When you first bite into this cookie fresh from the oven (a chef must taste her creations after all), you will quickly, unavoidably, become addicted to these soft, sugar-coated morsels and find reason after reason to make them (a co-workers birthday, a Friday night treat for surviving the work week, your oven has been feeling neglected lately and you don’t want to disappoint it, etc.). Oh, the list goes on.
Of course, for the die-hard peanut butter experience, you can certainly omit the chocolate chips, but even my husband, the die-hard peanut butter fanatic, admitted the chocolate chunks added a little…something. Now, go pour yourself a tall glass of cold milk and make these cookies.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook via Smitten Kitchen
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
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light 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
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
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 peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern (I used the back of a palette knife to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Cookies
