Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies

Every now and then, I decide to step up my game as a grown person and add a new layer of adultness to my life.

Mind you, this needs to be done slowly so as not to shock the system.  Plus, no one likes a show off.  And the main thing about doing adult things, is having witnesses to the adult things so that you get credit for them.  And if you make everyone mad by being an overachiever, you lose all your friends.

AKA –  WITNESSES.

Anyways.  I have been moving at what I feel is a proper pace, and I finally decided that it was time to share my new adventure with you.

I have become a Dry Cleaners Person.

In past years, I have admired Dry Cleaning People.

They’re all, “Oh, I have to drop a few things off at the cleaners,” or.. “Honey, could you stop and pick up the dry cleaning on the way home?” and I was like, “Gosh darn them and their maturity!!  I wish I could throw around sophisticated sayings like that, all willy nilly!!”.

But alas, I wasn’t ready.  There were other tasks I needed to successfully master, such as keeping stamps in the house at all times (people in their early 20′s are just never thinking about stamps.  It’s true) and having a enviable collection of scented candles.

Eventually, I realized that I was too old to be shrinking away from Dry Clean Only tags in fear, throwing them in the wash on delicate and hoping for the best.  I mean, I don’t know what dry cleaning IS, exactly, but I am pretty sure that it involves wizards and magical steam, not cold water and Gain Detergent.

So a few weeks ago, I dropped my first item off at the dry cleaners.  It was a little nerve wracking because I felt like the lady could tell it was my first time.  I had my ID ready for photo identification because I figure, you don’t want strangers coming in and picking up people’s clothes, right?

Well.

I guess the lady didn’t think my leopard print cardigan was going to be too high in demand because she just asked for my name and said she’d see me the next day.  And I was all, “Of course I’ll be here tomorrow, that’s how I always did it at my old dry cleaners place that I went to for years and years”.  Just in case she was taking advantage of a novice or was thinking of wearing my sweater, I wanted her to think that I was in the loop.

Always best to play things safe, that’s what I say.

I went back the next day and sure enough, my sweater was ready.  It was even pressed and on a free hanger!!  I’m not much into wire hangers personally, but we are always hanger poor in my house and beggars can’t be choosers.

So I decided that Dry Cleaners People really are pretty smart and I want to be one, so now I take stuff there all the time and before I leave, I call my husband and I say, “Do you need anything dry cleaned” and he’s like, “No, why are you asking me that” and I’m like, “BECAUSE WE ARE DRY CLEANERS PEOPLE WHY DO YOU CRUSH MY DREAMS EVERY DAY” and then I hang up and try to think of someone else I can offer to drop off dry cleaning for without it being awkward.

Obviously, I am happy to pick up or drop off YOUR dry cleaning, but you probably live far away and also, you should really try it for yourself so you can get the whole experience.

On the off chance that I’ve scared you away with my sophistication, I made some fun cookies to show that dry cleaning hasn’t really changed me deep down.

Want one?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• Cookies:
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies in
• About 2 dozen marshmallows, cut in half
• Frosting:
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup plus 1 TBS cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Garnish:
• About a cup of mini M&Ms

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  In the bowl of a mixer, cream together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar.  Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat well.

3.  In a medium sized bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to creamed shortening mixture.  Beat on low until dough forms.

4.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar, and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes, then remove from oven and press a marshmallow half, cut side down, in the center of each cookie.  Place back in the oven for 2 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool slightly before removing cookies to wire rack to finish cooling.

5.  Let cookies cool completely, then make frosting:  In a medium sized bowl, heat  butter and cocoa powder in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds until melted and smooth.  Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.  If frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk.  Frost cookies, completely covering the marshmallow, then top with mini M&M’s and let frosting set.

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