Peanut Butter Cookies vs. My Excellent (ha!) Portuguese

Yesterday I got a little bored (not that I am complaining -- I like being bored once in awhile, it means I have a moment of nothing to do AKA nothing stressing me out).  That October Unprocessed really got to me, I think, because I actually decided to bake.  Yes, me who started with the fear of baking decided to bake.  But this time I wanted to make something I couldn't make during October Unprocessed:  Peanut butter cookies. 

How can I explain the joy that is one of the greatest baking inventions known to the human species, specifically those of the americana influence?  Sweet, crispy, peanut-buttery.  Basically delicious sums it up, right? 

RIGHT?

(And I am hearing hearty "Amens!" ring out across the land, from sea to shining sea.)

Well, not everyone likes peanut butter cookies.  And one of those "not everyones" is, you guessed it, Mr. Brazil. 

This is what I don't get.  There is this little peanut candy in Brazil that tastes JUST LIKE peanut butter cookies.  JUST LIKE IT.  I kid you not, it is basically a peanut butter cookie with a different texture.  And I know he likes the cookie texture because he sure is willing to eat other cookies.  So I asked him about it --

"But Babe, it tastes just like pacocinha {pako-seen-ya}."

"Like what?"

"You know, pako-seen-ya."  (Putting it in phonetic spellings for all of you non-Portuguese speakers...)

He erupted in laughter.  "That's so cute!  But there is nothing called pako-seen-ya.  You mean pacoquinha {poss-oh-keen-ya}."

"Yeah, that, poss-oh-keen-ya.  It tastes just like that, right?" 

More laughter.  No answer to my question, just a "You are so cute!"  Just one more time when my brilliant Portuguese language skills get in the way of my communication, even in English.

So, maybe peanut butter cookies are out for him, but I am not giving up on the Brazilian people at large.  I am off to see my amiga Dani, and I will let her try.  Maybe she will like them, maybe she won't, but it is worth the try. 

Besides, I have a LOT left and I can't eat them all, so I better find somebody who likes peanut butter cookies because there is no way I can eat two dozen by myself.

Or maybe I can... hmm...


PS - November is national Peanut Butter Month.  Just thought you might like to know.  Maybe you too should hop into the kitchen and make some celebratory cookies :)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2  cup granulated sugar
1/2  cup packed brown sugar
1/2  cup peanut butter                              
1/2  cup butter or margarine, softened
1  egg                                         
1 1/4   cups all-purpose flour                                       
1/2  teaspoon baking soda   
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/4  teaspoon salt

 DIRECTIONS:

• 1 Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
• 2 Heat oven to 375ºF.
• 3 Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
• 4 Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Recipe from Betty Crocker, the queen of the cookies.