You Can Take the Girl out of America, but...

Recently I have been told that I occasionally sound British. More specifically strangers have said to me that they weren't sure about my accent as I said something that sounded American, but then I sounded British.

I’m not sure what that means. Nor am I really sure how I’m suppose to feel about that?

Maybe that’s why I get mistaken as Irish sometimes. An American accent with a British accent twang perhaps? American accents are actually closer related to the Irish/English then the English/English.

I don’t actually know if that is true, I was just told that by a fellow American Expat. She has been mistaken as Irish before too. One very nice Irish twitter friend I tweet occasionally told me she gets mistaken as American.

Crazy. I suppose I should have expected after 8+ years that I would pick up on the British ways of saying things. It’s not a bad thing, but I like sounding like an American. It’s a part of me, ya know?

I will get used to it, just like I had to get used to my last name when I married.

However just because the girl has been taken out of America does not mean the America has been taken out of the girl! Here are some Peanut Butter Thumbprint cookies filled with a raspberry jelly!

And yes I used cups!! You know what else? I use an American laptop because I can’t type on a British keyboard! You didn't need to know that random fact, but I felt it’s about time I confessed.

Don't be put off by the cups because these cookies are yummy! They are great as an after school snack or just because you like peanut butter and jelly!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (plain flour)

½ tsp baking soda (baking powder)

1 tsp flaky sea salt or ¾ tsp fine sea salt

8 tbsp (1 stick (114g)) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup golden granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup natural smooth peanut butter (stir well to blend the oil before measuring)

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and then set aside. In another bowl mix the sugar and melted butter, before whisking in the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for an hour. Don’t worry if you need to leave it for longer, you can leave it over night if you must!

Preheat the oven to 325F/160C/gas3 and prepare two baking sheets. The recipe makes about 4-dozen cookies.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, until lightly colored on top and underneath, one cookie will need to be sacrificed to check the bottom. Because the cookies are soft to the touch as they come out of the oven when you turn one over it will most likely crumble.

Which is okay as they firm up while they cool. Which is why when they come out of the oven you need to put the “thumbprint” in the cookies before they cool. I used the bottom of my silicone pastry brush to make a hole in the middle to hold the jelly a bit better. When making the “thumbprint” you need to be very gentle as the cookies are sensitive.

to finish

3-5 tbsp Jelly/Jam of any flavor 

Before serving fill the “thumbprints” with jelly! Then Enjoy!

notes: I did try to hunt down some Grape Jelly as is traditional in PB & J, however I didn't want to pay the extortionate shipping fees for one jar of jelly! Natural Peanut Butter & Co. comes in 340g(12oz) tubs that equals one cup. I bought all the ingredients for this recipe. When I say I can’t type on a British keyboard I mean I won’t. I get really frustrated without my American keyboard! O_o Recipe is slightly changed from Alice Medrich's recipe in Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies.

I made these for Treat Petite Baking Blogging Challenge hosted by The Baking Explorer (this month's host) and CakeyBoi! This month’s theme was America! Can’t wait to see what next month’s theme is!