Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I know summer is not really baking time, and I usually avoid turning on the oven when it's 106 degrees outside, but sometimes I've just got to bake. Besides, who doesn't love fresh baked cookies, regardless of the time of year?

A friend gave me this recipe recently and my husband declared last night that he thinks these might be his new favorite cookie. A combination of his two favorites, what could be better? Officially I am a Chocolate Chip Cookie lover, but I ate at least half a dozen of these yesterday, so they can't be too bad.

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup Peanut Butter, creamy or crunchy (your preference)
• 1 1/2 cup Butter, softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups Oatmeal
• 1 cup Raisins (optional)

How To Make:

Set oven racks to middle position, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars.

Add eggs, milk and vanilla,

and continue to mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Stir into peanut butter mixture. Mix in oatmeal and raisins, if using.

Let dough set for about 10 minutes to firm up a bit.

Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet,

and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even baking.

If you like a crispier cookie, bake longer, if you like a softer cookie, bake less.

Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before tranferring to racks to cool completely.

Enjoy, and try not to eat too many at once.