Who loves chocolate and peanut butter?

I missed yesterday as we headed back to work after having a blissful whole 7 days off. The plant was freezing as it was shut down for 4 days and it took awhile for all the machinery to be up and running. I was going to try and post from work, but I couldn't get on a computer and then realized, duh, my photos are loaded on my home computer. I wanted to share one of our favorite cookies with you. I only make these at Christmas-I don't know why. I think it may be due to the fact that we only made Peanut Butter Blossoms at Christmas time in my childhood home. This is the same cookie recipe that I make my PBB cookies with. My Grandma Isabelle made the PBB with those Brach Stars. Ick. Sorry Brachs, but those were not creamy and full of goodness like Hershey's Kisses. Okay, here we go:

Peanut Butter Cups

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Reese's mini peanut butter cups, 2 bags unwrapped

extra sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, soda and salt in small bowl; stir to combine all ingredients. Set aside. In large bowl, cream shortening, peanut butter, both sugars, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing a little after each additions so the kitchen doesn't take on wintery blizzard look. Grease mini muffin tins with a spray of non-stick cooking spray. Roll small balls, about a tablespoon of dough. Place about 1/2 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Drop a couple dough balls in sugar and roll around so there is a light coating of sugar covering each ball. Place one ball into each of the greased muffin cups, but do not press down. They will fill cups when they bake. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. They should be golden brown. Remove cookies from oven when golden and immediately press one peanut butter cup into each cup. Let cool a few minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely. The greasing and the sugar should help them slide out easily, but I always have one that will pull apart as I am removing it. That is okay-I use that one to taste test to make sure they are edible. This will make about 5 dozen.

I made them Saturday night at 11 PM; they were gone by Monday at noon. I would never be able to keep boys full-my girls are sweet chow hounds! Sweet as in cookies, cakes and bars, not sweet as in temperament.......well, maybe sometimes. Who out there has two (or more) teenage girls? I love my children, but good grief, I look forward to the day when there is no shouting "I hate you, you loser" and slamming doors and sulking moods. I swear, I was not this bad-was I? And the nice 'artwork' on my plastic canisters is from the youngest. She didn't like my labels, so she went postal with a black marker. You should see her room-it looks like the Crayola 96 pack threw up on her walls. I should post about that someday.

**I was chastised by my children that they sound like awful little beasts and would prefer that I take back the screaming/door slamming/I hate you comments. So I apologize to Hermit Crab and Drama Queen for suggesting that they are only mere mortals and subject to teenage behavior. I am rolling my eyes.