I was wiped out for the last few weeks with the worst flu I’ve ever had. And yes, lots of people lose their appetite when their ill but nothing gets in the way of mine! I just lay in bed dreaming of all my favourite things even if I lack the energy to actually make anything. Watching endless recipe videos also doesn’t help. One plus side however for being stuck indoors was that I found an old notebook (pre blogging days) full of my favourite recipes including these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
After spending hours thinking of them, wishing I had some and then realising I had all the ingredients in my pantry I could not resist making up a batch. If you’re a fan of peanut butter, chocolate and cookies then there’s really no need for me to convince you to make these.
If you bake these circles of deliciousness I’d love to see a snap. Tag me using #thebellephant on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
Chewy vs Crunchy
The key to a deliciously chewy cookie is under-baking them. Once they are golden around the edges but still soft in the middle, remove them from the oven and leave them to sit for a few minutes. Patience is key here as if you transfer them to a cooling rack too quickly they may snap. I usually just slide the baking sheet with the cookies on it off the tray onto a cool surface. Then I can reuse my tray for the next batch whilst the previous lot set.
If on the other hand, you prefer a little crunchier cookie just cook them for an extra minute or two. I’m not going to lie when it comes to dunking cookies into a big glass of milk, I prefer mine slightly crunchier so they don’t completely fall apart. And if you haven’t yet tried cookies this way, I’m going to assume you’re an alien from some distant planet. I’m not an even a fan of drinking milk on it’s own but with a cookie in my hand I’m sold.
Freeze them up
The great thing about this recipe is you get around 50 cookies out of it. This is perfect for times like Christmas when you want delicious homemade baked goods to hand. Although you can freeze baked cookies I prefer freezing the dough.
Simply line scoops of cookie dough on a baking tray and pop into your freezer for around 30 minutes. Once they’re pretty solid transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. This way when you fancy a freshly baked cookie just remove however many you need, defrost and bake! Though if you’re impatient like me you can also just bake them from frozen.
Size only matters to you
So I use a tablespoon scoop to measure out my balls of dough. This gives me about 50 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies, around 6cm wide. If you are a fan of larger cookies you can use ice cream scoop sized balls of dough which will give you around 24 cookies.
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter
- 375g crunchy peanut butter
- 175g white sugar
- 200g brown packed sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 200g chocolate chips
- 325g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 160°C for fan forced) and line trays with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugar. Then beat in the eggs.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Gently mix to form a cookie dough.
- Cover your bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes until chilled.
- Scoop out tablespoon sized balls of dough. Spread them out on the trays and bake for around 8 minutes. They should be golden around the edges but still soft in the centre.
- Once removed from the oven, allow the cookies to set for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- Stored in air tight containers, these cookies will keep for a few days though they are best enjoyed fresh.
