I’m heading north – to Alaska, no less. It’s the ultimate road trip, more than 3,000 miles of asphalt one-way through some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world. We’ve been fantasizing about it for years and making preparations since January.

Before we left,  I baked a batch of these extra nutty peanut butter cookies for the drive.  You never know when you’re going to find yourself starving, miles from the nearest grocery store or restaurant. And I like to rationalize that there’s at least some protein in these big, crunchy cookies to tide us through a long day on the road.

We’ll be camping most of the way in our pint-sized, pop-top camper.  It’s about as basic as you can get without pitching a tent.  There’s  a queen size bed, a stove, a sink and an ice box.

So we’re not going to be doing a lot of elaborate cooking.  That doesn’t mean we don’t plan to eat well:  We intend to get our fill of Alaska’s famous wild salmon and halibut.

I’ll be cooking most of the time since we’re on a budget and Alaska isn’t really known for it’s restaurants.   I’m even bringing along a jar of sourdough starter in tribute to the miners who rushed north in search of gold more than a century ago.

By necessity, the recipes will be simple but I’ve come up with tasty camping dishes that also would work well as summer meals in a hurry. I’ll share them here as well as photos and reports on what we find  on our way.  I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

This cookie recipe marks a breakthrough for me.  I’ve finally figured out how to bake with the natural peanut butter I like best rather than the excessively processed, big name brands that most cookbooks insist are required for successful cookies.

I started with a basic recipe and played around with techniques and proportions of ingredients.  Then I introduced chopped, salted peanuts just before baking to get more intense peanut taste and a better balance between sugar and salt.

The cookies are sturdy, substantial and satisfying – just the thing for a long road trip.  The only problem is they’re so good, they never last long.  Next trip, I would bake at least a double batch.