Vanilla Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

I don't do much baking in the summer. I'm less inclined to heat up the oven (and in turn, my house) in the scorching heat. The temperature outside my home in Kentucky has been over 100 degrees for days now, unseasonably hot and record setting for this time of year.

But sometimes the mood to bake just strikes you and you have to claim it with vigor, despite the heat. I had a bag of peanut butter chips I'd purchased to add to pancakes. The need and occasion for the pancakes came and went and I still had the bag of chips sitting in the cupboard and begging for a purpose. I started to think of fluffy butter cookies, and the addition of a little peanut butter flavor suddenly sounded like heaven.

These little cookies were born and they are, indeed, divinely delicious.

Yield: About 48 Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature

• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening (Crisco), room temperature

• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar

• 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar

• 2 Eggs

• 3 Tsp Real Vanilla Extract

• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

• 1 Tsp Baking Soda

• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

• Pinch Salt

• 1 10 oz. Bag Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

DIRECTIONS

1. With an electric mixer cream together Butter, Shortening and Sugars until light and fluffy. Add the Eggs and Vanilla and continue to mix until combined.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Salt.

3. Gradually add the flour mixture into the creamy mixture and combine with an electric mixer on low speed. Do not over-mix the dough, but ensure all ingredients are thoroughly combined and incorporated.

4. Pour in Peanut Butter Chips and stir in with a spoon. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookies sheet or line with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator, roll dough into one inch balls and place balls about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Dough shouldn't spread too much since it has been chilled. Keep dough in the refrigerator in between rolling balls and loading the cookie sheets.

6. Place cookies in pre-heated oven one tray at a time and bake for about 10-12 minutes until the cookies are a very light golden color. These cookies are nice and chewy, but be careful not to overcook them. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Continue to bake cookies in batches until all the dough is gone. Enjoy!