June 12 - Peanut Butter Cookie Day

Why do we put a criss-cross on the top of a peanut butter cookie?  Have you ever wondered why? I don't have the answer but I know they taste better, more authentic, with the fork marks!  

Peanut butter is a really old treat, dating back to the Aztecs who mashed roasted peanuts. Peanut butter became popular in America around 1900 and in 1913 the President's wife put out a cookbook that included Peanut Butter Cookies!  We had a president who was elected in 1976, Jimmy Carter, who had a peanut farm.  Peanuts became an important crop and was used for many things including paper from peanut shells, shaving cream, shoe polish, grease, and ink.  My favorite product is peanut butter!

But back to the question. Why do we put a cross-cross on the top of a peanut butter cookie?  The first time that a printed recipe instructed the baker to criss-cross was in a 1936 Pillsbury cookbook. There was no explanation why.  People have come up with some ideas why (like to flatten the cookie to bake more evenly) but no one really knows why.  Since 1936, thousands of bakers have put that mark on the cookie just because everyone else does. Think about that. Just because someone said to do it once almost 100 years ago, we still do it without even asking why.  

I'm not suggesting that you should stop criss-crossing your peanut butter cookies, but I am going to challenge you to think about why you do certain things.  Just following the crowd can get you in big trouble and maybe lead you to make some really bad choices.  Just one little choice at a time can turn into a big choice.  The Bible tells us to be on our guard because the devil is like a lion who is sneaking around trying to deceive and trick us.  Be strong. Follow Jesus close.  Every day think about your choices. And, maybe today you should make a batch of peanut butter cookies.

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