on the time scale. You can even multi-task and be half-listening to a Hallmark Holiday movie because we all know they are the same fairy tale ending stories (which most of us all long to have at least once in our lives). And unless you live with cookie monsters who polish off a stack of these cookies in just a few bites, the other best thing about them is they are equally delicious on day one as they might be on day seven. Shortbread often improves slightly with age, so it also makes them one of the cookies you can send off to friends and be confident it won't become a cookie needing to be dunked in milk in order to make it edible. 

If you love a buttery shortbread cookie, especially one having a little bit of a crunch and sweetened with some chocolate, these Pecan Toffee Shortbreads will definitely spark joy in your life!

I used the butter, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, and finely chopped nut ratios found in Amy's Shortbread Cookies to create this Pecan Toffee Shortbread. Just one cup of toffee bits and milk chocolate instead of white chocolate transformed that recipe base and created these mouthwatering, melt in mouth cookies.

The most difficult decision was deciding whether to make these cookies round, square, or holiday inspired shaped. As you can see, round won. Using a two inch round cookie yielded three dozen cookies rolled to 1/4 inch thickness. When rolling out shortbread err on the side of thicker rather than thinner. While the yield will be less and baking time slightly increased, rolling them out to 1/3" thickness would make for an even more decadent cookie.

Because I almost always finish my chocolate enhanced cookies by either dipping them or drizzling them with a fork, I decided these would have random stripes piped on using a pastry bag and small round pastry tip. These cookies are versatile enough you can finish them using any of these techniques. Choose simple or fussy, whichever one makes you happy. Note: If you decide to dip them, you will need to increase the amount of milk chocolate.

Topping each cookie with a toasted pecan half seemed like the perfect finishing touch.

If you are still looking for another cookie to add to your holiday baking madness, definitely opt for this Pecan Toffee Shortbread. But if you are holiday baking overload, SAVE this recipe! 

We don't always remember every gift we have received, but we often remember either those handmade, homemade gifts from the heart or those simple, yet incredibly thoughtful ones. Even though much time has passed, I can still remember how I felt receiving the gifts of a pen, a book, and a box of my favorite candy from a friend. The holidays can be a time to show and/or return kindness. Deciding who is on your list should be but isn't always easy, so make certain you are gifting someone because you want to and not because you feel you have to (an ongoing lesson for me). A gift given in guilt almost never gives you even a nano-second of gift giving euphoria. And you too deserve to experience some of that holiday joy and child-like glee! 

Recipe
Pecan Toffee Shortbread
Makes 36  two inch sized round cookies

Ingredients

2 cups (260 g) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting out the rolling surface

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (Recommend using a European style butter)

1/2 cup (62 g) confectionary sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup (162 g) toffee chips (I used Heath English Toffee Bits)

1/2 cup (62 g) pecans, toasted and finely chopped

36 pecan halves, toasted

8 ounces of milk chopped and melted 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2. Sift the flour.  Place the flour and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3. Place butter and confectionary sugar in a mixer.  Using a paddle attachment, mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4.  Add vanilla and mix in.

5.  Add flour/salt mixture. Mix just until until dough begins sticks together.

6. Add in the toffee chips and finely chopped pecans. Mix until all ingredients are blended in and the dough starts to come together in a ball.

7. Divide dough in half.  On a floured surface roll out dough to at least 1/4 inch of thickness. Using a two inch round cookie cutter cut out and place cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

8. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Rotate tray midway through the baking process. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

9.  All the cookies to cool to room temperature.

10.  Chop and melt milk chocolate on top of a double boiler and/or in the microwave.

11. Using a pastry bag fitted with a small round nozzle dip drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Alternately use a fork to drizzle the chocolate on top of the cooled cookies or dip half of the cookie in the chocolate.

12. Place a small dollop of melted milk chocolate in the center of the cookie and press on a pecan half down.

13.  Allow chocolate to completely set. 

14. Store cookies in a tightly sealed container.

Notes: (1) Use a good quality melting chocolate. Do not use chocolate chips. (2) To toast pecans, bake in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for 9-11 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. (3) Instead of rolling out the cookies to 1/4" thickness, roll out to a 1/3" thickness. Baking time will needed to be adjusted upward by several minutes.

