Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Thick. Chewy. Chocolate Chip. Peanut Butter. Cookies.  Five words (Yes – I’m counting ‘chocolate chip’ and ‘peanut butter’ as one word apiece!) that individually grab your attention.  But used together, they have the ability to initiate a mighty craving, sending you running for your cookbooks or a local bakery.

I love reading author Joanne Fluke mysteries.  Not only do the characters feel like old friends, but the main character, Hannah,  runs a bakery and Ms Fluke includes many recipes in each book.  One of the recipes in Red Velvet Cupcake Murder, a recent read, was Chocolate Covered Peanut Cookies.  Yummm!  Chocolate covered peanuts are a favorite of mine.  (Who am I kidding – chocolate covered ANYTHING is a favorite!)  Then my mind went a step further and thought that a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips would be even better – more like a Reeses Cup.

The thing is, most peanut butter cookies are kind of dry, flat, and have those fork marks on top.  I wanted a peanut butter cookie that was thick and chewy – something I could sink my teeth into.  I experimented a bit with both the cookie part and the chocolate chips before coming up with the taste I had in mind.

NOTE:   A walnut sized ball of cookie dough will yield a cookie approximately 1½” in diameter.  If you want a larger cookie, then obviously use more dough.

UPDATE NOTE:  I changed the sugar from granulated to dark brown – EVEN BETTER!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES – makes 24 cookies 1½” in diameter

• ¼ cup butter, soft (but not melted)
• ½ cup extra crunchy peanut butter (I used Jif)
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet, if you like, but I didn’t think they worked as well)

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugar on medium high speed until fluffy. ( If you’re doing this by hand, your upper arm will get a nice workout.) Beat in the egg.  Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Before turning on the mixer, mix the dry ingredients with the spatula to kind of blend them.  Then turn the mixer on and mix.  Recipes often have you put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and blend them before adding to the dough.  I would rather not dirty an extra bowl.  My way works fine.  You’re welcome.

Pour in the chocolate chips and stir with a spoon.

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.

For a 1½” finished cookie, roll dough into walnut sized balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Using your fingers, press them to about ½” thick.  These cookies don’t spread much.  Bake for 12 minutes.

After removing them from  the oven, let them set on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes.  Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling.

There’s no way I can read one of Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Mysteries without trying at least one of the her recipes.  My husband’s co-workers are reaping the benefit because when I make her cookie recipes, I send them to work with him.  Well, NEARLY, all of them. Hey, a girl has to eat!