THE PERFECT PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

A cookie jar on the counter, always filled,  life is too short not to enjoy a cookie with your tea.  My children had two absolute favorites;  oatmeal raisin, and this chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.     This combination of peanut butter, salted peanuts and chocolate is hard to resist.  So don’t!   Make it today.  Fill your kitchen with the wonderful aroma of freshly baked cookies.   Isn’t that what Saturdays are for?

Recipe for Peanut butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Makes  3 dozen large cookies,  or many, many small cookies.  Preheat oven to 350° F

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

l tsp baking soda

1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts(find the kind seasoned with sea salt)

1 cup of really good quality chocolate chips.

Method:

1. Beat butter, peanut butter , sugars until thoroughly blended.  Add the eggs one and a time and then the vanilla.

2. Combine the flour and baking soda and add to the butter mixture.  Mix until just blended.  Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips.

3.  Drop by the heaping tablespoonfuls (20 ml) , 2 inches  (5 cm) apart, on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Moisten your finger tips and gently pat into a neat, flat circle.

4.  Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.  Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet and then transfer to rack and cool completely.  If you find your cookies are browning too quickly on the bottom stack two cookie sheets together.  Cool cookies completely on a wire rack or they will soften when stored.  For a crisper cookie, increase the baking time by 2 minutes.  If you accidentally over bake a batch of cookies but haven’t burned them, crumble them and sprinkle over fruit, ice cream or yogurt.