peanut butter chocolate chip cookies - recipe #3 of 7 days of sweets

If you live in NYC you are surrounded by famous and not-so-famous bakeries, restaurants with a bakery attached, and corner bodegas that also tap into the "homemade" sweet treat. I bake on a regular basis (obviously) but I do try and sample the best of the best or attempt to make the best in my very own kitchen. Now this recipe was introduced to me by my good friend who is also a baker and I trusted her taste palette and gave these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies a go.....

I have a couple of friends with nut allergies but I feel most like or love peanut butter cookies. Add some chocolate and it's a win win situation. This recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies comes from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen via Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

via Smitten Kitchen and Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

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 ***I used Trader Joe's Organic Chunky Peanut Butter***

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup chocolate chips ***I didn't have any chocolate chips but I chopped up chunks from my Pound Plus Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate bar. I'd also recommend bittersweet chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.***

1 - 2 tablespoons sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. ***This can be done in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand held mixer, or with a wooden spoon and your own muscles. *** Add both of the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips/ chunks.

Place remaining 1 -2 tablespoons of sugar in a shallow dish or plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar and roll around to coat. ***I used a 1-ounce cookie scoop.*** Place onto prepared baking sheets, leaving a few inches between for expansion. ***BTW....If you're using a 1-ounce scoop, this recipe will yield 3 dozen cookies.....***

Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern but do not overly flatten cookies. ***Smitten Kitchen used a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top and so did I.***

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. ***11 minutes was just perfect.*** Do not overbake. Cookies will appear to be underdone, but they're not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. ***I sometimes bake two sheets of cookies at a time, but since this was my first time baking these cookies, I baked one sheet at a time on the middle rack of my oven.***

If you or your sweetheart love crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, then make these for Valentine's Day. Who needs a box of chocolates anyway.....