Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
Follow
published Aug 3, 2022
Jump to recipe
Page URL
Comments
Credit: Photo: Julia Gartland; Food Stylist: Jessie YuChen
As someone who is lukewarm about chocolate, the best way I can think to turn classic chocolate chip cookies into something I’m excited about is to merge it with a peanut butter cookie. Chewy, sweet peanut butter cookies that have just a touch of savory flavor are the perfect base for chocolate chips — it’s a marriage of flavors I whole-heartedly embrace.
These hearty peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are great tucked into a lunch box, packed up for a picnic or party, or wrapped up for bake sales. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself snacking on the dough as you’re scooping it out; the combo is downright irresistible.
The Best Type of Peanut Butter for Cookies
For the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, stay away from natural or old-fashioned peanut butters that separate easily. They have a thicker texture that makes for a drier cookie. I prefer brands like Skippy or Jif, which have a very smooth, easily spreadable texture that blends very well into cookies and gives them a really nice consistency. (Fun fact: Did you know that peanut butter can help remove sticky labels?)
Credit: Photo: Julia Gartland; Food Stylist: Jessie YuChen
Tips for Making Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
To get a nice, chewy texture in these cookies, there are two things you should do.
- Refrigerate the dough. Chill the scooped dough balls just until they’re firm enough to make an indentation into but not so cold that they’re brittle, about 40 minutes. This gives some of the water time to evaporate.
- Do not overbake the cookies. Pull them out of the oven just as the edges start to turn light golden-brown, then let them sit on the baking sheets to cool for at least five minutes so that they can set up. Moving them around too soon while hot can result in broken cookies (something nobody wants!).
Comments
1 Rating
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Print Recipe
Peanut butter and chocolate once again join forces in this soft, buttery cookie.
YieldMakes 24 (about 3-inch) cookies
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 13 minutes to 15 minutes
Show Nutrition
- kidney-friendly
- fish-free
- alcohol-free
- low-potassium
- vegetarian
- shellfish-free
- pork-free
- pescatarian
- tree-nut-free
- soy-free
- low-sodium
- red-meat-free
Per serving, based on 24 servings. (% daily value)
- Calories 173
- Fat 9.9 g (15.3%)
- Saturated 4.5 g (22.5%)
- Carbs 20.1 g (6.7%)
- Fiber 1.0 g (3.9%)
- Sugars 13.3 g
- Protein 2.9 g (5.8%)
- Sodium 86.1 mg (3.6%)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1
large egg
- 1 1/3 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1/2 cup
granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup
packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup
smooth or chunky peanut butter, preferably Skippy or Jif
- 1 cup
semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
Instructions
Place 1 stick unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Place 1 large egg on the counter. Let both sit at room temperature until the butter is softened. Meanwhile, place 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl of butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Add the egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 2/3 cup peanut butter and beat on medium speed until combined and fluffy again, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
With the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined with no streaks of flour remaining, about 1 minute total. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and use a flexible spatula to fold them in by hand until just combined.
Line a rimmed baking sheet or 9x13-inch baking dish with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop out the dough with a 1-ounce ice cream scoop into 24 portions (2 tablespoons each). Place on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
Refrigerate for 40 minutes (do not refrigerate longer or the dough will be hard to make a pattern into). Meanwhile, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line 1 to 2 rimmed baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper (line 2 if you used a baking dish to chill the dough balls).
Arrange all the cookie dough balls on the two baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Use the back of a fork to press a crosshatch pattern into and flatten each dough ball to about 1/2-inch thick and about 2 1/2 inches wide; it’s okay if the cookies crack at the edges or where the chocolate chips are.
Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until light golden brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The flattened cookie dough balls can be refrigerated for up to 1 day and baked for the same amount of time. They can also be frozen: Freeze until solid on the baking sheet, then store in a zip top bag for up to 2 months. The cookies can be baked from frozen and will take 1 to 2 minutes minutes more baking time after the baking sheets are rotated.
Storage: Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature.