Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Although I already have two cookie recipes on the blog, I think its due time for another. I, like many people in the world, am a huge fan of peanut butter and chocolate. And I am perhaps an even bigger fan of gooey, warm, home made cookies. These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies hit all the marks. They are soft and gooey on the inside and slightly crunchy on the edges. Because we chill the dough in the fridge for a bit before baking, the cookies stay thick and hold their shape really well. In this recipe I chose to use a mix of mini peanut butter cups, milk chocolate chips, and chopped semisweet chocolate. Now let’s get to baking these cookies!
The ingredients:
Obviously the most important ingredient in making a super rich peanut butter cookie is peanut butter! Although I much prefer natural peanut butter for eating, when it comes to baking its usually better to use a regular creamy peanut butter such as Skippy or Jiff. I used Jiff because that’s what I had on hand but either will do. The great thing about these cookies is that they are very pantry friendly and don’t require any off the wall ingredients. In addition to peanut butter we will also use unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. Both the brown sugar and granulated sugar will be creamed in with our butter, and then one egg and one egg yolk will be added in, as well as vanilla extract.
There are only 3 dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Once everything comes together we get to have fun with our mix-ins! I mentioned previously that I used a combination of chopped mini peanut butter cups, milk chocolate chips, and chopped semisweet chocolate but the possibilities are endless! If you can’t find mini peanut butter cups regular sized peanut butter cups roughly chopped would also work great. Any combination of chocolate you prefer will work wonderfully here. These cookies would also be delicious with the addition of dark chocolate if you are into that (I totally am).
Now lets make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
These cookies are SO easy to make and aside from the time they need to spend in the fridge, come together in about 10 minutes! I used a stand mixer but a hand mixer would work as well. Start by mixing together your dry ingredients and set those aside. Next we will cream together our room temperature butter and our peanut butter on medium speed with the paddle attachment. This should take 1-2 minutes.
Next, add in both the brown sugar and the granulated sugar and mix until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This step takes about 2-3 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl down every so often. Once your butter and sugar mixture is nice and fluffy, add in your egg, egg yolk and, vanilla extract. Next add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Add in your chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, peanut butter cups, etc. and mix on low speed until thoroughly distributed throughout your dough.
Next is the true test of patience, chilling the cookie dough. Chilling the dough not only produces a thicker, puffier cookie. It also gives the ingredients a chance to marinate so to speak, and develop a better flavor. So please do it!
I like to scoop out all of my cookie dough balls before chilling because it’s much easier to handle the dough when it is soft. So I use a cookie scoop to scoop out all of the dough. Then set the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and put that straight into the fridge to chill. The chill time is two hours minimum but you can definitely leave them in the fridge overnight as well.
Once the dough has chilled you are very close to having warm, melty, gooey, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and bake cookies spaced 1-2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes on the middle oven rack. Cookies will be pale and puffed up but the center should be set. Be careful not to over bake these, they will continue to set up while cooling on the baking sheet.
For another great peanut butter and chocolate recipe check out my no churn peanut butter and oreo chocolate ice cream here.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 Tsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups
- 1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and the peanut butter until combined. This takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Add both sugars into the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl down occasionally while doing so. This step takes anywhere from 3-5 minutes. The mixture will be much paler in color.
- Add the egg, the egg yolk, and the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Turn the mixer off and gently add in your dry ingredients you set aside earlier. Turn the mixer on low speed and mix until just combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Next, add in the chocolate chips, chunks, and peanut butter cups and mix on low until distributed through out the dough.
- Using a medium cookie scoop scoop out all of the dough into cookie balls and set on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add any extra chocolate chips or peanut butter cups to the tops of the cookies now and press them in. This is not necessary, but will make for pretty puddles of chocolate once the cookies have baked. Set the baking sheet into the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight to chill the cookie dough.
- When you are ready to bake preheat an oven to 350° F and adjust your oven rack to the middle position. Once oven is preheated take cookies straight from fridge and place 1-2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes on the middle oven rack. The cookies will still be very pale but the centers will be set and starting to crack a little bit. I find with these cookies if the edges are starting to brown they come out a little too crunchy for me. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet to cool so I find the 10 minute mark to give me a perfectly soft and gooey cookie with a tiny bit of crunch on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
Notes