Peanut Butter Cookies - Round 2

On Sunday morning, after Shooter and I decided to sleep in and be backsliding heathens and not go to church....and after my parents had headed back to Tennessee....I decided to try the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies again. Not sure why, other than I had peanut butter and chocolate chips leftover from making them before Christmas - and I was convinced I could make them better than I did the first time. Boy howdy was I right. They turned out great....which is probably a really bad thing since I've decided I'm going to try to eat right and workout more this year. Oh well....what can you do....

This time I didn't beat the stuffin' out of everything. I also only had dark brown sugar...so I used that. They were delicious....unbelievably good, delicious, soft, chewy and heavenly. Here are some new pictures that I'm definitely proud of.

Hmmm...look at that gorgeous texture, would ya?

Trust me, kids, you NEED a glass of milk with these cookies. They also make a mean ice cream sandwich.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen and adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

The brilliance of these cookies is that they have include two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake a batch and then hide the results in the furthest and most forgettable reaches of your kitchen. You’ll thank me later.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup peanut butter chips

½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.