SPICECAPADES : Peanut Butter Cookies Scented with Curry

 I am so thrilled that the first recipe featured here is from writer Roz Cummins who suggested the title – SPICECAPADES and that the photos were taken by my favorite photographer Sala Kannan. 

Why curry powder? Rebecca Katz answers - Curry Powder in Peanut Butter — YUM!  Curry is comprised of many healing spices.   Adding a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder to your favorite food takes it beyond yum, and provides a layer of  antibacterial,  and anti inflammatory properties.   All the various components of curry provide antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, which are key nutrients in supporting the immune system.

RECIPE:

Curried Peanut Butter Crumbles* 
(Makes 20-24 cookies) 

by Rosamond Cummins 

1 and 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter (15 oz jar of peanut butter) 
2 tablespoons orange juice 
1 cup light brown sugar 
8 tablespoons (1 stick) room temperature unsalted butter 
1 large egg 
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
a little bit of extra flour for the fork, if needed 

Note: You can add a pinch of salt if you are using unsalted peanut butter 
and like your peanut butter cookies a bit salty. 

   1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with 
   baking parchment paper. 
   2. Beat the peanut butter, orange juice, brown sugar, and butter until 
   creamed. Add the egg and beat until it's absorbed into the batter. You can 
   do this with an electric mixer or by hand. 
   3. Combine the flour, curry powder, and baking powder. Add it to the wet 
   ingredients a little at a time, beating it until it forms a dough. If you 
   are using an electric mixer, do this on the lowest speed. 
   4. Take the dough out of the bowl.  Best way to divide cookies – make a log, cut it into 2, and then cut each into 12 chunks . Now roll 
   the chunks of dough into balls and place on the baking sheet. Squish them 
   down gently using a fork. Then do it again with the fork tines in the 
   perpendicular directions so that you get a criss-cross pattern. You may want 
   to flour the fork between pressings so it doesn't get stuck in the dough. 
   5. Bake for about 15 minutes. Don't let them brown. Let them cool 
   completely. They will seem extremely soft when you take them out of the oven 
   but after they cool they will "set up" and be more solid and easier to move. 
   6. Drink a cold glass of milk while eating these. Ask your friends if 
   they can identify the secret ingredients.