Ina Garten's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

A couple of days ago I made Ina Garten's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for the first time. I don't know why I have never made them before (I have had Barefoot Contessa Parties! for years).  They are probably the best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie I have ever eaten.  Crusty and tender, and at the same time pleasantly soft and chewy....without being gooey or dough-y. Perfect. I think more people need to know about them, so today I'm doing my part to spread the word by sharing the (mostly unchanged) recipe on my blog.

The original recipe is available all over the web (simply google "Ina Garten Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk"), so I'm not going to post it again here. Rather, I'm recording here exactly how I executed the recipe in my kitchen. It is only half of the original since that was all I made (I don't particularly need a full batch of cookies in my cupboard).  Because I almost always use weights when I bake, I have given the recipe in weights. Furthermore, since it is my habit when I mix up peanut butter-style cookies to cream the peanut butter with the butter and sugar, that's how I made these (this is only a slight variation from the original instructions). Finally, the original recipe (made in this quantity) would make 18 to 20 large cookies. I don't care for such large cookies, so I made them smaller and got 3 dozen. I have adjusted the baking time and temperature accordingly.

If you like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, I'm fairly certain this recipe will be one of those that gets tucked into your "keeper" file (if it isn't already there). Enjoy.

Ina Garten's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

150 grams all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
150 grams light brown sugar
75 grams granulated sugar
125 grams creamy peanut butter
1 extra large egg (55 g.)
1 t. vanilla
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, until light...but don't overdo it. Beat in the peanut butter. Beat the egg, followed by the vanilla, into the creamed mixture until incorporated. Fold in the dry ingredients along with the chocolate chips. Cover and chill at least one hour.

Using a 1/2-ounce scoop, place slightly mounded scoops of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. With floured fingers, press down lightly on the balls of dough (just to create a thick disk of uniform thickness...not to flatten the dough into something that looks like a cookie).

Bake in a 375° oven until the edges are golden and one or two of the cookies have begun to settle (they will puff and then sink slightly as they cool—they should not all have begun to sink while in the oven)—about 10 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet when the cookies are half done. Cool the cookies on the sheets for two to three minutes until they are set and stable enough to lift. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 3 dozen.

(Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten)