Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Peanut Butter Cookies - by Caroline

My grandma Reed was an amazing cook.  She worked in the school cafeteria and was really good at what she did.  Her home was always full of wonderful smells and the kitchen was sure to have a treat for her grand-kids, she is the reason I love to cook.  I have great memories of my Grandma Reed's peanut butter cookies, they were soft and chewy, crunchy on the outside and full of peanut butter goodness.  Unfortunately she didn't ever leave a recipe behind so they have been lost to me.  This recipe comes so close it is near perfection.  I do enjoy the addition of the chocolate chips, something my grandma didn't do (because peanut butter + chocolate = nirvana).  My friend Caroline gave me this recipe.  It is based off the cookie recipe from Magnolia Bakery in New York City.

1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. peanut butter (I do 3/4 smooth and 1/4 crunchy for a little texture, or you can use all of one or the other)
3/4 c. .sugar
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter chips
1/2 c. chocolate chips
sugar for sprinkling (regular or super fine, I use turbinado because I like how coarse it is, my husband said it was awesome-crunch-magic)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
2.  In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter until fluffy.  Add sugars until well combined.  Add the egg, milk and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients; mix well but not too much.  Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.
3.  Scoop the dough into rounded teaspoons.  Lightly roll the dough balls in the sprinkling sugar, place dough on ungreased cookie sheets with a minimum 2" space between balls.  Use the back of a fork to lightly indent the dough into a criss-cross pattern.
4.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  They may appear underdone - DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Cool on rack for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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