Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

As I mention in my about me page a few years ago I did 50 cookies in one year. So I have lots and lots of awesome cookie recipes, but I saw this one on the web a few months ago and I had to try it. It was well worth it, because it is absolutetly awesome. Its one of those recipes you see and dream of making and it fully meets your expectations. Ok maybe dreaming about making recipes isn't completely normal, but for me it is. The only downfall of this recipe is the dough does have to chill for 2 hours. This may seem minor if you know ahead of time, but I often get the urge to make cookies at 7:30 at night, so a 2 hour chill time does not bode well for me, my husband, or getting up for work the next day.

So you start out by making the chocolate and the peanut butter dough separately.  This is the full recipe, I cut it in a half when I made it, since I tend to like to make lots of recipes and its hard for Jim and I to keep up if I make full batches. I use to be afraid to split recipes that called for one egg, but have since been ok with it. Just get one egg... whisk it a little, measure its total size with a tablespoon.. guessing its going to be about 3 tablespoons.. and then put half in the baking mixture.

Chocolate Dough

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature or 10 sec in microwave
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (or dark brown)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup dark chocolate chips 

Mix together the butter and the sugars with your stand or hand mixer. I got my stand mixer three years ago for valentine's day and I could not live without it. I have even nicknamed her "Molly". Make sure and push down any that gets on the sides to make sure it gets mixed in well. Add in the egg and vanilla. In a seperate bowl mix together the dry ingredients flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. This is one of my best recommendations to new bakers... always do the dry ingredients seperate if a recipe calls for it. It helps get them combined well before adding them to the wet ingredients. Add in the dry mixture to the dry ingredients. Then add the milk. Lastly mix in the chocolate chips by hand. Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Peanut Butter Dough
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature or microwaved for 10 sec
1/2 cup light brown sugar (or dark brown)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (spray non stick spray in measuring cup before adding pb to make it easier to get out)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips 

 Mix together the butter and the sugars with your stand or hand mixer. Then add the  peanut butter egg, and vanilla extract. Pre mix the baking soda, flour, salt in a small bowl and slowly add to the other ingredients. Lastly add in the chocolate chips by hand. Chill this dough for 1-2 hours. The peanut butter dough is not as sticky and does not need to be chilled as long as the chocolate dough.

When the doughs are chilled take them out of the fridge and make two Tablespoon balls of each type. I did all of the chocolate dough first.. so you get about 2 dozen chocolate balls that are 2 Tbsps each. Then I did all the peanut butter dough, so you 2 dozen peanut butter balls that are 2 Tbsps each. 

Once you have all the seperate chocolate and peanut butter balls made then you combine one of each together to make the whole cookie. To do this you basically just have to squish them together so that there is only the littlest bit of over lap. Line the cookie sheet with 12 cookies. 

Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes.

These cookies come out HUGE and GREAT, and will make you look like a super star.

This recipe was originally posted on Sally's Baking Addiction.