Tonight I baked three different kinds of cookies for our departmental holiday party. I don’t recall ever making that many cookies at once. It actually ended up being sort of a zen-like kitchen experience. Dough was prepared in the KitchenAid. Dough was placed in the refrigerator to chill. Mixing bowl was washed. Next dough was composed. Original dough was scooped. Cookies were baked. Rinse, lather, and repeat.
Frankly I’m just grateful that they all came out without incident considering the number of variables involved. One misstep and I might have ended up with peanut butter, cranberry, ginger cookies. Not so appealing, right? Two of the cookie recipes have been featured on the site before: Cranberry Orange Dark Chocolate Chip and Anita Chu’s Gingersnaps. The third, a Peanut Butter cookie with Mini Chocolate Chips, is a personal favorite of mine. The recipe is outlined below. As per usual all of my cookies are chewy not crunchy.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Got Milk Cookie Book by Peggy Cullen
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour (Note: I like to use 1 1/2 cups. It makes a thicker cookie).
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks or chips (Note: I use mini chocolate chips instead)
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat for a few more seconds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until absorbed. Stir the chocolate chips into the dough.
For perfectly uniform cookies, scoop the dough using a 1 1/2 inch diameter ice-cream scoop, leveling the dough off across the top before dropping onto the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies begin to color (you’ll have to look carefully). Do not over bake. Let sit for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
That looks like a LOT of cookies. I hope you used a stand mixer! They look delicious, though, especially those cranberry ones.
All those cookies look yummy! I’ve been looking for a good peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe for the past few weeks with NO success, so I’m glad I finally found one. I’ll definitely be trying these soon.
You had a really busy evening. Not sure I could manage three different cookies in one go! And they all look so delicious. Especially excited about the cranberry ones–perfect for the holidays! K x
These look delicious, Erin! How do you manage to make them all look so perfect?! I might have to try this recipe myself.
Erin
Those cookies loook amazing!
Oh! Those Cranberry Orange Dark Chocolate Chip cookies look sooooo good. I was planning on making at least 4 different batches of cookies this Christmas. Looks like I’ll have to make it 5!
Question: How do you store your cookies? Do they freeze well, or will air-tight containers on the counter work?
They all look yummy, but the gingersnaps look absolutely scrumptious!
Picture perfect cookies! They do look amazing!
Wow, that is a serious plate of cookies–good work! I am in love with those gingersnaps…Just bought a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter. Love this holiday season!
First a beautiful tree now magazine worthy cookies??? Do you keep an elf chained up in your house somewhere to do your holiday bidding? You do don’t you….
Erin, I like your blog and your photo is really good taken.
I like cookies a lot and i hope that i can try to make it on this coming holiday.
Those cranberry cookies were such a hit last year that they have been requested this year. I’ll have to also try the peanut butter ones too
Great recipes! I was just getting my holiday baking cap on. This really hits the spot.
Mmmm…I think I’ll need to try out that PB recipe! Speaking of, if I don’t start the holiday baking soon I’ll be in trouble!
THE GINGER ONES WILL BE PERFECT FOR OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY!! HINT, HINT! THOSE ARE MY FAVORITE
I want one of each! they all look so good!
The Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies were good but I think they lacked a rich peanut butter taste. I have a recipe from school that is out of this world and it uses alot more peanut butter and pastry flour!
I made the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and followed it exactly and the cookies turned out dry and flaky, still good just not the chewy I was going for. Any thoughts on what I can change to make that different?
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