Prettaly – Pretty Italy

It’s nearly Valentine’s Day again and preparing something homemade with lots of love is always a nice gift or gesture. And cookies are always a good idea…

See how to bake them here:

Ingredients
Adapted from thesemisweetsisters.com
100g granulated sugar
100g light brown sugar (I used muscovado sugar)
100g salted butter (or use normal butter and add ½ teaspoon fleur de sel)
100g smooth peanut butter
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
185g flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 175°C top (air circulation).

Add sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a bowl and mix until creamy. Then add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, stir until smooth and creamy.

Add flour and baking soda and mix until well combined.

Use two layers of cling film, one on the bottom, then add the dough and then place another piece of cling film on top. Spread the dough until it is approx. 1cm thick. Remove the top layer of cling film and use heart-shaped cookie cutters to create little hearts. I cooled the dough / hearts before placing them in the oven, so they stay in shape.

Take a fork and press the dough down on each side making a criss-cross pattern on the heart-shaped cookie.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden, but be careful not to over-bake them or your cookies will turn out hard.

Tip on the side:
A friend (thanks Jennifer!) made peanut butter and jelly sandwich cookies by putting strained raspberry jam between two cookies and sticking them together. But eat the same day, otherwise they get soggy!