challenge

when we were first married, my hubby told me he had never had a peanut butter cookie that wasn't crunchy and that he would probably like peanut butter cookies if they were soft instead of crunchy. i sensed a challenge and i have been determined to make a soft peanut butter cookie since that first year of marriage. i've tried recipes where the cookies were soft, but too soft, or the peanut butter taste wasn't enough, or the sugar content was just too high. after 12 years, i finally made a peanut butter that was soft, but not too soft, didn't have an insane amount of sugar, and where the you could definitely taste the peanut butter.

there it is. twelve years of trying recipes, altering recipes, and i finally did it. i added chocolate chips because my kids requested chocolate chips- they like to sneak pieces from the bag and think i don't notice- and chocolate makes everything better.

soft chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

2 cups peanut butter- smooth or creamy

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups semi sweet or milk chocolate chips

preheat oven to 325⁰F- if you're using a convection oven, turn it down to 300⁰F. 

sift together flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. set aside. 

in a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together the eggs, sugars, and peanut butter until smooth. add the dry ingredeints and chocolate chips and slowly mix until the flour is fully incorporated. the dough will be sticky. be careful not over-mix and activate the gluten! this will make the cookie hard. 

using two teaspoons, drop the cookies onto a nonstick baking sheet or a silicone sheet liner. the cookies will spread a bit when baking, so leave an inch in between.

bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are light golden brown. the tops will be pale. if you're using a convection oven, bake for exactly 8 minutes. leave on the cookie sheet for 1 minute for the cookies to firm up and transfer to a cooling rack. 

 

my kids have already devoured half the batch. good thing the recipe made almost 4 dozen cookies! these definitely have my hubby's approval. he said they tasted like reese's peanut butter cups!

until next post- maggie