Yucky Peanut Butter Cookies

[CluckyCharms]

Hi,

A friend of mine e-mailed me a recipe for peanut butter cookies the other day. She absolutely raved about them in the e-mail. Since I had the ingredients on hand - I decided to make them this evening.

omg....dreadful!!!

They only had three ingredients, so I was extremely skeptical (as my "go to" recipe for peanut butter cookies has at least 10+ ingredients). The texture was a clump of rubbery, gunky nastiness and the taste - oh the taste was nasty - it was like an overly sweetened ball of goop.

The thought occurred to me that (maybe) she sent me the recipe as a practical joke (she has a very different sense of humor). So I re-read the e-mail and I'm pretty certain she was serious.

This is the recipe:

1 C granulated sugar
1 C peanut butter
1 large egg

bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes


After wondering about these horrible cookies I decided to google the recipe and see what others thought of them. I was amazed to find that there are HUNDREDS of good reviews on this recipe.

So - for those of you who have made these and liked them - what on earth did I do wrong??

The eggs are fresh so it wasn't the egg, and the sugar I just bought last week...same with the peanut butter.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

This is why I largely ignore online recipe reviews. I've never actually met one of these people in real life...the people behind the 7 plus stars, and was beginning to believe it was in fact one person with a lot of time on their hands to click stars. I've noticed that a lot of traditional and absolutely delicious recipes are rated very poorly. Near as I can figure, it seems to largely be a matter of younger generations often not being taught how to cook, and working increasingly long hours. These factors seem to contribute to recipes that are easy and fast...not necessarily good...being rated highly. It is always nice to find a genuine crowd pleaser though!

Ps, looked it up, and I would hazard a guess to say that much of the raving is because it is a gluten free/flour-free recipe, and not actually due to taste/texture. I stumble on the same phenomenon for vegan, vegetarian, raw, eggless, carbohydrate light, whatever has a following recipes. There are some sources I know I can get delicious recipes from, and some sources I know that it'll be all hype. Then you have your celebrity chefs....look up Paula Dean's recipe for "English peas" sometime. I guess I have to factor in being heavily marketed to as well.

 

[Tivona]

Sorry you had a problem with that recipe. The brands and purity of ingredients make a big difference in some recipes. That particular recipe only seems good to my family if the peanut butter is pure peanut such as Adams brand. You can't use brands like Skippy or Jiff and expect it to be the same as a pure peanut, peanut butter. Problems is they never seem to mention things like that with the recipe. So yeah sometimes a recipe is great or terrible depending on factors not mentioned in the actual recipe. Check the ingredients list on your peanut butter and if it has more then peanuts and salt then that probably is the problem you had. If not then I really can't say why it wouldn't work for you.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I suspect that taste buds have been corrupted by so much prepared food that is loaded with sugar, fat, and salt.

I tried a recipe for cashew butter cookies that everybody raved about and they were so overly sweet that they were inedible. I took out 2 full cups of sugar and tried it again, and they are still too sweet. Next time, I take out an additional 1/2 cup. It's actusally a good recipe, that's why I am trying to adjust it.

I took a recipe for banana bread off line and it is so sweet that it is basically cake. Nice cake, though. Just not nut bread.

I've used a recipe for pumpkin bread that was so sweet, it was inedible.

So, my best guess is that the younger generation is so accustomed to eating overly sweetened things that the sugar overload tastes good to them.

I heard people rave about that peanut butter cookie recipe, but I haven't dared to try it. It really doesn't look like it would work.

 

[donrae]

I think I've had that recipe but maybe with powdered sugar? I'm thinking like at a church potluck or something like that......I recall it being good but not outstanding.

Oregon Blues.......I always halve the sugar in my baked goods now. At least, maybe take out more. No reason on earth a loaf of quick bread needs that much sugar!

 

[CluckyCharms]

I suspect that taste buds have been corrupted by so much prepared food that is loaded with sugar, fat, and salt.

I tried a recipe for cashew butter cookies that everybody raved about and they were so overly sweet that they were inedible. I took out 2 full cups of sugar and tried it again, and they are still too sweet. Next time, I take out an additional 1/2 cup. It's actusally a good recipe, that's why I am trying to adjust it.

I took a recipe for banana bread off line and it is so sweet that it is basically cake. Nice cake, though. Just not nut bread.

I've used a recipe for pumpkin bread that was so sweet, it was inedible.

So, my best guess is that the younger generation is so accustomed to eating overly sweetened things that the sugar overload tastes good to them.

I heard people rave about that peanut butter cookie recipe, but I haven't dared to try it. It really doesn't look like it would work.

I happen to agree with you wholeheartedly. The "old school" peanut butter cookie recipe I've used for many years isn't "wrinkle your nose sweet" like this 'new' recipe was. Thanks for putting it in a way I can understand - makes sense now.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You've all seen the ad on TV where the guy is eating pure sugar out of the packets and it says "You would not eat 16 packets of sugar" and I think to myself, apparently the younger generation will.

The cookie recipe that I took 2 entire cups of sugar out of, those cookies were also rolled in pure sugar before baking. That's tasting right to somebody.

 

[CluckyCharms]

You've all seen the ad on TV where the guy is eating pure sugar out of the packets and it says "You would not eat 16 packets of sugar" and I think to myself, apparently the younger generation will.

The cookie recipe that I took 2 entire cups of sugar out of, those cookies were also rolled in pure sugar before baking. That's tasting right to somebody.

yuck

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have a sugar cookie recipe that has as much sugar in the dough as flour, and it is rolled in white sugar before baking. This is a family recipe that my grandma handed down, so it is not just the "New" generation that likes the sweets. Granted, these were only made for the holiday season, and always with a pot of hot, black coffee on hand!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Same here, but for a chocolate drop cookie, and again for an apricot bread. These were both for once a year treats too though. I often have to use as little as a forth of sugar called for in many recipes, especially cakes it seems.