One Bowl PBCC Cookies!

Peanut butter and chocolate are a favorite flavor combination for SO MANY people...understandably so, they may be some of the most complementary flavors in the universe :) And as much as I like a complicated, entire weekend-consuming recipe, sometimes I want something quick and relaxed with no intense prep-work or resting time. When I stumbled upon this AWESOME recipe from the Inventive Vegetarian, I just couldn't resist. And they are well worth it. They are also versatile enough that they can be made vegan by changing a few simple ingredients, which is great for people with food allergies as well. So give these a shot - they whip up fast, you don't even need to mess up the kitchen much.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 20 using the Medium Pampered Chef Scoop

instruction notes and photos by Adrienne

recipe from the Inventive Vegetarian

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 stick butter at room temperature (or margarine/dairy free butter product for vegan option)

1/2 cup peanut butter (either creamy or crunchy works)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg or 1 ripe banana

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant oatmeal, real rolled oats)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (i used kosher, you can use whatever you want :)

6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350F

1.  If using a banana, mash it in a large mixing bowl. If using an egg, just put the egg in the bowl :)  Add the sugars, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla to the bowl and mix until everything is well combined. Use some elbow grease - it only takes a minute or two as long as your butters are soft enough ;)

Everything in one bowl! Love!

2.  Mix in the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt.  Stir until everything is just combined, then add in the chocolate chips and mix again.

3. Prepare your cookies and cookie sheet using your preferred method. I like parchment paper and a cookie scoop, but feel free to grease up the pan and use two spoons if that is what you like. Make sure all cookies on the same pan are approximately the same size, but make them whatever size you'd like. If you used a banana instead of an egg, you probably want to mash the cookies down with the back of a spoon a bit because they will not spread much during baking.

This is my preferred cookie layout, especially when it is a "new" recipe and I'm not sure how much they are going to spread.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown (this will vary based on what size you made the cookie.) Then cool them for about a minute on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

My kitchen helper...he obviously ate a cookie (without my permission.) Don't worry, he's fine ;)

Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is why I haven't been baking:

His name is Truman and he was born the day after our 1st wedding anniversary so it was kismet, obviously. ;) Sometimes he is sweet...sometimes he is a terror. But he is ALWAYS adorable. People can't get enough of the pup! And he is currently confined to the kitchen until he earns privileges in other rooms...but he likes to sniff the oven when the door opens, lick the seam of the dishwasher door when it is down, and sit on my feet while I do dishes. So needless to say...we aren't spending much productive time in the kitchen.

That said, his first full day at our house was exciting, and my in-laws wanted to come over to meet the new addition to the family. They brought pizza, and I decided we'd need dessert. Having been obsessed with finding a recipe that would make me happy in the Baker's Illustrated for so long, I decided I should give my other birthday present a try - knowing that Dorie Greenspan was too cool to let me down. I needed something fast, though, and something that would be whipped up between pee-runs outside with the new baby (and I spent a good 65% of my day outside, believe me). So I tried the chocolate chip cookies. Not only were they a hit with everyone at our house, I sent some home to hub's grandfather...who ate all 8 or so in one sitting. This is a skinny 92 year old, people. So they are a recipe we'll be revisiting. And it made a lot of cookies! Which was awesome. They are thin, slightly crispy cookies, and they have an awesome saltiness to them - I found it unnecessary to add the additional salt. I also was unable to add nuts because we have nut allergies in the family. You can decide for yourself on the nuts and the extra salt, but you should definitely make the cookies!  :)

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking - From My Home to Yours

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 teaspoon if you really like salt)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter (room temp)
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375º F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2.  Whisk together the flour, salt & baking soda.
3.  In a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer in a large bowl) beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated.
6. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts. Now you can cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or you can freeze it - either all together or in rounded tablespoons so you can bake homemade cookies anytime! You don't have to defrost it, just add an extra minute or so to baking time)
7. Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.
8. Bake the cookies - one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point - for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may still be a little soft in the middle, (Dorie says that's fine, I say it is AWESOME)
9. Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.
10. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches. Enjoy with a big, cold glass of milk - that is the way hubby likes them :)

Magic in the Middles!

I fell in love with the idea of making these cookies as soon as I read the King Arthur Flour Baking Banter Blog post on them! I don't know how I stumbled on it, but I'm so glad I did! Not much description necessary...they are absolute perfection!

The only issue I had was that there was extra chocolate dough. What I did was "eyeballed" a half batch of peanut butter filling and just continued making cookies until I was just about out of both of them.

I didn't have the small scoop for the PB filling, (the smallest Pampered Chef scoop is approx. 1 Tablespoon) so I just divided the whole lot of filling into an even number (I think I did 24), rolled them into balls and then refrigerated them while I made the chocolate dough. By the time all of the cookies were "assembled", the peanut butter filling had softened enough to press under the glass. We finished them pretty quickly, and they were delicious with milk! Husband liked heating his up in the microwave for a few seconds to replicate the "fresh from the oven" taste! :)

Magic in the Middles

King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Dough

• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Peanut butter filling

• 3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. 2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. 3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then 4. stir in the dry ingredients, blending well. 5. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. 6. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls. 7. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. 8. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; 9. roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. 10. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. 11. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick. 12. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.