CRAZY RICHARD’S PEANUT BUTTER-MILK CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CHUNK COOKIES WITH SALTED CHOCOLATE GANACHE

I’ve been experimenting again.  This time, I took a recipe for a phenomenally crisp cookie with chewy insides and made it with unadulturated natural peanut butter, partially whole wheat flour and some coffee flavoring.   The whole wheat flour softened the edges, and the cookies desperately needed some more salt and sugar.  Not to be dismayed, I covered them in chocolate ganache and sprinkled them with coarse sea salt.  The cookies totally came to life and were amazing!  Adding the sea salt to the tops makes up for the deficiency of salt in the cookie, itself.  Of course, you could also increase the salt in the cookie batter if, for some insane reason, you didn't want chocolate ganache.  (Is there really anyone who would opt out of chocolate ganache?)

I used Crazy Richard's peanut butter that I bought at my local Harris Teeter grocery store.  It's just roasted, ground peanuts with no salt, sugar or partially hydrogenated oils added.  For the ganache, I used Callebaut dark chocolate blocks that I bought at The Fresh Market in Greenville for a good price.

These cookies are large, sturdy and extremely satisfying, and I highly recommend this recipe.  Even though I’m not usually a fan of soft cookies, these are the bomb and I’ll definitely make them again and again.  Be warned, though:  these are hip huggers, so don't overindulge.

Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter-Milk Chocolate Toffee Chunk Cookies with Salted Chocolate Ganache Rating:  10 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

COOKIES:  2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. Diamond kosher salt or table salt  1 cup (2 sticks or 8 oz.) unsalted butter 1 cup natural unsalted, unsweetened peanut butter 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp. Nu Naturals Stevia)  1 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 Tbsp. coffee liqueur mixed with 1/4 tsp. instant coffee 2 (3.5 oz. each) Ghiradelli chocolate luxe milk toffee bars, chopped, (or other milk chocolate of choice) (about 1-1/3 cups) Chocolate ganache (recipe follows) 1-1/2 tsp. or more coarse sea salt or flake kosher salt for tops CHOCOLATE GANACHE: 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 cups chopped good-quality dark chocolate In medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In the bowl of a standing mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter at medium speed till smooth.  Gradually beat in sugars, then eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in coffee flavoring.  At low speed, gradually beat in the dry ingredients, then the chopped milk chocolate.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-45 minutes, till dough has firmed up.  (You can also form the dough balls, using 1/4 cup batter for each, freeze them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 2 hours, then place them in a freezer bag.  You can either bake the whole batch at once, or take out however many dough balls as you want at a time.  You can bake them frozen for about 15 minutes, or thaw and bake following instructions below.) Heat the oven to 350F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or ice cream scoop, form dough into balls, then slightly flatten into 2-1/2” disks.  Bake on center rack of oven about 18-20 minutes. or till golden around edges but still soft in center.  they will firm up as they cool, and they’re much better when slightly underdone.  (You can also test with a toothpick for doneness, removing cookies when toothpick inserted near center returns with some crumbs.)   When cookies cool, place them in freezer while making ganache.  (Having the cookies partially or completely frozen will enable the ganche to set up much more quickly.)  In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the heavy cream till steaming.  Remove from heat; stir in the chopped chocolate until smooth.  Cool slightly, then, using desired amount for each cookie, spread some ganache over tops.  Sprinkle with salt.  Let ganache set up.  (These cookies freeze well.  Any leftover ganache can be refrigerated for future use.)  Yield:  about 21 large cookies

CINNAMON-MAPLE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Peanut butter cookies are much like chocolate chip cookies, in that we never seem to tire of trying to find the perfect recipe.  There is no perfect recipe, I am convinced.  The foods we crave depend on our mood at the time.  My mood before making these cookies was pushing me towards change.  I have a favorite peanut butter cookie, a decadent, rich peanut butter cookie with crisp edges and a soft exterior full of deep flavor.  I also like Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies for their chewiness, Peanut Butter Coconut Krispie Cookies for their nicely crisp exteriors, and Take 5 Cookies for their  surprise ingredients.  This time

I wanted to use some maple syrup and cinnamon, and I’m so glad I did.  My favorite peanut butter cookies are still seated as the champ, but these cookies are definitely worth your  attention.  They’re slightly crisp on the edges and soft and tender inside without being cakey.  They’re also not  too sweet, even though they’re  rolled in cinnamon-sugar before baking.  Yep, I’ll eat these any day of the week, when my fave is not available.

