Peanut Blossom Cookies

In my last poll, you voted for the next recipe feature at Kenzie's Kitchen to be Peanut Blossom cookies. I haven't made Peanut Blossoms for ages, but I had an old Better Homes & Gardens recipe that (luckily) had nutritional information, so I was looking forward to baking them. Feeling extra ambitious, I also decided to make a lighter version of the cookies. I substituted light butter for the Crisco, Splenda sugar blend for baking for the sugar, and used Simply Jif instead of Jif (no difference in calories or fat, but fewer grams of sugar and sodium).

I spent my evening baking, calculating nutritional facts, and gathering the opinions of taste testers. In the end, the original cookies were crispier and had more flavor, especially peanut butter flavor. The light version was more moist and lighter in flavor. I thought the originals were a little better, but not a lot. But that was before I calculated the nutritional facts for the light version. After all that work, the lighter cookies (per piece) had 12 less calories and one less gram of fat. The points value did not change - 2 points per cookie for either recipe. The conclusion? Stick with the original recipe (and if you're counting points, I think you can find a more substantial treat for your two points - the angel cups in the "I can't wait to make these" post, or an individual serving of Weight Watchers ice cream, for example). Live and learn . . .

Original Peanut Blossoms
1/2 c. Crisco
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
Hershey's Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat Crisco and peanut butter together on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda; beat until combined. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour, mixing in by hand.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (approx. 1/2 tbsp.). Roll each ball of dough in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are set and bottoms are lightly browned. Immediately press one Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer to wire racks to let cool. Makes 54 (small) cookies.
Per cookie: 94 calories; 5 g fat; 0 g fiber; 2 points.




Light cookie on the left; regular cookie on the right.




Lighter Peanut Blossoms
1/2 c. light butter, softened but not melted
1/2 c. less-sugar peanut butter (I used Simply Jif)
1/4 c. Splenda sugar blend for baking
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 tbsp. low-fat sour cream
2 tbsp. skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. Splenda sugar blend for baking
Hershey's Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter together on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 Splenda sugar blend, the brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda; beat until combined. Beat in egg, sour cream, milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour, mixing in by hand.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (approx. 1/2 tbsp.). Roll each ball of dough in Splenda sugar blend. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (use parchment paper or a Silpat if available). Bake 10 minutes, or until edges are set and bottoms are lightly browned. Immediately press one Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer to wire racks to let cool. Makes 54 cookies.
Per cookie: 81.7 calories; 4 g fat; 0 g fiber; 2 points.