Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Pieces

Cookie Bookie Week

(Click here to see Monday's cookie on Serious Eats...)
With the cooling weather, there's just nothing better than a comfortable chair, a glowing fireplace, a cookie and a spooky story. Every day this week, I'm sharing a cookie and a few of my favorite October reads.... Today's Book: The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

Here's a story from classic literature that almost everyone is familiar with, thanks to Disney animation. And in this case, good old Walt didn't veer too far from the Washington Irving's original 96-page short story. It's such a deliciously quick read, you could polish the story off almost as quickly as you could watch the Disney short with velvet voiced Bing Crosby as narrator. But you'll like the book even better.

Washington Irving once wrote, "I am always at a loss to know how much to believe of my own stories." Although The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is clearly a work of fiction, Irving borrowed details from real life. The name of the swooning protagonist, Ichabod Crane, was taken from an actual army colonel. (Truth is surely stranger than fiction; how could anyone name a baby Ichabod Crane?) The character himself was based on a local penniless schoolmaster. Tarrytown, New York, where Irving spent the later years of his life, is the story's setting. (You can still visit his final resting place there.)

And strangest of all, the Headless Horseman, was based on a local area legend. If you remember from your American History classes, during the Revolutionary War the English hired German soldiers to finish off the dilapidated American army. (You can read about Valley Forge to see how that turns out.) The legend implies that one of the trained Hessian soldiers was beheaded during battle, and now the phantom wanders the woods near Tarrytown, searching for a "replacement."

Bits of local legend and true to life characters are combined in a tale of romantic rivalry, frightful suspense, and wild moonlit chases. I won't tell you how it ends...but I suspect you already know. And once you know, you can never walk calmly towards a covered bridge again.

Our treat to eat while reading is a Reese's pieces studded peanut butter cookie. If you can find the miniature Reese's pieces in your baking aisle, they provide a pleasant little crunch and a teensy jolt of extra peanut butter flavor. They're just the kind of cookie to enjoy with a spooky story tonight, under the full moon, in the safety and comfort of your own home.

Money Saving Tips: Full sized or miniature Reese's pieces (about $2.50 for a 12 ounce bag) will work work well here. If you wait till after Halloween, you might even be able to steal some of the candies from your children's stash. Peanut Butter is a great item to have around for food storage, since it's high in protein and keeps for long periods of time. When it goes on sale, buy a few extra jars. I buy the smaller jars since we don't get through it very fast.
Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Pieces

(from Joy of Cooking)

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for about 50 cookies

Notes: I was a little too stingy with my Reeses's pieces and only added about 3/4 cup.

1 and 1/2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup miniature Reese's Pieces Baking Bits

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, combine flour and soda. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg, peanut butter, and vanilla, stirring until well combined. Mix in the flour mixture. Add the Reese's pieces. Form into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Coming Tomorrow:

More Cookie Bookie

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