Penniedarling

  
Do you know the Peanut Butter Cookie story?  Many of my followers may but for those who don't here we go.

Way back in about 1964/5 I met this really cool American dude at 'Wollogorang', he was blond, he wore a denim jacket and denim jeans as well... but not only that he drove a white American Jeep, nothing could be cooler on a sheep station where most of the fellows wore overalls or moleskin pants.

When Gene discovered that I could cook he asked if I would make him his Grandmothers Peanut Butter Cookies which he loved and was missing, of course I agreed, who wouldn't eh!   So Gene wrote a letter to his Grandmother in America requesting her recipe then a few weeks later the recipe arrived and I started baking and I've been baking ever since...  gosh they're delicious.

A couple of years ago George, our grandson in Macau, broke his leg and when iChatting with him I asked if there was anything I could send him to make him feel better... without hesitation he said, 'Peanut Butter Cookies please Penniedarling'.  So of course I made a batch and posted them over.

Now this made me think of Eugene Bevens that cool American dude the one who gave me the recipe 50 plus years ago... but where the heck was he now! The last time we'd seen him was way back in 1970 when David and I first arrived back in Australia after three years overseas.  I searched online and found a few things but nothing helpful so I started asking friends who I knew from back in those old 'Wollogorang' days... but no success.

Now my cousin Sue, the daughter of my Great Aunt Cranky and Great Uncle John from 'Wollogorang' is suffering from Alzheimer's but before she lost it completely she asked me if I would keep her best friend Anthea in touch with what was happening with her, Anthea lives in California.    In one of my emails to Anthea I mentioned that I was looking for a really cool American dude who used to work at 'Wollogorang' and in the blink of eye Gene Bevens  was in touch with me!  Wow!  Andrea and Gene were in High School together and that's how Gene met Aunty Cranky on one of her visits to the US and how he came to be working with sheep in Australia.

We Skyped several times which was great fun, all those years we had to catch up with then in late 2017 Gene came to Australia to have a catch up with his Aussie family and we met up which was just lovely.

Now... the other day I saw a recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies on a blog I follow called Fat Mum Slim, this is where I get my ideas for the 'Photo a Day Challenge'...   This recipe was slightly different so I immediately decided I had to do another of those 'Taste' tests, like the one I did with Chocolate Brownies several years ago.

We started on Saturday evening and I have several tests to be completed before I can reveal which 'Peanut Butter Cookie' is voted the BEST... so stay tuned.
 1966 - Gene the cool dude saying farewell to me at Central Station as I head off on my first adventure to Perth.
 Gene's white Jeep above.

2017 - Below Gene and I meet again.

 The much loved Granma Chambers and below her Recipe.
When Gene tasted these PB Cookies of 'Mine' he told me I had two things wrong... #1 - I use Crunchy Peanut Butter (only Dick Smiths)  and #2 - I double cross my PB Cookies... but hey- 'Frankly my dear I don't give a damn'  we all like the crunch and double cross and as one Grandchild pointed out... looks just like the trim of the floor of a Double Decker bus.

Labels: Peanut Butter Cookie Taste Test