Ingredients
2 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 lb (1 stick) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
Directions
Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt and set aside. In the large
bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Beat in the vanilla and
sugar. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly mixed. On low speed
gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a
rubber spatula and beating until the mixture holds together. Transfer
the dough to a small bowl for ease in handling and set aside at room
temperature. Prepare the filling.
3/4 cup smooth (not chunky) peanut butter 1/2 cup strained or sifted
confectioners sugar.
In a small bowl thoroughly mix the peanut butter and the sugar.
Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat to
325 degrees.
To shape the cookies: On a large piece of wax paper place the cookie
dough in mounds, using a slightly rounded tsp. (no more) of the dough
for each mound-in order not to make them too large it's best to
measure with a measuring spoon. Do maybe a quarter of the dough at a
time.
Then do the same with the filling, using a level 1/2 measuring
teaspoon for each mound. Place on other pieces of waxed paper.
Pick up one mound of the dough, roll it between your hands into a
ball, and flatten it between your palms until it is very thin. Then,
with a small metal spatula or a table knife, lift up and place one
mound of the filling in the center of the flattened dough. With your
fingers bring the dough around the filling and pinch the edges to
seal. Roll the filled dough between your hands into a cylindrical
shape about 2 inches long with very slightly tapered ends. Place the
cookie on an unbuttered cookie sheet and as you do, turn the ends
down slightly to form a short fat crescent. Continue shaping the
cookies and placing them 1/2 to 1 inch apart-these do not spread.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch.
Reverse the cookie sheet front to back once to insure even bakinZ of
sugar and roll the cookies in the sugar as they come out of oven.
From: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies Shared By: Pat Stockett
Servings: 24 servings
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Crescents Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chocolate; Dessert
The History of Recipes
Food historians have tracked the existance of recipes way back into antiquity, certainly as far as the ancient Egyptians, and maybe even further. Having said that, sadly, these early cookbooks were just simple pictorial recipes for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe found, according to experts in ancient history is a collection of ancient tablets in the Sumerian language which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel exhilarated. Progressing into The time of the romans around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a collection of scripts detailing recipes prepared by the Romans. In his works, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into starters, main meal and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. Aspicius also tells us how the Roman cooks used a wide range of aromatic flavours, including some that we all recognise for example thyme, fennel and asafoetida. Moving on, there are a couple of cookery books which were published in the fourteenth century ; a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another called `Curye on Inglish`. Perhaps surprisingly, they are unconnected to the indian food that is popular today, but instead accounts of the types of meals on the tables of the rich and powerful of that time. Later, in the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and herbs from the Middle-East, including basil and coriander. The introduction of these new foods and spices was responsible for an eruption in recipe publications, many of which are now in private libraries. By the time we get to the twentieth century, recipe books are highly popular mostly as a result of increased literacy, more leisure time and a general increase in wealth. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brought us TV cooks and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting us all to access thousands of recipes just like those on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chocolate & Peanut Butter Crescents recipe.
