Peanut Butter Cookies

Ok, so I wasn't very creative in seeking out a recipe for the next post.  I have been thinking about peanut butter cookies for a couple of weeks now, so when I ran across this recipe in one of the boxes, I thought I'd give it a try.  It's a pretty standard recipe.  I used butter instead of margarine (1/2 cup salted and 1/2 cup unsalted). Other than that, I followed the recipe.  Even resisted adding a teaspoon of vanilla.

These got great reviews from the family.

1 cup oleo
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cream oleo, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. 
2. Add all other ingredients and mix.
3. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.*
4. Sprinkle with sugar, then press down with fork.
5. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

*If the butter/margarine was very soft prior to mixing, it may be a good idea to chill the dough for 1-2 hours prior to shaping.

Apple Pan Walnut Cake

This recipe came from a pamphlet-type cookbook called The Pillsbury Busy Lady Bake-off Recipes. I find it amusing because the topping actually requires some cooking on the stove, and the cake itself has several steps.  The book was published in 1966, which begs the question: what would the recipes look like if a "busy lady" bake-off were to take place in 2012? Would it be a race to the nearest bakery to see who could locate the most appetizing pastry first?  Would there be extra points for the contestant who used the most exotic ingredients?  Flipping through the book, I noticed that the majority of the recipes can be made using things that I normally have on hand.  

I'm not sure if Grandma ever made this recipe, but it is delicious.  I even burned a little bit of the sugar in the topping (I guess I don't understand 'medium heat'), so I had some brown specks in it, but it was still really good.  Despite the 3 steps, it wasn't all that difficult or time-consuming either.

Cake:

1 can apple pie filling (cherry or peach would work too)

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup oil

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided

Topping:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1. Spread pie filling on bottom of 9x13 cake pan.

2. Mix flour, sugar, soda and salt in a bowl, then sprinkle on top of pie filling.

3. Beat eggs in bowl.

4. Add vanilla and oil to eggs and mix well.

5. Pour liquid mixture over the dry mixture. Add 1/2 cup walnuts.  Stir just until blended.

6. Smooth batter evenly in the pan.

7. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

8. Mix topping ingredients in sauce pan over medium heat. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, and remove from heat.

9. Prick cake with fork, pour hot topping over warm cake.

10. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup walnuts on top.

Serve warm or cold.