Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

While my girls and I were away visiting my parent's buffalo ranch in northern Idaho, my husband was very sweet and bought me a new cookbook I had been wanting - Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.  I have been home for a week now and was very excited to try a recipe this morning.  I have tried various recipes out of the book already after checking the book out of the public library and the cookies have been delicious.  So far our family favorite is Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows which I will post in the near future.  Today I was on a peanut butter kick so I went for the classic peanut butter cookie.  These cookies are so delicate they almost just melt in your mouth.  If you like peanut butter cookies - here is an easy vegan one to try.
 

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

1/2 cup nonhyrdogenated vegetable shortening
1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter (try to get the no-stir kind if you can find it.  If you can't then stir like crazy so that the PB isn't clumpy).
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light molasses (not blackstrap)
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons nondairy milk (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Lightly grease two cookies sheets.  We prefer dark cookie sheets to get the cookies browned and crispy.

In a  large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening, peanut butter, and sugar until light and fluffy.  This can take up to 2 minutes with an electric mixer at medium speed or 4 minutes just using a fork.  Mix in the vanilla and molasses.

Add half the flour along with the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and mix well.  Add the remaining flour and mix.  Use your hands at this point to really work the ingredients together.  The dough should hold together when squeezed; if it does not, then add a tablespoon or two of nondairy milk until it does.

Roll the dough into walnut-size balls, flattening them a bit with the palms of your hand.  The dough may crack on the edges and that is fine.  Place the dough balls on the cookie sheets.  Flatten them further with the bottom of a coffee mug.  Use the underside of fork tines to press cross hatches into the cookies, one horizontal and one vertical. 

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are very lightly browned.  Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 10 minutes - any less and they might crumble.  Use a thin, flexible spatula to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.