Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well? Mum? Are they cool yet? Can I eat them? Can I? Eh? Please? Are they cool yet? Can I have one? Mum? Please? Cookies? Chocolate chip ones? Please? Are they cool? Can I have one? Please mum? YES, really? Yummy!

Grrr, I cannot believe I have been finally brainwashed into calling biscuits, cookies! That said, this one is so American (Canadian, even), that even my half Brit self cannot bring myself to call them biscuits. The way I see it, if they are hard and dunkable, they're biscuits, crisp with chewy centres makes them cookies (see, trying hard to convince meself!!)

Anyway, before I get all consumed in my biscuit versus cookie battle, I better talk about the actual recipe itself. There is nothing as North American as a chocolate chip cookie, unless its peanut butter of course! The thing is, I am a heathen, and I don't actually like chocolate chip cookies, or peanut butter, for that matter.

Sometimes, however, the likes of my two and half year old will override my dislikes. She's been badgering me for chocolate chip cookies all week, so I finally gave in and we made these together. I added peanut butter too, in for a penny and all that. Surprisingly, the mish mash turned out delicious. Even I was persuaded to have a couple (though sadly one dissolved in my tea, note to self: do not dunk cookies!)

This recipe is based on one from Best of Bridge, however, I decided to tinker about with it, as I tend to do. Especially when I have stuff in the baking cupboard that really needs to be used up. If you just want plain peanut butter cookies, see here. I made these with half butter/ half margarine, but feel free to use all butter for a really delicious biscuit.

Recipe:

1/3 cup butter and margarine
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup self raising wholewheat flour (otherwise use plain) or just use 1 cup white.
2/3 cup white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
Around 1/4 cup chocolate chips (use half cup if skipping the walnuts)
Around 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Granulated sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.

Let the butter and margarine soften, then whisk it with the sugar and egg till its nice and creamy. Add the peanut butter and stir hard using a wooden spoon. Then add the chocolate chips and the walnuts. Mix well.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together, then add to the peanut butter mixture, combining well. The dough will be very soft.

Using your fingers, shape into little balls (or big ones, depending on how big you like your cookies) Roll around in the granulated sugar.

Place on a greased cookie sheet, flatten slightly, and pop into the oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Keep checking as they brown and burn quickly. When they are light brown, and not quite set in the middle, take them out using a flat spatula, and very carefully (they will be very crumbly at this stage), put them on a flat surface to cool thoroughly. Or, let them cool on the sheet. When cold, they will be crisp but with a satisfyingly chewy centre with soft chocolatey bits. Don't DUNK in hot tea :-)

Store in a biscuit tin, and they freeze well too.