Wilder Park Conservatory, December 2019

Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread

Long before there was Coldplay, David Gray, the Dave Matthews Band, the Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, Dan and Shay, and Ed Sheeran, there were the Beatles. I was nine years old when they first landed in the states and ten years old when they flew into Chicago. In what was a rather out of the ordinary detour home after an afternoon at the home of some relatives, my father pulled into Midway Airport and parked the car. We all got out and joined the throngs of people standing at the fence waiting for a plane to arrive (those were the days before TSA and any sort of security) . How my father knew the Beatles were landing that afternoon I have no idea. Quite possibly he heard it on the radio. Why he actually dragged us all out of the car to get a glimpse of them getting off the plane is an even bigger mystery. Yet, this slightly surreal day has been permanently etched into my memory. For my tenth birthday, my cousin Billy, took me to see the Beatles movie "Help". In retrospect, I can't help but wonder if he was the only boy in the theatre as all I remember were the hundreds of other girls standing and screaming throughout the entire movie. This is not an exaggeration. To this day, all I can recall about the movie is the screaming. Whatever possessed young girls like me to scream at a movie screen is yet another one of life's mysteries. Apparently all of the screaming got out of my system by the time I went to my first real concert at age fifteen. No, it wasn't the Beatles, it was a Carole King and James Taylor concert. And that was yet another surreal experience, but I will save that story for another time.

This past weekend we went to see the movie "Yesterday". For those of you who haven't yet seen it or even read about it, all I will say about it is the music of the Beatles is a major theme (no spoilers here). But if you love the music of the Beatles, love a feel good movie, and/or are a hopeless romantic, you absolutely have to see this movie. It's been more than forty-eight hours since I left the theatre and I still can't stop smiling every time I think about it. 

There were few other things bringing a smile to my face this past weekend. One of those being this insanely delicious Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread. Admittedly I am partial to the flavor and texture of most shortbreads. However, when I came across this recipe I hesitated in making them. Thank goodness that hesitation didn't turn into a permanent hold. Because when I tasted them, I screamed. Seems that youthful screaming at the movie theatre has been replaced with screaming when tasting something amazing. This melt in your mouth Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread is buttery, salty, and herby. While these are technically a shortbread (due in part to the absence of eggs), I would put them into the 'cracker' category as they would send any cheese board over the top! (See notes below for other pairing suggestions.) 

The sweet, salty Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread is made with only six ingredients. Confectionary sugar, kosher salt, flaky sea salt, all-purpose (unbleached) flour, finely minced fresh rosemary, and unsalted butter. Using a European butter made a huge difference in the shortbread's flavor and texture. In other words, these shortbread will only be scream worthy if you use an unsalted European butter. 

The dough comes together easily when using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. The texture of this dough had very similar qualities to the dough for Amy's Shortbread Cookies. It was a soft, supple, very easy to roll out dough. The original recipe called for chilling the dough for 40 minutes in the refrigerator, however, I found I could roll out the dough immediately after it all come together in the mixer. If for any reason your dough seems to soft or sticky to roll out, then wrap it in plastic wrap to give it a quick chill. 

With the Fourth of July holiday right around the corner, I decided to cut the rolled out dough into stars rather than squares. Because stars have a rather timeless quality to them, all future batches may end up staying star shaped. Use any 2" to 2 1/2" cookie cutter shape you have when rolling out the cookies to 1/4" thickness. A fluted edge cookie cutter would make for a nice finishing touch, an almost store bought look. As important as the shape of the shortbread might be, their flaky sea salt finish is even more so. One bite of this incredibly flavorful shortbread and you might find it hard not to say 'Wow'!

The shortbread bakes up in 16-18 minutes in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven. Rotating your baking sheet halfway through the baking process helps to ensure the shortbread bakes evenly. When done, the edges of the shortbread will be a beautiful light golden brown.

Seriously, this Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread is unlike any shortbread or cracker you could buy from a bakery or grocery store. If you love the flavor of rosemary, you absolutely have to make them. Your world without this shortbread would like a world without the Beatles.

Once baked, the shortbread will be good for up to a week if stored in a tightly sealed container. Although I doubt they will last that long.

