It is unbelievable how alive I feel when the sun comes out.
The last few weeks have been dark, dreary and all around dismal!
Yikes! I started working on this post yesterday when the sun was brilliant and the temperature was soaring. Sadly, today I am typing away as the wind and rain hurls around my house. So much for the happiness surge.
With my girls living so far away, it’s easy for me to blame my constant low-of-late on their current choices of address. Happily for the girls, Ralph quickly points out that every year, sometime after mid February my smile is scarce for several weeks. “You sink every year,kiddo”
It’s true. I miss the warmth from the sun. Luckily, the restaurant keeps me moving despite my desire to curl up with a blanket in front of the television so that I can watch Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy for the eighth time.
Yesterday was proof that my heavy heart is closely tied to the grey skies. When I woke up and saw the sun seeping in around my black out curtains, I bounced out of bed and started to bake. I couldn’t wait to buzz around my kitchen, with the sun streaming in, cookies in the oven and hope on the horizon.
Amazing what a little sunshine can do…
My grandmother Chase has made these cookies since I was a little girl. Whenever we would drop in for a visit, her cookie tin would be sitting on the kitchen counter full of delicious home-made cookies. Lucky for us, it still is.
I use a smooth and salty peanut butter. No health store, hard to mix, peanut butter for me!
I keep an apple in my brown sugar bag to keep my sugar soft. If you try this trick, make sure you change the apple every few weeks so that you don’t end up with a rotting mess in the sugar can.
Salty Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
reheat oven 350* F
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oatmeal
8 ounces chocolate chips
Cream together peanut butter and butter until light and fluffy
Add sugars, eggs and vanilla and beat well
Stir flour, baking soda and salt together and mix in to butter/sugar mixture.
Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.
Drop by large tablespoons on to parchment lined baking sheets
Bake until golden – check at 15 minutes
If I can’t have the sun, at least I can eat cookies.
Thanks for reading.
