Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m never been much of a cookie person until now.

It started when a friend made a peanut butter toasted sandwich for lunch today and that warm gooey smell wafted over. I remembered the recipe for peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies on Katie’s Kitchen Blog and the cravings kicked in.

I tried to resist; after all, I still had my 15cm tall cupcake sitting in the fridge. I don’t need cookies. I don’t….

When my discipline cracked at 6:45pm I went on a delirious cookie rampage. The recipe asked for Reese’s Peanut Butter chips and although American candy is hard to find here in Australia, I remembered an Original Lolly Store nearby.

Racing against time,  I power-walked 2km only to find the store doors shut and the attendant counting his money for the day. Missed it by that much. Grrrr!

Being well and truly in the cookie-crazy zone now, I went on a scavenger-hunt for something equally awesome to throw in the cookie batter.

Down the easter egg and confectionary aisles I went:  Mini Creme Eggs? Crunchie? Candy shell? How about chocolate and caramel fudge cut into small pieces? Mini marshmallows?

Being surrounded by mountains of sugar calmed me down a little and with clarity I decided to keep it simple and just double the quantity of chocolate chips. As there’s no such thing as too much chocolate.

I just love the journey that recipes take. The original is from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, then Deb from Smitten Kitchen put her mark on it, Katie adapted it, I modified it, and who knows who’ll see this version and add their own personality to it. Throwing in some marshmallows, or easter eggs, perhaps?

YOU WILL NEED

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth or crunchy)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1/4 cup caster sugar
Makes 24-36 cookies, depending on size

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180c. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Using an ice-cream scoop or tablespoon drop cookie rounds into the sugar, then onto a sheet of baking paper. Be sure to  leave 2-3 cm around each for expansion. You could also use a fork to indent the top with a pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they change to light golden brown. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but once they cool down they become firmer. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.