Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sometimes I think that I love peanut butter and chocolate too much. I’ve been known to smash M&Ms into a spoonful of peanut butter as a snack, or spread peanut butter on top of chocolate ice cream (try it). I dream of a chocolate-peanut butter pie, which I’ve yet to make, or even figure out the recipe for. But doesn’t that sound great?
One thing that I do make — and as much as I can — are peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Along with the Snickerdoodle, these are my hands-down favorite cookie. The key, I think, is to use the best peanut butter that you can find, which for me is the Whole Foods brand (I like crunchy). If you don’t use a natural peanut butter, the taste won’t be as peanutty (I’ve noticed that recipes using the commercial PB often call for adding crushed peanuts to make up for this). So, crunchy or smooth (and you know who you are) doesn’t really matter, as much as the intensity of peanut flavor. ( I know a lot of folks out say not to use natural peanut butter, but it has worked just fine for me.)
Also, I normally use 66 % cocoa chips (higher than that sometimes is a bit too bitter), but milk chocolate chips would be nice in these too, and be much more Reese’s-ish. Come to think of it, smashed up miniature Reese’s would be great in these, too.
This recipe is adapted from my grandmother and Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book, which I’ve been baking from since I was in 5th grade.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups chocolate chips (or more if you like)
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Add eggs and mix well.
3. Add peanut butter.
4. Sift flour with soda and salt and add to mixture. Mix only until combined.
5. Fold in chocolate chips and let dough rest in fridge for a half hour, at least.
6. Use dough scoop to make uniform balls, then tear in half and rejoin the pieces so the rough, torn part is the top of the cookie (a cool Cook’s Illustrated tip). This gives the cookie a nice rustic texture.
These cookies take about 12 minutes to bake. Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through for even baking.