Ever since making the English Oat Crackers, I have become a big fan of homemade 'crackers' on a cheese platter. Not even the high end expensive packages of crackers come close to ones homemade. The Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread are destined to become a cheese board necessity around here. And even though I have been told not to bring anything up to the lake this week (but who listens), I am bringing up a tin of them, along with some homemade Cherry Tomato Jam, and the fixings for the Jarlsberg Cheese Spread. Our Fourth of July pre-fireworks wine and cheese course is going to be memorably EPIC! Now I just have to decide which wine to bring to my sister the wine connoisseur. Oh, the pressure makes me just want to shout! 

Recipe
Sea Salted Rosemary Shortbread (an ever so slight alteration to the Salted Rosemary Shortbread recipe from Lisa Ludwinski's "Sister Pie" cookbook)

Ingredients
2 cups (260 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted European style butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectionary sugar
2 scant Tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary
Flaky Sea Salt, for finishing (I use Maldon Sea Salt)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, confectionary sugar, and rosemary (approximately 2-3 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the mixture is fully blended.
4. Add in the flour mixture. Mix until combined and dough begins to come together.
5. Divide the dough in half. Place one half of the dough in the refrigerator while you roll out the other half.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4" thickness. Cut into 2" shapes using a cookie cutter of choice. Sprinkle with a flaky sea salt.
7. Transfer cookie cutouts to a baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes rotating the pan midway through the baking process. Shortbread is done when the edges are slightly golden. Note: Begin checking for doneness as early as 15 minutes.
8. Remove baking pan from oven. Let cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
9. Roll out and bake remaining dough. Cut into shapes, sprinkles with flaky sea salt and bake.
10. Store shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Notes: (1) For the best flavor and texture use an unsalted European butter. I used Kerrygold. (2) Serve shortbread on a cheese board; with some Cherry Tomato Jam and Jarlsberg Cheese Spread, or just enjoy them all by themselves. (3) The original recipe recommended wrapping the dough in plastic wrap and chilling for 40 minutes before rolling out. My dough was ready to roll out immediately. I refrigerated half of the dough while I worked with the other half.

Holiday Cookie and Confection Round-up (2018)

"You can be miserable before you have a cookie and you can be miserable after eat a cookie, but you can't be miserable while you are eating a cookie..." (Ina Garten) With a marathon couple of days looming before me, I am still trying to decide what will go in this year's holiday cookie boxes. Will I be overambitious and make everything I posted here? Especially because these are my tried and true favorites, the ones I would love to get, and honestly, I had to stop somewhere. Although I wouldn't put it past myself to swap out and add something else.There are two new holiday cookies and one new confection on the list this year. As soon as I made them I immediately knew they were destined for the holidays. 

Or will I scale it back and choose less than a half-dozen of them because really, how much insanity do I want to experience in a 72 hour period? Or rather how much insanity am I capable of without going over the edge? I actually know the answer to that, but will let you know how I fare. 

If you are still looking for ideas for your holiday cookie boxes and platters, you will find links to all of the recipes below. No need to spend your time searching through the recipe index as I want to give you as much time as possible to do the ingredient shopping, baking, and packing up your gift boxes. In other words, even if I am little reckless with playing around with the limits of my own sanity, I care about yours. For those of you who, like me, wait until Christmas gets a little closer, happy baking!

Amy's Shortbread Cookies

Toasted Coconut Spritz Cookies

Milk Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies with Rum Butter Glaze

Peppermint Chocolate Dipped Oreos

Peppermint Creams

Chocolate Dipped Sea Salted Caramels

Orangettes aka Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Peels

Homemade Fluffy Marshmallows

Homemade Graham Crackers

Sugar Meringue Walnuts aka Candied Walnuts

Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies

"Remember that growth can feel uncomfortable sometimes-embrace the journey." This quote or rather should I say 'words of wisdom' appeared in my Instagram feed this week. Amazing how the universe delivers timely messages. The idea that growth comes from getting comfortable with being uncomfortable isn't just brilliant or should become one's personal mantra, it's true. How many of us have walked away from a stressful conversation and expected the next one to be less awkward? Avoidance of any difficult conversation almost never leads to healthier interactions or relationships. Rather it can be damaging in both the short and long term. Conversely, how many of us have realized while engaging in one of those hard conversations we discover new perspectives or flaws in our own thinking? When this happens, we not only deepen our connections with others, we experience growth in our own emotional intelligence. The perfect win-win.

