Rich, flavorful and addicting!
Mix by hand; mixture will be the consistency of pie crust dough. Spread on cookie sheet (mine is 10 by 15 inches). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes; it should be just lightly browned at the edges. Cool completely, then frost with powdered sugar frosting (chocolate goes very well). Cut into 24 squares.
The original ingredient list was taken from a copy of the recipe that Mom gave me. I tried the recipe on December 24, 2003, only to find that something had been left out. The mixture was dry and crumbly, and it scorched in the pan!
The original called for 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, which was certainly not enough. The two ingredients above it in the list were given as 1 cup, so I assumed that this was the correct amount for the peanut butter, and that the 3 tablespoons was for another ingredient not listed.
I checked some cookie recipes calling for peanut butter, to see what ingredients they used that were not listed in this one; I found eggs, milk and vanilla. Since eggs are not measured in tablespoons, I ruled that out first. This makes sense, since I recalled the squares as having a chewy, pastry-like texture that would be best achieved without eggs.
Three tablespoons of vanilla would be way too much! Anyway, the recipe would likely not need vanilla due to the strong flavors of peanut butter and brown sugar (Mom always used dark brown). So I concluded that the missing ingredient was milk.
I finally tried the recipe again on November 17, 2004, and was delighted to discover that I was right!