Anna Zender of Bath Township received this recipe years ago from one of her aunts after enjoying them at a family Christmas party. She had three aunts and each one liked to claim the recipe as her own, but no one knew for sure where the recipe came from. Zender says, “As cookies go, this one is a keeper.”
PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL COOKIES
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
½ cup peanut butter
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1¼ cups flour
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
Cream sugar and shortening together. Add peanut butter, egg and milk and mix until well combined.
Add flour, baking soda and salt, and mix well until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into a large ball. Cut ball in two.
On a large sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll out one half of the dough into a 12- or 14-inch square or circle. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Melt the chocolate chips and spread evenly over the two pieces of dough. Sprinkle the nuts on top of the chocolate.
Use the waxed paper to help roll the dough, jelly-roll style, into two logs. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 4 hours.
Slice logs into circles. Bake spirals on a cookie sheet 2½ inches apart.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
Makes several dozen cookies, depending on how thick they are cut.
