CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES

While we were gone to CO Springs for the weekend, the boys (Jeff said Wyatt got the mail) next store picked up our mail and kept a eye out on our place. I thought I would make them these Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies as a thank you. (Actually I don't need a reason to make them treats and often give them "leftovers" if we don't want to be tempted in our house.)

This recipe comes from Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook also. Charlotte credited it to Justine Gunderson at 6 Rainier Drive and the Victorian Tea Room.

These cookies are nice and fudgy if you don't overbake them. The peanut butter chips give it a lighter peanut butter taste than if you used peanut butter. The recipe also was intended to make large cookies - 1/3 cup measured cookie dough/cookie. I made six large cookies for me using a smaller ice cream scoop I have. It holds 3 tablespoons of water. It made a large enough cookie for me. I adjusted the cooking time by a few minutes. After the first pan, I decided to use my cookie scoop that holds 1 tablespoon of water. Once again I adjusted the cooking time even more. I offered one to my husband after I was finished and he picked up two of the smaller ones and left the room before I could say anything.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES

1         cup butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
1         cup sugar
2         large eggs
1/2      cup cocoa powder
2-1/2   cups flour
1/4      teaspoon salt
1         teaspoon baking powder
1/2      cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used 60% cacao chips)
1         10 - ounce bag peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar on High until blended.

Add eggs;

beat until blended.

Beat in chocolate powder.

(start on low before increasing the speed and scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.)

Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder together with a whisk and then add to mixture.

Beat in until just combined. (It doesn't have to be completely combined because as you add the chips, it will.)

Fold in the chips.

You can make the cookies any size you like. Macomber's recipe used 1/3 cup of dough.

I used a smaller ice cream scoop that holds 3 tablespoons water and

also a smaller cookie scoop that holds 1 tablespoon of water.

Flatten the cookie dough slightly with your fingers.







Bake 16 - 18 minutes for the largest size (1/3 cup dough)
(16 minutes will yield a very fudgy cookie)

Bake 13 - 14 minutes for the smaller ice cream scoop.

Bake 9 minutes for the cookie scoop.








Let cool on pan for 5 minutes for large cookies and 2 minutes for smallest cookie before removing to finish cooling on wire rack.

You want to remove the cookies from the oven when they are a bit underbaked and soft in the middle.