Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are awesome! They taste like peanut butter fudge wrapped up in a cookie.

I recently stumbled upon a New York Times article about the science and history of how chocolate chip cookies became so popular and why. 

The article revealed an important theory when baking chocolate chip cookies. I have tested this theory out a few times with different batches of dough and it seems to be true! 

Theory: Cookies bake to perfection, perfectly crispy on the edge and gooey in the middle, only after the dough has had at least 24 hours to sit in the fridge. The article even suggests letting the dough sit for up three days before baking.

The reasoning: Waiting allows the wet ingredients to soak into the dry ingredients. When given the proper amount of time to do this, the cookie will bake to perfection.  

If you are a lover of the peanut butter and chocolate flavor combination, then I highly recommend conducting an experiment of your own to see if this theory stands true for you. Test it out with this double peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Ingredients

 •    1 3/4 cup flour

 •    1 teaspoon baking soda

 •    1/2 teaspoon salt

 •    1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

 •    1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter

 •    1/4 cup white sugar

 •    3/4 cup brown sugar

 •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 •    1 egg

 •    1 cup chocolate chips

 •    1 cup candy-coated peanut butter candy

Directions 

1.    In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. 

2.    With a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg until it’s smooth. 

3.    Gently beat in the dry ingredients until the dough forms. Add in the chocolate chips and the candy-coated peanut butter candy.  

4.    Place a piece of wax or parchment paper on a clean surface and spoon the dough onto the middle of the paper. Form the dough into a long log and then fold the paper over the dough, wrapping it inside the paper. Let the wrapped dough sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before slicing and baking. 

5.    If you’d like to freeze the dough, I recommend letting it sit in the fridge for 24 hours, then transferring it to the freezer. 

6.    To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cut the dough into 1/4 inch circles. Bake in the pre-heated oven for nine to 11 minutes. If baking from frozen dough, bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack before serving.

I challenge you to let your cookie dough sit in the fridge for at least a day to see if you discover a difference in the way the cookies bake. Try it and let me know how it works out for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

http://scjohnson.com/en/family/family-economics/food-for-thought/11-10-07/Double-Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies.aspx