Chewy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dec 19, 2024
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I thought I would share with everyone one of my favorite desserts from childhood.
When I was growing up, the schools I attended actually had kitchens and cooks, and healthy, nutritious food was prepared on-site. A large chunk of the ingredients used by these kitchens was in the form of commodities, distributed by the US Department of Agriculture - which also provided recipes for best use of those commodities. One of those recipes was for peanut butter cookies!
Now I'm not going to claim that any dessert is particularly healthy, but to my young, uneducated palate, those cookies were ambrosia... for my money, nobody ever made a better cookie. The single improvement I will admit to pure peanut butter (crunchy, preferred!) was when a popular candy brand introduced chocolate-peanut butter cups. The chocolate itself (in my opinion) is not so much, but when paired with peanut butter it's great.
Print Recipe
The recipe that follows - except for a couple of minor changes - is pretty much identical to the recipe provided to schools by the USDA, lo these many years ago. Having made (and eaten) them myself, I can attest to the greatness of their flavor.
Suggested Equipment:
- Stand mixer with bowl and implements - minimum* 4 qt
- Additional mixing bowl - minimum* 2 qt
- Wire whisk (optional)
- Common non-stick baking sheet, 11"×17" - minimum 2 ea
- Common kitchen tools and measures
- * Bigger is better!
Ingredients:
- This is a personal preference. The original recipe calls for plain peanut butter, and optionally allows adding peanut granules.
- Or margarine.
- Optional - not part of the original recipe. Without the chocolate chips, you will only have very good, but ordinary, peanut butter cookies.
| Item | | Amount |
|---|
| Flour |
All-purpose |
3¼ |
cup |
| Peanut Butter |
Crunchy1 |
1½ |
cup |
| Sugar |
White, granulated |
1½ |
cup |
| Milk |
Instant, non-fat, dry |
1 |
cup |
| Butter2 |
4 oz stick |
2 |
ea |
| Sugar |
Brown, packed |
½ |
cup |
| Egg |
Large |
3 |
ea |
| Vanilla |
|
1 |
Tbs |
| Baking soda |
|
¾ |
tsp |
| Salt |
Common, granulated |
½ |
tsp |
| Chocolate chips3 |
Semi-sweet, or your favorite |
1¼ |
cup |
Directions:
Measure flour, dry milk, baking soda and salt into the small mixing bowl, and stir to insure thorough mixing. Use the wire whisk if you have one.
Add the chocolate chips (if you use them), into the dry ingredient mix, and stir until they are well-distributed.
Measure the butter, peanut butter, brown and white sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the bowl of the stand mixer, and mix at medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add the contents of the mixing bowl from step 1 to the bowl of the stand mixer, and mix at low speed for 30 seconds, then at medium speed for another 30 seconds.
Use a scoop (size #40) to measure out individual portions of cookie dough, and place them on a baking sheet, 6 across and 3 down. At least two sheets will be required for this recipe. To completely use up the dough, you'll most likely have to use a third baking sheet, which can be much smaller.
Flatten cookies to achieve a cookie diameter of about 2½", using a dinner fork to create a crosshatch pattern.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350℉ for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Try not to overcook!
After baking, allow the cookies to cool away from the oven, on the baking sheets. Try to avoid stacking cookies, or cooling on uneven surfaces until the cookies are completely cooled.
Makes about 40 cookies
I've been making these cookies, both with and without the chocolate chips, at irregular intervals now for over 20 years. They're usually a big hit with my children and grandchildren at family holiday celebrations, and we rarely have any leftovers to dispose of!
Dessert, Snacks, Cookies