Wednesday 10 August 2011

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies





Peanut butter cookies immediately transport me back to my childhood. They were the first things i ever baked in primary school. I can still remember the heady smell of peanut butter and the small sense of pride i felt as the freshly baked cookies came out of the oven. 



I suspect the memory of those cookies as a child, has largely shaped the interest i have in baking as an adult. Now as an adult, i can appreciate the science and precision involved in baking, but still get that same feeling of joy i had as a child from creating something delicious and sweet.  

When my little sister wanted to do some baking this evening i went to How Sweet Eats recipe for Peanut and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I'm so glad i discovered her blog, the beautifully shot photos always leave me wanting to try the recipes.



These cookies were quick to make and well received by our other sister. I liked the texture, a soft centre and slightly crispy outer shell. However, they werent quite peanutty enough for me and alittle too sweet. Next time i will increase the amount of peanut butter and try caster sugar instead of granulated.






Recipe for Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies by http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/08/puffy-peanut-butter-cookies-with-chocolate-chips/

Yield: 18-22 cookies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose/plain flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda/baking powder
8 tablespoons/113g of salted butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons/85g of creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar - i used granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups/262g chocolate chips

Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F/160 degrees C. Add butter and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl, and heat in 30 second increments until melted. Let cool completely.

Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the cooled butter/peanut butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to bring it all together. If necessary, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk, but I did not need this. Fold in chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into a ball the size of a golfball. Place on a baking sheet two inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be soft and puffy. Careful not to over bake.


Note - These cookies tasted more peanutty and less sweet the day after baking, inspiring me to re-shoot the photos.
 
Enjoy!


10 comments:

  1. What an adorable tin! My mom is known for her chocolate chip cookies (I don't eat them since I don't like chocolate), but everyone else loves them. So many of her friends have tried her simple recipe, but for some reason can't duplicate them. Yours look like they'd be some pretty tough competition up against hers. ;)

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  2. Caroline - The tin is a Fortnum & Mason biscuit tin, i love their food and beautiful packaging. Have a great time in New York!

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  3. Thanks for your lovely comment on my brownie post :-) I'm a huge chocolate chip cookie fan and love adding different flavours - peanut butter, nuts, raisins, toffee - so these are right up my street. They look nice and chunky too, although I am partial to a thinner, chewy cookie for every day. NOT that I would eat cookies every day of course... ;-)

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  4. Thelittleloaf - thank your lovely comment and visiting the blog. The cookie i had at Bens Cookies in Oxford is my ideal cookie, soft and gooey in the middle, huge chunks of chocolate and ginger straight out of the oven, it was heavenly!

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  5. you can definitely count on how sweet eat's blog for good recipes. and this seems like one of them! great looking cookies!

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  6. Crustabakes - Thank you! Loving all of the breakfast posts you've been doing lately!

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  7. Yummy...wish I had one with a glass of milk right now! Can't go wrong with PB and chocolate! :)

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  8. I can vouch these were yummmmmmmmmy

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  9. i love cookies .. thanks for the recipe.. thanks ..

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  10. Stampedconcrete - Thanks for visiting. These are a good when you're in need a quick cookie fix!

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