Ingredients
2 1/4 c. (270 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. (215 g.) packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. (100 g.) granulated sugar
1 c. (270 g.) creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. (340 g.) semisweet chocolate chips, from 1 (12-oz.) bag
Preparation
Step 1Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Step 2In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, scrape down sides of bowl and add peanut butter. Beat on medium speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and add egg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Step 3Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and beat on low speed until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. Add chips and beat on low speed until combined. Roll 3 tablespoons (76 grams) dough into balls with your hands or a #20 cookie scoop and arrange on prepared pans, with 8 balls on each pan. Refrigerate remaining dough while first batch bakes. Step 4Bake cookies, rotating pans front to back halfway through, until puffed and edges are golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes (cookies will still be pale on top and fairly soft). Let cool on pan 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool at least 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
What peanut butter should I use? For this recipe, any creamy or chunky peanut butter will do! However, avoid natural peanut butter that needs stirred. Because the oil separates in natural peanut butter, your cookies won’t come together as nicely as with a regular, commercial peanut butter. Do I chill the cookie dough? While you might be tempted to let the dough chill in the fridge for a few hours, you’ll get a much denser cookie than ours here. For a softer cookie, we recommend baking right after making the dough. How should I create my cookie dough balls? You can create your balls of dough by rolling with your hands or using a #20 (2 1/4") cookie scoop. While both methods will give you delicious cookies, we prefer the scoop: The process is faster, and it also lends a beautiful “barking” texture on the outside of the cookie. If you’re feeling fancy, a sprinkling of flaky sea salt on the dough balls before they’re baked adds the most delicious salty complement to these sweet cookies. A tiny pinch goes a long way. How do I tell when they’re ready? The best indicator to tell when these babies are done is when they puff and set. If your cookies still look pale and soft after 16 minutes, don’t stress! These cookies won’t brown on top, and will continue to set while they cool. To make sure you don’t over-bake, keep an eye out for that puffing and golden-brown edges. Looking for more? Check out our favorite peanut butter and chocolate desserts if you just can’t get enough of this stellar combo. Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
