Halloween Traditions

I love Halloween. I have so much fun watching the kids have fun and I LOVE handing out candy Halloween night. The little ones are my favorite, always so cute!

But really, the weather,  pumpkin everything, decorating, carving pumpkins, trick or treating and costumes. Love it all.

One of our Halloween traditions for close to a decade now is visiting the home of President Andrew Jackson. The Hermitage is the museum of President Jackson's home in Hermitage TN. It is a wonderful place to visit year round, but for Halloween they put on "Haunting's at the Hermitage". It is very kid focused with trick or treating,  kid theme Halloween movies on a movie screen in the back field, a spooky hayride, fun snacks, Halloween crafts, ghost stories and a tour of the house, gardens and graveyard. My kids love it. At 15, even at  my son still wanted to go and had a great time....of course it did not hurt that he arranged to have a cute girl meet him there as his date. I won't complain. It is a sweet and fun outing for young teenagers too.

Every year on "Haunting's night" we have the same dinner menu and for dessert, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter M&M cookies. In my opinion, the best cookie ever.

I am not really a big collector of vintage cookbooks, I do have some, I love my vintage Julia Child cookbooks but other than Julia's, cookbooks are not usually something I look for, Although they do catch my eye sometimes.

Wandering through a local antique store some years ago now, this little cookie cookbook caught my eye, published in 1991, it is not vintage, but the peanut butter cookie recipe found inside it was a  jewel. The Peanut Butter M&M's were my addition to it. Oh they are so decadent and rich. If you love peanut butter, you will love this cookie.

Cookies, Food Writers' Favorites
Edited by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane Baker
Printed in 1991 with proceeds from the sale of the book going to MADD.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chunky or smooth peanut butter

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed) 

2 eggs (well beaten)

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup sifted all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground ginger (I usually skip the ginger)

2 cups peanut butter M&M's (My addition)

follow the usual steps, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and wet ingredients, sift and mix in the dry ingredients then the M&M's. Pop the bowl of batter in the fridge to chill for at least a half hour, then drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. I make mine BIG, like six to a pan big and also soft and chewy so 15 minutes is all they need. Chilling them for that half hour keeps them from spreading all over the place.

If you are a peanut butter lover, you will love these cookies!

We have had such a fun full weekend. I did make it to the Nashville flea market early Saturday morning. It was a great market (and PACKED) I am very glad I am an early riser and like to be there when the market opens.  I walked out with some great buys and had a wonderful time wandering around. I will post about my finds at the Flea Market later this week.

I hope you all had a wonderful, beautiful fall weekend!