Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe Status: It's nice to have a peanut butter cookie that isn't hard and crumbly. And the wheat is a tasty compliment to the peanut butter. Yes, this recipe is a keeper.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter (we recommend extra chunky)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups white flour

Cream peanut butter, butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients until completely mixed. Roll (or use a cookie scoop) into walnut sized balls and place on a sprayed baking sheet.

Bake at 350 until the edges are slightly browned, about 7-10 minutes. A little bit longer if baking on a stone, mine took about 12 minutes. Store in an airtight container and they'll stay soft!

Pumpkin Harvest Cookies (Kerstin's Sweet Spicy Goodness)

Recipe status: These are the ultimate health nut harvest cookie. There is no sugar other than the natural sugar in the pumpkin (and the sugar from the morsels). It's almost like having one of those nature bars, or a very chewy granola bar. I will definitely be packing these on my hikes.

1 small can pumpkin

1 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

(or 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger & allspice)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup flour

1 cup combination of any of the following: Chopped pecans, walnuts or cashews, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, golden raisins, craisins or raisins *

1 cup butterscotch or cinnamon morsels, carob or chocolate chips

Blend pumpkin and butter. Mix in egg & vanilla. Add dry ingredients until completely blended. Fold in remaining nuts, berries & morsels.

Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet about an inch apart. These hardly spread, so press them down a bit. Bake @ 375° for 12-15 minutes, depending on size. I've been told these freeze well. Not sure of these will last long enough to find out.

*In addition to the 1 cup, I also added a cup of uncooked 9 grain cereal (looks like oats) & a handful of shredded zucchini because I so desired. Had I had any flaked coconut left, I'd have added that also. Not the sweetened coconut, but the dried shaved coconut from the bulk bin at the health food store. That would have been amazing.