Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks

These cookies are like soft fluffy clouds of peanut butter and chocolate. No other description is necessary, so I'll just stop right there and tell you that you should make them.

On another note, let's discuss relaxed cooking, otherwise known as the lazy girl's version of cooking. This style of cooking is right up my alley. Short and simple ingredient lists, easy techniques, and quick clean up. Now saying this, let me also say that I have been known to simplify even a lazy recipe.

For example, when making the cookie dough, Curtis says to mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl from the wet ingredients. Um, no thank you Curtis. Why dirty a separate bowl for the dry ingredients when you can add them to your wet ingredients (after mixing) with the same results? Additionally, let's talk measuring cups and spoons.  Why dirty your whole collection of measuring cups and spoons? Why not just use one measuring cup, such as a 1/4 cup measure 4 times to equal a cup and so on? And finally, why dirty 3 baking sheets when you can just use one? Can you tell I put a lot of thought into relaxed (aka lazy girl) cooking? Maybe a little too much.

Whether you make this recipe as is, or take my lazy approach, the results are amazing.  This is one delectable and addictive cookie.  Hard to stop at just one.

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks

Adapted from Relaxed Cooking

with Curtis Stone

Makes between 15-20 cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line 3 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray them with cooking spray.

Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, honey, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in two additions. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Scoop about 3 tablespoonsful of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2-1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff and begin to brown on top but are still very soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Enjoy the cookies warm or let them cool completely.

 

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