Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Shiran

Ingredients

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (not natural)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 and 3/4 cups chocolate chips

Directions

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed for 1 minute until creamy.
Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in the egg, one at a time, then beat in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Do not overmix. Add chocolate chips. The dough will be soft at this point. Chill it for about 1 hour until it’s easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C degrees. Line 2-3 pans with parchment paper.
Roll dough into balls, the size of 2 tablespoons each, and place onto the cookie sheets.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies just begin to brown at the edges, but the center is still soft. Cookies will appear undone, that’s ok. If the cookies are puffy, gently press them down while still warm using a spatula or the back of a spoon but leave them thick. Allow cookies to cool for 10-15 on the cookie sheet until they are easy to transfer without breaking, then gently transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve cookies warm or at room temperature.
Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you plan to keep them for longer, place in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Tips for the Perfect Cookies

Don’t overmix your cookie dough. This can result in tougher, dense cookies, and we want them to be chewy and soft.
Underbake your cookies. I can’t stress this one enough! The baking time can affect the texture of the cookies greatly, and slightly underbaking them makes them softer and chewier. If you end up with a hard batch of cookies, bake the next batch for less time. Mine were ready in 10 minutes, but depending on your oven it can take up to 12 minutes. Take them out of the oven as soon as they turn slightly golden brown around the edges.
Use creamy, non-natural peanut butter like Skippy. You want to use something similar to creamy Skippy or Jif – they have sweeteners and stabilizers already mixed in which helps produce the best-flavored cookies.
Use dark chocolate chips. I find that the flavor of milk chocolate chips gets lost in these cookies. The flavor is much better with dark chocolate chips.
Heat your cookies for amazing flavor. If you’ve made a batch of cookies and they’ve cooled completely, you can microwave one for 5-10 seconds to heat it up before eating. They really do taste better when they’re slightly warm and gooey!