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Peanut Butter Buttons

Besides regular peanut butter, this recipe also calls for peanut butter chips, which make the dough lighter and smoother. Stringing the licorice laces through the holes is a particularly fun job for kids. This recipe comes from the kitchen of Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, whose cookbooks include "The Woman's Day Cookbook" and "The Woman's Day Dessert Cookbook" (Viking Press).

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
Red licorice strings (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375°. Microwave the peanut butter chips at medium heat for 1 minute. Stir the chips. If they're still not melted, microwave them for another minute, then stir them until smooth.
In a large bowl, beat together the melted chips, peanut butter, butter, and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Blend in the egg, vanilla extract, and salt. Gradually beat in the flour on low speed until a firm dough forms.
Working with half the batch at a time, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness on a flour-dusted surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut out cookies with a 3-inch round biscuit cutter and transfer them to ungreased baking sheets. Reroll the dough scraps for additional cookies.
Press the bottom of a small drinking glass into the center of each cookie to create a circular indentation. Then use the end of a drinking straw to cut four buttonholes in each cookie (twisting the straw a quarter turn each time will lift the dough from the hole).
Bake the cookies until set and slightly golden on the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool on the sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For a fun finishing touch, lace licorice string through the holes in each cookie. Starting from the back, thread a piece of licorice through the holes, crisscrossing it in front of the cookie. Trim the ends to about 1/2 inch long, leaving them loose at the back. Makes about 32 cookies.