Although there are no actual records to prove this, peanut plant probably rooted in South America and more specifically in Peru or Brazil. From pottery made some 3,500 years ago, we see that people in that area decorated them with peanut plants or made them in the shape of peanuts. Incans of Peru offered peanuts in their sacrifices and placed them along with their mummies during their burial rituals.
Peanuts were cultivated all over South America up to Mexico when European conquistadors discovered them along with New World. Spanish soldiers took them back with them in Spain and from there traders did their job and spread them throughout Asia and Africa. Africans in turn were the first who made peanuts known to North America in the beginning of 1700s.
Incans, according to evidence, were the first to grind peanuts and make some sort of peanut butter. In the US it was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg who first invented a version of peanut butter, with boiled peanuts instead of roasted, as a protein substitute for some of his older patients who couldn’t chew meat.
Peanut butter is rich in vitamin B3, B6 and E. Contains magnesium and fibers. It is rich in proteins, zinc and folic acid.
According to European Food Safety Authority peanut butter can help metabolism and increase our energy levels. It helps preventing fatigue and increases memory and growth especially to children. According to several studies the consumption of peanut butter in reasonable amounts can help decrease the possibility of developing Diabetes type II and hypertension.
(Source: http://nationalpeanutboard.org/peanut-info/history-peanuts-peanut-butter.htm, https://www.efsa.europa.eu/ )
My son kept bugging me to make something sweet. Not too much, not too sweet and I was so crazy busy, I always bought something from our local pastry shop. Last week, I was feeling a bit more relaxed and I decided to make peanut butter cookies. I must admit that what gave a trigger to making up my mind about the specific cookies, was also the fact that I had a peanut butter vase in my pantry for a long time. Plus, the fact that they are so easy and fast I could still have time to enjoy a couple of hours of relaxation.
I entered my kitchen and made about couple dozen for both my husband and my son and I thought of making them a bit more decadent by bathing them in chocolate. They were absolutely delicious and we all enjoyed them during several instances of the day accompanying meals or beverages.
- 60gr. / ⅓ cup corn oil
- 99 gr. / ½ cup sugar
- 100 gr. / ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 gr. / ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
- 180 gr. / 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 250 gr. / 9 oz. semi sweet chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F.
- Line with parchment paper two baking sheets.
- Beat the corn oil, sugars, egg, vanilla, and peanut butter until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat gently until everything is incorporated.
- It is going to be quite stiff and crumbly.
- If necessary, drizzle some water to make the dough cohesive.
- On the baking sheets drop some cookie dough with a tablespoon or with a cookies scoop leaving a distance of 3 cm / 2 in. between them.
- I used my kitchen hammer to flatten them to about 1 cm/ ½ in. thick.
- Bake for 12 minutes, until they're barely beginning to brown around the edges.
- Remove them from the oven, and let them cool.
- In the meantime, melt the chocolate in a bowl in your microwave and when the cookies are cooled dive them and cover half of them with it.
- Let them cool in the baking sheet until chocolate has stabilized.
- 60 γρ. αραβοσιτέλαιο
- 99 γρ. ζάχαρη
- 100 γρ. καστανή ζάχαρη
- 1 μεγάλο αυγό
- 1 κ.γ. εκχύλισμα βανίλιας
- 200 γρ. φυστικοβούτυρο
- 180 γρ. αλεύρι για όλες τις χρήσεις
- 1 κ.γ. ψησίματος σόδα
- ½ κ.γ. αλάτι
- 250 γρ. κουβερτούρα
- Προθερμαίνετε το φούρνο στους 175° C.
- Στρώστε με αντικολλητικό χαρτί δύο ταψάκια.
- Κτυπήστε το αραβοσιτέλαιο, τις ζάχαρες, το αυγό, τη βανίλια και το φυστικοβούτυρο μέχρι να γίνουν ένα ομοιογενές μίγμα.
- Προσθέστε το αλεύρι, τη σόδα και το αλάτι και χτυπήστε απαλά μέχρι να ενσωματωθούν.
- Η ζύμη θα είναι αρκετά στεγνή και θα θρυμματίζεται.
- Αν χρειαστεί, ρίξτε λίγο νερό (1 έως 2 κ.σ.) για να κάνει τη ζύμη πιο συνεκτική.
- Πάρτε ένα κουτάλι ή αν έχετε ένα κουτάλι για μπισκότα και βάλτε κουταλιές πάνω στο ταψί αφήνοντας μια απόσταση μεταξύ τους 3 cm.
- Χρησιμοποίησα το σφυρί της κουζίνας για να τα ισιώσω και να τα πλατύνω κάνοντάς τα περίπου 1 cm παχιά.
- Ψήστε για 12 λεπτά, μέχρι να αρχίσουν να ροδίζουν γύρω από τις άκρες.
- Βγάλτε τα από το φούρνο και αφήστε τα να κρυώσουν.
- Εν τω μεταξύ, λιώστε τη σοκολάτα σε ένα μπολ στο φούρνο μικροκυμάτων σας και όταν κρυώσουν τα μπισκότα βουτήξτε τα έτσι ώστε να καλυφθούν κατά το ήμισι.
- Αφήστε να κρυώσουν μέσα στο ταψί, μέχρι να έχει σταθεροποιηθεί η σοκολάτα.
