Brittany’s Baking Stories: A Classic Cookie

April: A Poet’s Peanut Butter Cookies 

April is National Poetry Month so of course I had to bake these cookies. Jerrelle Guy wasn’t a fan of peanut butter cookies until she had a version of these at an open mic. And I have to say, these are pretty good. But I’m also a fan of the original peanut butter cookies. 

Cookies have been a favorite to bake because they’re so simple. I could have added roasted peanuts to the cookies, but again, I wanted to keep it simple. They would have added a nice crunch though since these cookies were soft.

This was my first time making flax eggs which are a vegan substitute for eggs using golden flaxseed. 

Flaxseed eggs made with golden flaxseed and warm water
Flaxseed eggs

I slowly added it to my peanut butter mix (which had some other ingredients in it as well). 

Peanut butter mix for peanut butter cookies
Peanut butter mix

And then I added in the flour.

Peanut butter mix with flour for cookies
Peanut butter mix with flour. The cookie dough is ready for baking!

I should have just rolled the cookies. I used an ice cream scoop, but not the metal ones that round out the ice cream. So the second batch I made had a nicer shape than the first batch. 

The first batch of peanut butter cookies. They're big and oval-shapped.
The first batch of peanut butter cookies, scooped.
The second batch of peanut butter cookies. They're smaller and rounder. More like little circles.
The second batch of peanut butter cookies, hand-rolled.

And instead of a writing tip, here’s a poem: 

Poetry is refuge,

It’s like venting to your best or

Crying out to God.

Sometimes I share poems ugly, unfinished

Just to be heard.

Other times they’re penned to perfection.

Either way, my poems are usually my pain mixed and mastered like a song. Heartbreak and loneliness always sound better remixed. The sample is too raw. Everyone likes real, but no one just cries on the mic.

Everyone likes casket sharp metaphors ready to lay pain to rest. Writing poems is a part of my healing process.

I used to look for lessons in the lines, but now I count it a blessing that I made it through each hard thing every time.

And I accept that certain things happen without reason or rhyme.

Finishing a poem feels like having a good cry.

So when I find it difficult to speak, I pick up a pen and release my feelings.

It’s a safe place to be.

Written by Brittany Washington

{Psalm 46:1}

As always, the recipe can be found in Black Girl Baking by Jerrelle Guy. Happy baking and happy writing!

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