Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

If you love chocolate and peanut butter—and who doesn't?—you've got to make these chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies for your holiday cookie exchange or dessert platter!

 

This Virtual Cookie Exchange is part of #FreakyFriday, a blog hop in which I am secretly assigned to another blog; I choose a recipe on that blog that would work for a holiday cookie or treat platter. It could be anything from cookies, candy, bars, to brownies or fudge—you know the type of yummy, holiday treats I mean. Make sure you scroll to the bottom of this post so that you can see all of the wonderful bloggers and their recipes.

I was lucky enough to be assigned to A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. Christie is the brains and palate behind this fun food blog. Her blog is full of delicious, "healthy-ish" (as Christie describes them) recipes like this creative Kiwi Guacamole and these yummy Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Muffins. But for this Freaky Friday challenge, it's all about the treats! I was tempted to try one of Christie's many macaron cookie recipes—she has recipes for everything from Pistachio & Salted Caramel to Apple Cheesecake Macarons—but was a little intimidated, since I've never made them before.

So, I decided upon her Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. We LOVE peanut butter and chocolate in my house, so I knew these would be a hit with my family. And, boy, was I right!

These delicious and easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies take a classic peanut butter cookie—you know, the one where you press a fork into the tops for that cross-hatch design—and elevates it with the addition of rich cocoa. These sweet treats are the perfect addition to any holiday dessert platter!

I adapted Christie's recipe a bit, because I prefer to use butter to shortening—but butter means the cookies can spread more, so I had to change the ratio of fat to flour and cocoa; the delicious flavor and wonderful texture of Christie's cookies are intact.

Ingredients

yields about 36 cookies

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup additional granulated sugar to roll cookies in before baking (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Beat the peanut butter and the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as necessary. Blend in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and cocoa and beat in to combine as much as possible with the mixer; stir in any flour that remains. Cover and chill the dough for about an hour, until it is easy to handle and shape. 

Scoop tablespoons of the dough and roll into 1-inch balls, then roll the balls around the additional granulated sugar so that they are lightly coated. Place on prepared cookie sheets two inches apart and gently press with a fork to form a crisscross pattern.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes until removing to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies are delicate while warm, so don't try to move them too soon!

Once they're fully cooled, pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy these chewy, delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies! Thanks again to A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures for the fabulous recipe.

Looking for a gluten-free cookie for your holiday cookie exchange? Check out my Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies with Pretzels!

Happy holidays to you—and may your new year be sweet!*This post contains Amazon affiliate links, so if you buy something you'll be helping to support this blog—but it won’t cost you any extra!* 

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