I love to tweak recipes. Sometimes they are big tweaks, other times it is a small change with a HUGE impact. This is one of those recipes.
In The Joy of Cooking there is a recipe for perfectly lovely Peanut Butter Cookies. They are traditional, with the crosshatch design on the top, in a way that screams, ‘homemade’. They are soft, peanut buttery, and really very good. In our house Christmas is not Christmas without a plate of peanut butter cookies. My family and I love them.
Funny story, my beagle, who loves peanut butter, one Christmas morning pulled a whole plate of them off my buffet table and onto the floor where snuffled them up before I could so much as say, ‘No!’ Knowing all this you may wonder, why tweak them?
Reese’s makes peanut butter chips. They are little nuggets of Reese’s peanut butter goodness that are perfect for adding to all sorts of baked goods. One day, while shopping, I grabbed a bag intending to put them in some brownies when the thought struck me, “I could add this to peanut butter cookies!” It is a simple addition that makes a big difference. Now the cookies have not only the robust peanut butter flavor, they have nuggets of slightly melting peanut butter chips!
Really, if you like peanut butter cookies you need to try this!
Double Peanut Butter Chip Cookies Yield 3 dozen
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter (chunky also works)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag Reese’s peanut butter chips
Heat your oven to 350 F and prepare to sheet pans with parchment.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment cream the oil, butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and mix on low speed until most of the flour is incorporated.
Add the peanut butter chips and mix until well distributed. (You may want to do this step by hand.)
Scoop onto the prepared baking sheet by the rounded tablespoon about two inches apart. Use a fork to flatten the cookie by pressing a criss-cross pattern on the top of the cookie.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Cool on the pan for three minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
