I didn't want to wait too long before I posted this recipe, because Ray says it's the best cookie recipe I've ever made. Speaking of which, I will be off to bake a batch in oh, say...5 minutes? Ray is having a bad week at work doing two jobs while a co-worker is on vacation. Poor thing.
I must admit, I was skeptical that this recipe could be anything more than just another cookie recipe because I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies in the first place. But add chocolate chips to them and they become a whole different animal. Then add some peanut butter chips in addition to all that and they become something altogether criminal. And I mean that in a good way.
Peanut Butter Double Chip Cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter flavor shortening (I use 1/4 cup real butter* and 1/4 cup plain shortening)
1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla (not a typo!)
1 and 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a large bowl cream together the peanut butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy.
-Beat in the egg until fluffy and then beat in the milk and vanilla.
-In a seperate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir this into the peanut butter mixture until just combined.
-Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips until they are distributed evenly throughout the dough.
-Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet a few inches apart.
-Bake 7-9 minutes until the edges just begin to brown. (Tablespoon size cookies will take about 10-12 minutes. Make sure you watch for brown edges so they don't burn.) Remove pan from oven and let sit on the pan for a couple of minutes to set up before putting on cooling racks.
Makes about 2 dozen.
*You can use all butter if you like, but you will need to refrigerate your dough for at least a half hour before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
*The key to soft and chewy cookies is they should look just underdone when you take them out of the oven. This is why you let them sit on the hot pan, because it helps them finish baking without too much heat.
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Tips and Tricks From The Kitchen McMitchell...
Why use shortening in baking?
Shortening melts at a higher temperature than butter, so cookie dough holds its shape longer in the oven, allowing the flour and eggs to set before the cookie collapses and spreads. Using butter or margarine (which has a melting point only a degree or two above butter and a higher water content) produces a cookie that spreads out more. Vegetable shortening is ideal for pastry, too, since it blends easily with flour.
If your cookies are ending up flat...
First, try refrigerating your dough. This will help harden the fat you used in your recipe and will give the cookie a chance to bake before the fat melts.
Second, try adding a little extra flour to your recipe. Just a couple of tablespoons (especially at high altitudes) might be enough to help your cookies hold their shape.
Third, test your baking soda/baking powder to make sure it's still working as a leavening agent.
