The Cookie Jar Recipe

This recipe originally came from my sister Abby.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup Parkay spread sticks (I usually use butter)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat Parkay and sugars in large bowl until fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture, beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips (or other variations).
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets.
Variations:
1/2 cup peanut butter (decrease butter amount by 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa with flour (decrease flour amount by 1/2 cup)

Peanut Butter Cookies

I decided to make some cookies this afternoon, and settled on Peanut Butter Cookies instead of the usual Chocolate Chips. This recipe was from allrecipes.com.

1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup margarine (I used butter)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the peanut butter, margarine (butter), brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Form dough into walnut sized balls and place them 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Dip a fork into flour and criss cross each cookie to flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until just lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.