Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Only I would choose to bake cookies on a 90 degree day (nothing like a rather melodramatic, martyr-like start to this blog posting). My sister, niece, two of her friends, and I are all headed to the One Republic (outdoor) concert at Ravinia this week and well, I thought Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies should be in the picnic basket (along with the cheese/crackers, a baguette, grapes, guacamole, muffalettas, a caprese pasta salad, some wine (for the adults only of course), and whatever else will manage to find its way in the basket). Because if one had to choose between having homemade versus store bought cookies, even if one of the choices meant someone had to bake on a sweltering hot day, hands down homemade always prevails (or at least in my world it does).

The inspiration for these cookies came from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. Years ago I was of the thousands that stood in line for cupcakes at their New York bakery (it was time well spent). I have had their cookbook for years and thought the time had finally come for me to see if their cookies were as good as their cupcakes. Their Peanut Butter Cookie (with chocolate chunks added), one crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and a rich peanut flavor complimented by some chocolate, was definitely a cookie I would bake again on a 90 degree day and quite possibly just might stand in line for. More important, after eating just one of these cookies, I am not sure I will ever eat a peanut butter without chocolate in it again. Seriously.

What is it about the sweet/salty combination of peanut butter and chocolate that is so addictive, so satisfying? 

Others have made and shared their experiences making Magnolia Bakery's Peanut Butter Cookie. Some bloggers used a smooth (versus crunchy) peanut butter, some used an equal (versus disproportionate) amount of semi-sweet and peanut butter chips and some used peanut butter chips only. I had used a generous cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks (instead of chips) and about 1/3 cup of Reese's peanut butter chips. Next time I will likely increase the amount of chocolate chunks to 1 1/2 cups but keep the peanut butter chips at 1/3 cup. And I will definitely continue to use chunky (versus smooth) peanut butter as a way to pay homage to Magnolia's original recipe.

Before shaping the dough into balls, I decided to chill the dough for about a half hour. Although chilling wasn't recommended, it was an added step I would repeat again. Using an ice cream scoop to form the balls of dough prevents the dough from 'melting' (as sometimes happens when hand rolling) has an added benefit of creating uniform size/shape cookies. My favorite ice cream scoop for making cookies is from Williams-Sonoma (1 1/4 inch in diameter size) and perfect for making these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Sitting each cookie dough ball in a plate of sugar and spooning the sugar over the top/sides of the cookie (instead of rolling the dough ball in sugar) is yet another way to avoid having the dough 'melt' before baking.

Some peanut butter cookies are topped with a traditional criss cross pattern. For this cookie, lightly pressing a fork (only once) gives the cookie a finished look and lets everyone know 'this isn't your traditional peanut butter cookie'.

The baking time for these cookies is 10 to 12 minutes. My baking time was 12 minutes (not a second more). You may be tempted to bake the cookies longer, but in doing so, you risk over baking them. Once the cookies have baked, they remain on the cookie sheet for one minute before being transferred to a cooling rack. I promise, they will set up beautifully (provided your oven temperature is 350 degrees ). If your baking times vary significantly from any recipe you follow, having your oven checked and calibrated is well worth the time and cost (speaking from the experience of having overcooked and undercooked foods involving a significant investment of time and money).

I am going to go out a bit of a limb here and say I think this could be my absolute favorite peanut butter cookie. Definitely one of those what I call a 'throw-down worthy' cookie. It might even be the cookie my sister and I agree on. Wish me luck.

Recipe
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (inspired by Magnolia Bakery's Peanut Butter Cookie recipe)
Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup chunky style peanut butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar (plus more for sprinkling on cookies)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 Tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 very generous cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or chips)
1/3 cup peanut butter chips (recommend Reese's peanut butter chips)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the peanut butter and butter until fluffy.
4. Add the granulated and brown sugars, mixing until smooth.
5. Add egg, mixing well, before adding in the milk and vanilla.
6. Add flour mixture and mix thoroughly.
7. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips.
8. Chill dough for 30 to 60 minutes (optional step)
9. Using a small ice cream (1 inch diameter) scoop, place cookie balls on plate of granulated sugar. Spoon sugar over the cookie ball until completely coated. Transfer each cookie ball to baking pan lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes (my make time was 12 minutes). Note: Cookies may look underdone, be careful not to over bake. 
11. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for one minute before transferring to cooling rack.