The  Great American Peanut Butter Festival is taking place tomorrow, Nov. 13th, in Grand Saline!  So much work is still going on to make sure everything is perfect for all of you: your families, your friends, and YOU! I hope you’ll be there, rain or shine, to enjoy the live music stage, the parade, the amazing vendors, the over 900 pound peanut butter and jelly sandwich (we hope to break the world record!) and the live-streaming Celebrity Bake-Off!  The pageant takes place tonight, and all tickets have sold out. (thanks, everyone!) I believe there are 53 young ladies in various age ranges participating in the pageant!  Miss Texas 2010 is going to be at the pageant and at the festival on Saturday, as well.  It’s going to be so much fun!

This morning on Cooking Up a Storm I am sharing a recipe that I totally love, in honor of the Great American Peanut Festival. It’s a peanut butter cookie that uses chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and/or any other chips you’d like!  It’s great with butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or just plain with peanut butter chips.  They give the typical peanut butter cookie a different level of flavor and texture.This cookie is soft in the center, which you know I love!

Here’s the recipe:

MamaSteph’s Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies

(adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (one stick)
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips or white chocolate chips

For rolling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine, plus more as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. Place the sugar, for rolling dough balls in, in a small bowl. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or use a medium cookie scoop) into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I often use the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top instead), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

A reminder: if you are coming to the Peanut Butter Festival (you are, aren’t you?) it would be great if you could bring a jar of any brand of peanut butter to donate to the East Texas Food Bank.  Imagine how many children will be happy with their tummies full of delicious peanut butter after you share with them!  Thanks, you guys!

That’s it for today; I’m going over to Grand Saline to work hard to get everything ready to help give you a great Saturday in Grand Saline, Texas, one of the cutest little towns in East Texas I’ve seen! 🙂 After the festival, I’ll share lots of pictures of the gigantic sandwich, the performers on stage, the celebrity bake-off, and more!