Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

At approximately 11: 17 pm on Friday night I had this sudden urge to bake cookies.  I don’t know why exactly I just did.  I posted it as my status on Facebook and a flurry of friends encouraged me to stay up late and bake the cookies.  However, I resisted the temptation, ignored the encouragement and forced myself to bed. 

The following morning Hubby and I got up and ran a few errands, but those stinking cookies where still in the back of my head.  Finally Saturday afternoon I just had to give into the urge and bake some stinking cookies.  😀

I went poking around on the Internet searching for a cookie recipe.  Remember I am not a baker so I cannot make one up.  That would be very dangerous, trust me.  I found this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip recipe for Joy the Baker.   You should check out her site it is very cute and she has some great recipes. 

Let’s begin….

First pretend that I have pictures here of all the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.  Oh how I love nutmeg, let me count the ways……  Ok maybe later because we are in the middle of baking cookies.

Then pretend that I whisked all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Also let us imaging a  picture of me creaming 2 sticks of butter.

Done?

Ok let’s continue. 

After you creamed your butter and it is nice and fluffy, add 1 cup of peanut butter.  I used chunky Mmmmmm.

Beat peanut butter and butter at a medium speed for 1 minute.

Now add your sugars.  1 cup of packed brown sugar;

and 3/4 cup of granulated white sugar

Beat the sugars in for 3 mintues.

Add your eggs.  Beating for one minute.

The recipe said one at a time but I wasn’t paying attention.  Opps…. It is ok still worked.

Now add your flour.  Beating at a low speed.  Mixing until the dry ingrediants just blend in and disappear.

See like this…. 😀

Now add 1 cup of chocolate chips.  I had mini chocolate chips.

 Mix the chocolate chips in, pick some dough out and eat it.  Mmmmmm

It is very important you don’t skip this step.

 Now line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

 Take 1 Tbs of dough;

 and roll it into a ball. 

 Pour a 1/2 cup of sugar into a bowl and drop the cookie dough ball in it a few times.  Until it is evenly covered with sugar.  Place them on the cookie sheet, 2 inches between each ball.

Dip the tines of the fork in the sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction.

Then in a perpendicular direction.

 You should have a flattened rough of dough with crisscross indentations.

Now divide you oven into thirds with the racks.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, moving the cookies from the top rack to the bottom 1/2 way through.

Let them cool on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Take some cookies and milk.  Sit on a big chair where your feet would dangle, eat your cookies while kicking your feet and singing a little song. 

Yum-E….

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Joy the Baker)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter- crunchy or smooth, but not natural
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips, whatever kind you have on hand
1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees F . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chocolate chips. You’ll have a soft a pliable dough.

Pour the 1/2 cup sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the backing sheet, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of the fork in the sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction- you should have a flattened rough of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake the dough for 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still be a little soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.