Peanut Butter Cookies

My father-in-law is one of the hardest people to shop for.  When it comes to Christmas, his birthday, and Father's Day, Mike and I are always faced with coming up for a gift idea for him.  You see, he doesn't need anything.  And anything he might want is either way out of our budget or he just goes out and buys it himself.  Rumor has it that he asked for cash this year.  Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not giving a parent cash for Christmas--it just seems wrong!

This year, we spent a lot of time thinking about the "perfect" gift.  Finally, my mother-in-law suggested that I bake him something each month.  I had considered that before, but having her suggest it meant that it was something my father-in-law was bound to enjoy!  I made a book of coupons for him, one for each month out of the year.  Since Mike had to be involved somehow (and he doesn't bake), I wrote "baked by Melissa, delivered by Mike". 

The gift has turned out to be the most successful one we've given.  Mike and I are impressed by how seriously his dad takes the decision about what to request each month.  In January he asked for Giant Blueberry Muffins.  After much deliberation, in February he requested peanut butter cookies.  I was happy to oblige--especially since peanut butter cookies are sadly lacking from this blog! 

The best part about these peanut butter cookies (other than the taste) is the simplicity. I was astounded to read the recipe and discover that it has only 4 ingredients, none of which are flour.  Seriously, a cookie with no flour?  It can't possibly be good.  Or so I thought...these cookies were excellent!  They come together in no time at all and require such a small amount of work that I can whip up a batch while I'm making dinner.  They were a hit with Mike's dad, and we have enough left over that Mike was able to enjoy a few for lunch too.

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 18 3-1/2" cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

2.  Roll dough into 1" balls and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

3.  Use the tines of a fork to press the cookie flat and create the criss-cross pattern.

4.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until the edges become golden brown.

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Source: Bakers Royale