Emergency Peanut Butter Cookies…

I have this recurring dream every few weeks. It’s nearing the end of the semester, classes are wrapping up, and I realize I’ve forgotten that I signed up for one and have not completed a single assignment. I have had this dream consistently since about middle school, and often, even when I have the dream now, it still takes place in that old crusty, asbestos-filled building. I always wake up in hot sweat, swearing that it was real and I have to figure out how to fix my plight.

It’s been a completely crazy few past weeks finishing up this semester. It’s been a particularly hard one, probably the hardest of my entire academic career. I’ve given up nearly everything to finish well: my schedule, my health, my sleep, and freelance work. I completely shut myself in. As you can probably guess, meals have been somewhat whim-ish, and at times, not completely satisfying. So as you can imagine, I’ve had a lot of late late night cravings. For the WORST things. And by worst I mean the BEST. Enter, the Emergency Peanut Butter Cookie.

Four ingredients and in and out of the oven in 10-12 minutes, perfect for the late night, last-minute cravings. These perfect little morsels got me through, and so I must play it forward and pass them along to you, for all the crazy times in your life.

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I always add a little extra)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg

Note: Feel free to add any chip accompaniment. I recommend butterscotch chips.

A quick shot I snapped just after midnight.

Directions:

1. In a medium or mixer bowl, mix all the ingredients until smooth. Cover and place in the refrigerator and cool for around 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden and solid. Let them stand on the cookie sheet for about 5-7 minutes. Carefully peel them off and eat them ferociously.

I gobbled these by the sheet. They were my sanity and the one thing I clung to, hoping for a silver lining. They are not the best peanut butter cookies you’ll ever eat, but they are still really good for how fast you can put them together. I highly recommend them in any time of desperate, prolonged crisis. On a positive note, I am finished for another semester and am looking forward to what I hope will be a long summer break. I will rejoin humanity and possibly read a book that has nothing to do with something I have to learn! First though, I’ll take a shower.