How many of us have not given it all we have in our workouts or runs and expected to perform as good as or better than our last personal best? Unless you are superhuman, reaching new performance goals requires a significant amount of grit and investment of time. Or doing what can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable. Having some focus and a fair amount of determination can enable us to get through those moments when we feel mentally and physically challenged. As I get older I seem to be more aware of those uncomfortable moments. For me, whether it's yoga or running, being part of a group has helped my mind and body deal with discomfort differently. More often than not, I am able to push myself further than if I was alone. But whether surrounded by friends or going solo, I hope someday to no longer let humidity undermine me.

In a relatively recent Forbes article (2016) "Why Feeling Uncomfortable is the Key to Success", the author shared that improvement in performance, creativity, and learning happens when you allow yourself to experience uncomfortableness. Routines in one's life might make you feel more comfortable and in control, but as it turns out they only dull one's sensitivities. In other words, only good things happen in the short and long term when we get outside of our comfort zones. A Fast Company article (2018) "5 Ways Unfamiliar Experiences Sharpen Your Emotional Intelligence" provided a short summary of some of the key benefits of uncomfortableness. While all five ways can have an impact, getting outside of one's comfort zone not only aids in imagining and weighing possibilities previously discounted (or not considered) is the one seemingly to have the greatest impact on emotional intelligence. At least that was my takeaway. Choosing to avoid uncomfortableness is like choosing a life free of growth.

For as much as I cook and bake, there are still recipes and techniques which put me outside of my culinary comfort zone. In spite of buying one of the most beautiful paella pans I have ever come across, I have yet to make it. The pan has been collecting dust for years. And for more than likely a not very good reason, I have (unfairly) elevated the making of paella to a high degree of difficulty. While I have made homemade bread, pasta, and ice cream in the past, these things too are ones I don't often tackle. Again, there isn't a good reason for avoiding them. Fear of failure is never reason enough to avoid what we find challenging. While I do venture outside of my culinary zone of comfort more than most, I also try to keep from routinely making the same things again and again by playing around with new recipes closer to my wheelhouse. Cookies are one of the things I get a great deal of pleasure in making. But not all cookie recipes are 'a piece of cake'. 

At first glance, the number of steps in the directions alone for Stella Parks recipe for Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies shared in her cookbook "Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts" look a little daunting. Even for me. Throw in the need for a uniquely shaped cookie cutter and it might be a recipe even the most fervent of peanut butter lovers might put on the 'maybe someday' rather than the 'definitely now' list. To get to 'now rather than later, someday, or never' I decided I didn't need to make cookies in the traditional peanut shape. Because no one ever said a Nutter Butter Cookie couldn't be a Nutter Butter Cookie if it didn't look like a peanut. Right? 

I am one of those who actually like making cookies requiring the dough to be rolled out and cut into shapes. Not because I am glutton for a cookie recipe with extra steps or have a significant amount of discretionary time in my life, but because any reason to help me justify the expense and time I put into collecting of antique cookie cutters is a worthy one. However, this recipe wasn't just a roll out and cut out one, it was a roll out, cut out, and score one. Ideally, the diagonal scores should create symmetrically perfect diamonds. But again, who says there can't be perfection in a bit of imperfection? I happen to be a big fan of 'imperfection is good thing' way of thinking.

There is nothing unusual in the ingredient list for these cookies. Some are simply a matter of personal preference. I happen to be a JIF peanut butter fan, so creamy JIF peanut butter it would be. My loyalty to a specific brand of all-purpose flour can be recipe or recipe creator dependent. For these Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies I heeded the recommendation of Stella Parks and used Gold Medal all-purpose flour. But do I think they wouldn't be as good using another  all-purpose flour? Nope.

Like Amy's Shortbread Cookies, this is one of the easiest doughs to make and roll out. If rolling out dough makes you a bit uncomfortable, this is the cookie to help you work through it. I loved, loved working with this dough! In other words, these Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies (with and without the dipping of chocolate) are going to be making regular appearances in the months ahead.

The cookies (aka wafers) bake in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for approximately 14-15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to touch. When cooled the wafers will have a crispy, crunchy versus soft consistency. Sort of like a shortbread texture. Note: Baking time might vary depending on the size of the cookie cutter used. The wafers/cookies need to cool completely before the luscious peanut butter cream is piped on to them.

