By Christmas 2034. Eleventh in the house. The tree, the ham ($26.49 — at this rate, the ham will cost more than the tree by 2040), the cookies (Harper's operation, now thirty-five dozen, a quantity that requires industrial planning and a spreadsheet she designed in Google Sheets). The traditions endure. The traditions are the scaffolding.
The highlight of Christmas: Wyatt's gift to the family. He painted a family portrait. Not a photo-realistic portrait — a Wyatt portrait. Watercolor. The Turner family, standing in the kitchen, each person defined by their characteristic: Mama (me) with a spoon, Daddy with a wrench, Brayden with a basketball, Harper with a book, and Wyatt himself, small, in the corner, holding a paintbrush. And Biscuit, at the center, because in Wyatt's universe, Biscuit is the center. The painting is imperfect and beautiful and honest in the way only a ten-year-old's art can be honest — no pretense, no styling, just: this is my family and this is how I see them and the seeing is the love.
I hung it in the kitchen. Center of the gallery wall. Above the stove, next to the "Turners Feed People" sign. The family portrait, painted by the quiet one, in the room where the food is made. The gallery is complete. Not because there's no room for more (there is — the wall is long). But because the portrait is the centerpiece, the anchor, the thing that holds the gallery together. The family, seen by the child who sees everything, painted in watercolor, hanging in the kitchen where everything happens. Complete.
Harper’s thirty-five dozen cookies don’t happen by accident — there’s a spreadsheet, a schedule, and a very specific roster of recipes that have earned their place on the list. Peanut Butter Blossoms have been on that list for years, and honestly, standing in the kitchen under Wyatt’s watercolor portrait of all of us — me with my spoon, the family gathered — there’s no recipe that feels more like us than this one. Simple, warm, a little sweet, and always better when made in a crowd.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 48 cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 48 milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the base. In a large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter together until smooth and well combined. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir into the peanut butter mixture until a soft dough forms.
- Shape and roll. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Pour a small amount of granulated sugar onto a plate and roll each ball to coat evenly.
- Bake. Place sugared dough balls about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are just barely golden.
- Press in kisses. Remove cookies from the oven and immediately press one unwrapped chocolate kiss firmly into the center of each cookie. The cookie will crack slightly around the edges — that’s perfect. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 108 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 83mg