Peanut Butter Cookies: An Epiphany

I’ll be the first to admit it; I don’t crave sweets. Never have. I’m a “oh my god, if I don’t get a bag of potato chips I will seriously punch someone” type of gal. Sam routinely ends up with an e-mail at work that says something to the effect of “SALT” and I’ll add in an “OM NOM NOM” for emphasis. That’s when he knows that it’s time to run like hell to the vending machine and get something salty before I turn into a monster. Sometimes he cuts it close, but I digress.

Growing up, cookies and baked goods were always things that you made for other folk, to take to parties, because it was Tuesday, etc. I’ve had the same belief about baked goods forever. Nothing says you care like a batch of cookies/brownies/cinnamon rolls/etc. I’ve never made cookies for myself, with the exception of Rocky Road Cookies, which was most likely a disaster before I ever started.

Smitten Kitchen changed all that. When she posted a recipe for peanut butter cookies, I knew I was smitten. (ha. pun, I’m fancy. I know. Pretend you’re laughing.) I had my doubts, and told Sam that I was just making him cookies, like I randomly do when I’ve been mean to him for no good reason.

The cookies started out like any other cookie I’ve ever made. I didn’t think anything of it. I just chugged along like normal, following the recipe - making the batter, adding in the chocolate chips. Then I thought, wait a second, I haven’t made any peanut butter cookies like this before. Thereabouts of when I starting putting the cookies on the cookie sheet, Sam started hovering. As soon as the I put the cookies on a wire rack to cool, odd things started happening: the cookies started to break on the wire rack. Of course this meant that Sam had to eat them. I would never serve a guest or anyone other than Sam broken cookies, right? Thank Goodness I’ve got Sam as my broken cookie police.

Little did I know they were the most glorious cookies I have ever had, and I have been lusting after them ever since. (Perhaps a certain someone could make them for me? Hint Hint.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

From Smitten Kitchen

1.25 c. all-purpose flour

0.75 tsp. baking soda

0.52 tsp. baking powder

0.25 tsp. salt

0.5 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. chunky peanut butter (room temperature)

0.75 c. sugar

0.5 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg (room temperature)

1 tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

0.5 c. peanut butter chips (I used Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips)

0.5 c. chocolate chips

Sugar for rolling

• Preheat oven to 350 F
  
• Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  
• Beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until smooth. Add in egg and mix well, then add in the milk and vanilla extract.
• Mix in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.
  
• Drop batter by rounded teaspoon into a bowl with sugar in the bottom of it. Roll the batter until evenly coated, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• After getting all the cookies rolled, make a criss-cross indentation on the top of the cookies using a fork. Don’t make the cookies too flat.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, then cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute, and remove to a rack to cool completely