May 4, 2018

May the 4th & Peanut Butter Cookies with a Kick

May the 4th & Peanut Butter Cookies with a Kick

May the 4th be with you, and you, and you!  I’ve been saying this to most everyone I encounter today, and I love that some people get it, and others seem perplexed by it.  For those that don’t know, May the 4th is what you say to people on Star Wars Day (May 4th).  May the 4th; May the Force…get it?

Of course, May 4th comes before May 5th, which is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.  Every year around this time, I bombard the Payaso with questions about Cinco de Mayo.

Gringo:  “Are you sure your family won’t do anything for Cinco de Mayo?”

Payaso:  “No, only gringos are having parties for Cinco de Mayo.”

Gringo:  “But I don’t understand why people in Mexico aren’t celebrating like we do here in the United States.”

Payaso:  “People in Puebla, Mexico will celebrate, but it won’t be like the way people here celebrate.”

Gringo:  “Why not?”

Payaso:  “Because.”

Gringo:  “But why?”

Payaso:  “Joe!  Por que se me atormenta (why are you tormenting me!?)?”

Cinco de Mayo translates into the 5th of May, which is a holiday celebrating the date in 1862 that the Mexican army defeated France in the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.  At the time, France was ruled by Napoleon III who wanted to create an empire out of the Mexican territory.  On the morning of May 5, 1862, 6,000 French troops began their attack on Puebla, a small town in east-central Mexico.  The battle lasted into the evening when the French finally retreated after sustaining approximately 500 deaths.  Fewer than 100 of the 2,000 Mexicans fighting against the French lost their lives in the battle. The Battle of Puebla wasn’t considered a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, but it represented a great victory for the Mexican government, which bolstered the resistance movement.  France finally withdrew from the war in 1867 after occupying the region for about five years.  Cinco de Mayo celebrates the unlikely victory against the French.  The holiday is not, as some may think, the independence day of Mexico, which occurred more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla, on September 16, 1810.

Here are five fun facts about Cinco de Mayo:

  1. The California Avocado Commission reports that 81 million pounds of avocados are purchased just for Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
  2. In 2014, Americans bought 12.3 million cases of tequila.
  3. Beer sales generate around $658 million from Cinco de Mayo.
  4. Chandler, Arizona celebrates Cinco de Mayo with an annual Chihuahua race.
  5. The United States consumes twice as much tequila as Mexico.

You can wow your friends with those fun facts while you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo with friends.  Both the Payaso and I had Cinco de Mayo parties at work this week.  The Payaso’s work had a salsa and guacamole contest where all of the constants needed to name their entries with a Star Wars themed name because it was held on May 4th.  How clever!  The Payaso entered a tomatillo salsa at this work (recipe will be on blog tomorrow), and I made and brought peanut butter cookies with a kick.  Here’s the recipe courtesy of Samantha Seneviratne:

Peanut Butter Cookies with a Kick

  • Servings: Approximately 20
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
  • ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup roasted, salted peanuts chopped coarsely

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, cayenne and baking soda.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until creamy.
  4. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well.  Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. Slowly add flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine.
  6. Mix in chopped peanuts.
  7. Scoop dough and roll into balls approximately 2 tablespoons large onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  8. Use a fork or a cookie stamp to make a decoration on top of cookie to flatten to approximately a 2” circle.
  9. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired (I didn’t).
  10. Bake for approximately 13 minutes or until the edges are light brown.
  11. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.
  12. Repeat until all the dough has been baked.

Now perhaps you are thinking cayenne with peanut butter doesn’t sound like it’d pair well together, but let me tell you, they are best-o-friends!  Your first bite of the cookie will be of peanut butter, and then about 10 seconds later, you’ll feel a little heat in the back of your throat from the cayenne pepper.  It’s not spicy hot, but more of a warm sensation.  These cookies are sweet, salty and spicy.  What a perfect addition to bring to a Cinco de Mayo party or to have around the house.  Several of my coworkers are still talking about these cookies a day after the party.  If you don’t like spicy foods (I would argue these really aren’t spicy), then omit the cayenne pepper and use this recipe as your base peanut butter cookie recipe; it’s a keeper!  I really think the key to the true peanut butter flavor is the natural, unsweetened peanut butter.  As one coworker said to me earlier today, “those [cookies] could go great with a beer!”

Ole!

Filed Under: Adventures, Food
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