Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Like your favorite aunt would make – if she baked.

Chocolate and peanut butter are a favorite combination and this recipe does not disappoint. These cookies are the food equivalent of your favorite aunt: sweet, just salty enough, and totally wonderful inside. The chewy peanut butter cookie carries just a touch of savory flavor, the perfect complement for rich chocolate. 

The typical peanut butter cookie you may remember from your lunchroom days had fork marks on the top and were slightly flattened. Not these. This recipe makes cookies that feature crispy edges and a  chewy interior, making them a little more grown up and 100% amazing. Don’t worry though – kids think they’re the bomb. Or shhhhhhmackin’. Or whatever the slang is for “yummy” right now.

After testing several different recipes (oh, the sacrifice we make), structural changes were made to produce a cookie that’s gooey and at the same time crispy and less greasy. This recipe rejiggers the ingredients by omitting the milk and cutting down the sugar to achieve a crisp/chewy/rich/salty balance. If you have time, cover and refrigerate the dough for up to 72 hours. This allows the fats to cool and as a result, the cookies will expand more slowly and hold on to their texture. Let the dough warm up for an hour or so before baking.

Some people like their cookies the size of a salad plate and that’s fine – you do you. If you’re using a cookie scoop or something similar to measure out the dough, this recipe will make about 24 bakery-sized cookies. In the unlikely event of leftovers, they’ll keep in the freezer for about a month or in an airtight container for around three days. Putting a slice of fresh white bread in the container will help the cookies stay fresh – it will lend its moisture to the cookies to keep them from drying out.

There are a few things that you’ll want to think about when making this recipe but the most important thing is your choice of the main ingredient. For this recipe, the best choice is a no-stir brand like Skippy or Jif – their spreadability blends well with the other ingredients and gives them a nice consistency. If you do go with an organic type, just be sure it’s mixed thoroughly, otherwise the cookies will come out flat and greasy. Ew.

I like them with a glass of milk

These taste even more amazing accompanied by cold glass of milk and there’s a scientific reason for that: the fats and water in milk act as a solvent for the sweetness to dissolve into, blunting richness and making for a really satisfying experience. Since these cookies are also perfectly at home at a dinner party, a nice port wine will blend with the salty peanut butter, adding an extra layer of yum. Your favorite aunt will approve.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Prep time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 15 minutes

Yields -24 servings

Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and lining your baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cookie removal later.

Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients including flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to ensure your cookies have a uniform texture.

Step 3: Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, then vigorously mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Blend in both sugars, then add the eggs and yolk one at a time, followed by the vanilla, mixing well after each addition.

Step 4: Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. If the dough is too crumbly, consider adding a touch of milk to reach the desired consistency.

Step 5: For even more flavor, if you have time, cover and refrigerate the dough for 24-72 hours before baking. Allow it to soften at room temperature before scooping.

Step 6: Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets, flattening them slightly. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top for a bakery-style look.

Step 7: Bake the cookies for 12 minutes until golden. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 8: Keep your cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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