In a Peanut Pickle with these Cookies (Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies)
I have mentioned this before, when it comes to cookies we are a divided family. Shortbread cookies are my favorite, crumbly, buttery, crisp, not too sweet, perfect with tea or coffee.
My family disagrees. Hubs and kids prefer chewy cookies. While Hubs favors oatmeal cookies (like his Good Cookies), Jorge, freshly back from a year in Korea, will remind me (almost daily) that I have yet to make his favorite chocolate sprinkle cookies or even CCC. All classic kid cookies-chewy, sweet and deliciously dunkable in an ice-cold glass of milk.
So, much to Jordan’s chagrin, the cookies that came out of the oven the other day were the Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies, a slice and bake that is much more similar to shortbread. I found the recipe in the LA Times (a boss cooking section, the reason I maintain a subscription) a few years ago. The winner of their holiday cookie contest, it immediately went on my gotta make Cookie Bucket List. It is delicious, buttery, crisp, not quite as dense as shortbread, and filled with peanut umami. The cookies contain both peanut butter and finely chopped peanuts, a double nut hit. Mr. Planter would be proud. The bittersweet chocolate gives it an adult twist, a not too sweet hit of chocolate, yum.
I knew it was a winner when Jorge unconsciously kept eating the cookies all the while complaining about not liking peanut butter or crisp, short cookies and still asking “When are you going to make Sprinkle Cookies?” as he polished off the last one.
Necessity is the mother of invention and quite often, a good thing. Stashed in the pantry, a jar of honey roasted peanuts that subbed for the salted peanuts I did not have. To offset the sweetness from the honey, I sprinkled the cookies with Fleur de Sel before popping them in the oven.
The peanut butter, sugar, and butter are beaten until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and combine, don’t overbeat. Fold in the nuts and chopped chocolate. The dough is very soft, transfer the dough to wax paper or parchment and shape into a log. Place in the fridge and chill thoroughly. Use a sharp knife or a serrated knife to cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices. I rotated the dough while slicing to keep the cookies round. If the dough crumbles, just smoosh it back together. Sprinkle the slices with Fleur de Sel and sanding sugar.
If you wanted to make a kid friendlier cookie, you can use semi-sweet or even milk chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate. If you like peanuts, you are going to love these cookies.
Peanut and Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick cold butter
- 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup finely chopped roasted peanuts or honey roasted peanuts
- 1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
- Fleur de Sel for sprinkling
- Sanding Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter until creamy in a stand mixer. Beat in the peanut butter until blended. Beat in the sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat the egg and vanilla into the sugar mixture until combined. Add flour mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in chopped peanuts and chocolate until evenly incorporated.
- Divide the dough in half. Shape it into two logs about 9 inches long and wrap each log in plastic wrap, waxed paper. Twist ends to seal. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the logs and cut into one-fourth-inch-thick slices. The dough is soft so rotate while slicing. If dough crumbles due to peanuts or chocolate just press it together to reshape.
- Place the slices on parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake 10 to 13 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.
- Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container.