Jump to Recipe
I was a precocious child, learning to read at a very young age, and I’ve been a voracious reader ever since. I can remember one summer when my mom actually grounded me from my books and forced me outside to play with the neighborhood children. Can you imagine such a thing?
I’ve always found it easy to get lost in a good book, but I’ve never been much for writing reviews. So when Walmart asked if I’d be interested in reviewing the latest book in Debbie Macomber’s Rose Harbor series, Rose Harbor in Bloom, I was a little hesitant, but ultimately I agreed to do it — and I’m so glad that I did.
RELATED: Classic Pizzelle Recipe for Italian Waffle Cookies
Rose Harbor in Bloom is the second book in the Rose Harbor series which revolves around Jo Marie Rose, a widower who lost her husband to a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. After her husband’s death, she purchases a quaint bed and breakfast in Cedar Cove, a small town near Seattle, Washington, which she renames the Rose Harbor Inn after her late husband.
Though most of her family and friends advise against her decision, it turns out that Jo Marie is a natural host, always anticipating her guests’ needs and going out of her way to make them feel comfortable and at home in her establishment.
Hospitality is a strong theme throughout the books, as is good food as a means of developing relationships with others, which I could definitely relate to, and it was very enjoyable to watch her form friendships with other locals over coffee or tea and her home-baked treats (like homemade peanut butter cookies).
Rose Harbor Inn seems to attract troubled guests. In Rose Harbor in Bloom, the story revolves around Mary Smith, the Shivers, and Annie Newton, who each have their own set of issues to work through. It seems as though the inn is a place of healing, both for Jo Marie’s guests and ultimately for herself, and I found myself emotionally invested in all of these mini story lines, enjoying seeing how they developed throughout the book and their ultimate resolutions.
RELATED: Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies Recipe
Though Jo Marie is still healing herself, we see a deepening of the relationship she has with Mark Taylor, the gruff and rough-around-the-edges handyman that Jo Marie hired in the first book, The Inn at Rose Harbor. Mark is definitely very intriguing, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship evolves in future books.
Overall, I found Rose Harbor in Bloom to be a delightful and mostly light-hearted read that left me wanting to know more about these characters. I’m such a sap since having kids, but I alternated laughing and crying through the entire book, and I’d definitely recommend checking it out.
Homemade peanut butter cookies are a favorite of both Jo Marie and Mark, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe with you! These have a light texture with a bit of crunch, thanks to my special ingredients — honey and extra crunchy peanut butter.
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- With an electric stand or hand mixer, beat together softened butter and peanut butter on medium to high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and honey and beat again on medium to high speed until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture on low.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and place the dough in the refrigerator to chill while the oven preheats.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, shape the dough into 1.5" balls and place on a parchment or Silpat-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 9 minutes, until outer edges are just starting to brown. Let cool on the cookie sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag it @unsophisticook and hashtag it #unsophisticook!
If you’re interested in picking up Rose Harbor in Bloom, it will be released on Tuesday, August 13th. Walmart will be offering it at 40% off the publisher’s list price — pick it up in stores or online for just $15.60!
By the way, have you ever wondered: can you freeze cookie dough? The answer is YES, and you just might find that freezing cookie dough makes your cookies taste EVEN BETTER!
FAQs
Why are my peanut butter cookies so crumbly? Peanut butter cookies are naturally delicate because peanut butter has so much fat in it. All the extra fat makes it a little harder for the binding ingredients (egg, butter) to hold it together.
What happens if you put too much baking soda in peanut butter cookies? ›
If you accidentally double the amount of baking soda you put in a recipe you can expect double the lift. Some people might figure extra fluffiness is a good thing but it really depends upon which recipe you did it in. Cookies – too much baking soda will give them too much air and they turn into a cake-like thing.
What are the basic ingredients for peanut butter cookies? ›
How to improve peanut butter cookie mix? ›
Peanut Butter Cookie Mix Hacks
Easy Add-Ins: After creating the dough according to the peanut butter cookie mix instructions, try introducing 1 cup of add-ins like REESE'S PIECES, toffee bits, dried fruits, mini marshmallows or even cooked bacon bits, if you're feeling adventurous!
How do you make peanut butter cookie dough less crumbly? ›
To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.
What happens if I accidentally use baking powder instead of baking soda? ›
Baking powder: Baking powder can be used to replace baking soda, though not at a 1-to-1 ratio. Because the former is not as strong as the latter, it's important to use three times the amount of baking powder as baking soda. Be aware, a slightly bitter, off-putting taste might result from using that much baking powder.
Why did my peanut butter cookies turn out hard? ›
If your peanut butter cookies are hard, you likely cooked them for too long. They should not be baked for more than 8 or 9 minutes.
What kind of peanut butter is best for cookies? ›
Peanut Butter: For best results, use regular creamy peanut butter, like JIF or Skippy. I do not suggest using natural peanut butter, or subbing almond butter. Crunchy peanut butter will work if you want a crunchier peanut butter cookie.
Why do you put fork marks in peanut butter cookies? ›
So it looks like that there are utilitarian reasons for the cross-hatching—to allow for even cooking—but it might have been passed along for nearly a hundred years for primarily aesthetic reasons, where the cross-hatching is more to identify the cookies as peanut butter ones, rather than to cook them well.
What are the ingredients in three ingredient peanut butter cookies? ›
Indulge in the simplest yet most satisfying treat with these 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. Made with just peanut butter, sugar, and an egg, these cookies are a breeze to whip up, requiring minimal effort and time (under 30 minutes!).
If you incorporate too much milk, eggs, or another liquid, you can add a proportionate amount of the dry ingredients to the cookie dough to account for the excess liquid. Chill the dough. If the butter became too soft during the mixing process, it can sometimes result in a thin cookie dough.
How do you intensify peanut butter flavor? ›
You can further augment the gustatory potential of the peanut butter by using both vanilla extract and almond extract in your dough—just a splash of the latter is enough to boost your cookies' nuttiness (while remaining subtle enough that no one will cotton onto the presence of drupe essence in your legume dessert).
Should you flatten peanut butter cookies before baking? ›
Certain cookies — Sugar Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Classic Peanut Butter Cookies — need to be flattened a bit before they bake, lest they end up emerging from the oven looking like ping-pong balls rather than typical flat, round cookies.
How long does homemade peanut butter cookie dough last? ›
Homemade cookie dough should be stored in small containers in the refrigerator for two to four days or freeze for two months. Alternatively, small quantities of dough can be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator as needed.
How to prevent peanut butter cookies from crumbling? ›
Add more liquid ingredients in small amounts. Milk, egg yolks or egg whites, vanilla extract or even a teaspoon of water can help moisten the dough to give you less crumbly cookies. A little bit of a liquid like milk can also help your cookies spread in the oven to give you a more crispy cookie.
Should you refrigerate peanut butter cookie dough before baking? ›
Why You Need to Chill Your Cookie Dough. For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they're in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential. Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool.
Why do you put fork marks on peanut butter cookies? ›
So it looks like that there are utilitarian reasons for the cross-hatching—to allow for even cooking—but it might have been passed along for nearly a hundred years for primarily aesthetic reasons, where the cross-hatching is more to identify the cookies as peanut butter ones, rather than to cook them well.
Why does my peanut butter fudge crumble? ›
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