Okay, let's talk about this peanut butter cream. It might seriously be the best nutter butter cookie filling ever! It's not too sweet, it's oh so creamy, and has the perfect peanut butter flavor to it. As delicious as the peanut butter wafers/cookies are on their own, you need to make these Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies for the peanut butter cream. 

I didn't think there would be enough peanut butter cream to pipe onto the wafers/cookies, but there was. There was even a bit left over to savor all its' own. I piped about a tablespoon of peanut butter cream onto each cookie (my cookies were larger than the ones in the recipe). Using a pastry bag or ziplock bag versus spreading the cream with a spoon helps to create a more even, beautiful cream edge. If making smaller cookies, you will use less peanut butter cream.

Once you pipe the peanut butter cream on the wafers/cookies and sandwich them together, you are almost done. Putting them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes helps set the cream. Once set, remove from the refrigerator, let come to room temperature and serve. Or.......

Melt some dark or milk chocolate and dip the top half of each cookie into it. 

I dipped the cookies after they were completely sandwiched together because I didn't want to smudge the chocolate had I dipped the top (unsandwiched) wafer first. Choose whichever dipping method works for you or pushes you outside of your comfort zone.

Everyone loved these Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies! And at least one friend said the store bought version of Nutter Butter Cookies USED to be her favorites. Homemade versions of our childhood favorite cookies rarely live up to our memories or expectations. However, these exceeded them! So, if (cookie) familiarity is what makes you comfortable, I challenge you to move outside of your comfort zone and make these absolutely amazing, swoonworthy, seriously delicious, borderline addictive cookies! Make them with or without the chocolate. I will leave that decision up to you.

Recipe
Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies (an ever so slight change to Stella Parks Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies from her cookbook "Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts")
Makes approximately 34-36 wafers or 17-18 sandwich cookies using a larger sized cookie cutter. Recipe will make 30-35 2 1/4" round sandwich cookies.

Ingredients
Wafers
2 cups (9 ounces, 256g) all-purpose flour, sifted
6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (3 ounces, 86g) creamy peanut butter
1 cup (7 ounces, 200g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large egg whites, beaten with a fork until frothy

Peanut Butter Cream
6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (3 ounces, 86g) creamy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (4 ounces 115g) confectionary sugar, sifted
Pinch of sea salt (or 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt)

Optional: 7-8 ounces milk or dark chocolate

Directions
Wafers
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix on low to moisten, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add egg white mixture into the batter in four additions, letting each incorporate before adding the next.
4. Scrape the bowl with a spatula.
5. With the mixer on low, add flour in slowly and beat until fully incorporated.
6. Remove batter from bowl, shape into a ball, and cut into two pieces.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to an 1/8" thickness.
8. Using a cookie cutter, cut and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Note: Leave at least a half inch between cookie.
9. Using a flat edged pie scraper, gently score the wafers, creating a diamond pattern. Note: Press gently into the cookie until you see an indentation.
10. Bake for approximately 14-15 minutes or until the wafers are lightly browned and firm. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Cream
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed to moisten.
2. Slowly add the confectionary sugar. Once fully incorporated, increase speed to medium and beat until the cream is soft and light (approximately 5 minutes).

Assembly
1. Using a pastry bag or ziplock bag, pipe about 1 Tablespoon of the cream on one half of the wafers. 
2. Place another wafer on top to create a sandwich.
3. Transfer cookies to the refrigerator for up to 15 minutes to let filling set.
4. Melt chocolate over a double boiler and/or in the microwave. 
5. Dip the top side of half of each cookie and place on parchment paper to set. Let chocolate set completely before serving.
6. Cookies will keep up to 1 week at room temperature or up to a month in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

Notes: (1) I weighed all of my dry ingredients. (2) I used Gold Medal all-purpose flour and JIF peanut butter. Use a commercially made versus homemade or natural peanut butter to make both the dough and cream easy to handle. (3) These Nutter Butters are delicious with and without the chocolate. Don't let the melting and dipping them into chocolate prevent you from making them. Once you taste these, you will never eat another packaged Nutter Butter Cookie again. (4) The original recipe called for the use of a 3" peanut shaped or bikini shaped cookie cutter. I used a larger sized cookie cutter which reduced the cookie yield.

Murals in Key West, Florida (July 2018)