I often find myself with several bags of chocolate chips roaming freely in my cabinets. Today I found large milk chocolate chips, mini semi-sweet chips and white chocolate chips. When I bake cookies, I usually chop chocolate from a large bar of good chocolate, so it’s strange that I would find so many varieties of chips in my life. Well, life gave me chips, and I made cookies. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I also have a confession to make. I’ve been super busy adding great things to my life, not to mention the absolutely stellar weather in Los Angeles for the past few days. I wanted to just throw together a quick treat so I could get back outside to enjoy a good life.
These cookies are rich and buttery. They’re soft the day they’re baked, and have a nice crisp crunch the next day. The chocolate, whether you add one kind or three, is a lovely compliment to the peanut butter.
Go on… have a cookie and enjoy your life!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Baking
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter- crunchy or smooth, but not natural
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips, whatever kind you have on hand
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees F . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chocolate chips. You’ll have a soft a pliable dough.
Pour the 1/2 cup sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the backing sheet, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of the fork in the sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction- you should have a flattened rough of dough with crisscross indentations.
Bake the dough for 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still be a little soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.
Chris
I love peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. I like my cookies soft not crispy. I have to say this is the best recipe I have found. They came out soft and buttery. I put the dough in the refrig for a couple of hours and then baked them. The cookies did not spread. I put mine in the freezer. After taking them out of the freezer, they tasted as fresh as the day I made them.
carla
My 11 year old daughter and I just made this as a treat and a fun math practice session for my girl. She has autism and shows a great deal of interest in baking which we often use to our advantage for life skills practice.
As we worked together I instructed her to refer to the recipe. As we got to the point where vanilla would normally be added I am asking her “ok Grace so how much vanilla?” and with her work-in-progress language skills she replies “No vanilla”.
I’m all “oh come on Grace look closer there has to be vanilla” and she continues to insist there isn’t any and lo & behold she was right! She very often is!
So my question is, why is vanilla conspicuously absent from this recipe? Just genuinely curious as we decided to add it anyway.
Thanks!
Jonathan
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Randalle
I made these last night with bars of chocolate instead of chips – they are delicious, and still soft today! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!