REESE' PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

I've never used self-rising flour, possibly because I like sea salt and unbleached flour and I like to control the amount of leavening. But I needed to buy some to bake some cookies that I wanted to enter into a contest. I made the cookies, entered the recipe, and looked at an almost-full 5-lb. bag of self-rising flour. What to do? I thought I would try developing chocolate chip cookie recipes with it. This recipe came out ok, but the cookies are not crispy. They are soft inside. (I prefer my cookies crispy on the outside and softly chewy on the inside. These were not.) That said, if you are stuck with self-rising flour and don't know what to do with it, here's a way to use some of it up. (I think I would use regular chocolate chips with some toasted nuts next time, though, because the sweetness of the peanut butter combined with the sweetness of the milk chocolate and the sweetness of the cookie was a bit too much sweet for me.) Also note: this is a half recipe. Double for 20 cookies.)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (half batch)

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/2 egg (1-1/2 - 2 Tbsp.)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. chocolate extract (or vanilla, if you can't find chocolate extract)

1-1/4 cup self-rising flour

1/3 cup quick oats (not instant)

1/2 cup chopped Reese's peanut butter cups (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup toasted nuts of your choice)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375F. On low speed of stand mixer, combine sugar butter, egg and flavorings till almost smooth, about 2 minutes. On stir speed, mix in flour and oats till everything comes together, about 2 minutes. Fold in the candy (or the chips and nuts). Dough will be stiff.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake about 10 minutes, or till cookies test done when a toothpick inserted in center returns clean. Cool on baking pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 10 cookies.