Cinnamon-Maple Peanut Butter Cookies Source:  Judy’s Kitchen Rating:  9 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup smooth peanut butter 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 large egg 1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips For rolling cookies:  1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1/4 cup sugar Heat oven  to 350F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In large bowl, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter till well blended.  (I do this by hand so as not to overbeat the batter; but you may use an electric mixer on medium speed, if desired.)  Beat in syrup, vanilla and egg till well combined.  Gradually add dry ingredients, stirring by hand or on low speed of mixer.  Do not overmix.  Fold in peanuts and chips.  Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough (about size of a golf ball) into hands, roll into ball, then into cinnamon-sugar.  (You can also use coarse sanding sugar for a nice effect.) Place on prepared pans and bake 12-14 minutes, or till toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs.  It is better to underbake rather than overbake these cookies.  Let cookies cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire rack to finish cooling.  Do not eat for at least a half hour, because the nuts have to firm up. Yield:  about 20 (3”) cookies

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BLOWOUTS, ADAPTED

Donna, of My Tasty Treasures, posted this awesome recipe from Better Homes & Gardens' website that just looked so very good. I mean, panut butter, honey-roasted peanuts, Reese's peanut butter cups and chocolate chips in a cookie? Yummo. I just had to make these.

I wondered how they would stack up against my all-time fave peanut butter cookie. The cookies are similar, in that they have the same add-ins, but the flavorings are different. My fave has more peanut butter, plus creme de cocoa and cinnamon, an extra egg yolk and cream of tartar. To even things up a bit, I added in some creme de cocoa and cinnamon to this recipe.

Resisting the urge to eat a cookie straight out of the oven, I waited till they cooled a bit, then indulged. These are really, really good cookies. But not as good as my fave. The extra peanut butter, egg yolk and cream of tartar in my fave do something magical to the texture of the cookie that almost defies description. IMHO, I don't think there will ever be a cookie to beat it. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed these cookies and would make them again if I didn't have an extra yolk and cream of tartar. Thanks, Donna, for a great PB cookie recipe! This blog award is for you.

Chocolate-Peanut Blowouts, Adapted Half Batch

Source: My Tasty Treasures and bhg.com

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup butter or Smart Balance 50/50 Butter blend
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. sugar (or 1-1/8 tsp. Stevia)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 egg (1-1/2 tsp.)
2 Tbsp. creme de cocoa (or coffee)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 + 1/8 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1/4 + 1/8 cup honey-roasted peanuts
1/4 + 1/8 cup peanut butter cups, frozen, unwrapped, chopped (about 8)

Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl combine butter and peanut butter with electric mixer on medium speed, 30 seconds. (Note: I mixed by hand.) Add sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; beat till combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Beat in egg and flavorings till combined. Stir in remaining ingredients till combined.

Drop by rounded Tbsp. onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten cookies slightly with fingers. Bake 10-11 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. Yield: about 13 cookies

ELVIS' SANDWICH AS A PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE

Elvis' favorite sandwich supposedly was peanut butter and banana, sometimes with bacon. The King's favorite sandwich lives on in this cookie. Go with your gut --not your head -- on this one; the combination of peanut butter, bacon and bananas really is delicious. The cookie is tender and moist, thanks to the bananas and low ratio of flour, and the bacon is just a subtle undertone, not the dominant player. This would make a great breakfast or snack cookie since it has protein, fruit and legumes. I made a 1/2 recipe, printed below.

Elvis Cookies

Source: New Bern Sun Journal, 11/19/08

Rating: 8 out of 10

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/2 egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.)

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup crispy cooked, then crumbled, bacon (about 3 strips)

1/4 cup diced firm banana (about 1/2 banana)

Heat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter and sugars, beating well till smooth. (Mix by hand or with electric mixer.) Beat in egg till smooth. Sprinkle the flour and baking soda over the peanut butter mixture; stir in. The dough will stiffen up, but don't worry. Gently mix in the bananas and bacon, trying not to mash the bananas.

Using slightly wet hands, roll level tablespoonsful of dough into balls and place on baking sheets, leaving about 2" between them. Dip the tines of a fork into water, then use it to flatten the cookies until they are about 2" around. Bake about 11-12 minutes. They won't look done, but take them out any way. Cool on the baking sheet 2 minutes, then remove with metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Yield: about 13 cookies

ONE-BOWL CRISS CROSS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES, ADAPTED

A while back, I challenged Anna of Cookie Madness to a throwdown for peanut butter cookies. Anna has a peanut butter cookie recipe that she thinks is the best, and I have a recipe that I think is the best. Anna quickly pointed out that the cookies were different kinds and shouldn't be faced off; and in hindsight, I have to agree. But she did bake up a batch of my faves and said she liked them. In fact, she named them into her mid-autumn top 10 list. So the least I could do was to bake up a batch of her fave.

Actually, I had her recipe in my peanut butter cookie recipe file waiting to be made. Anna had the same recipe from Teri's Kitchen and just added peanut butter chips to them. Teri's Kitchen calls these Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies, and Anna calls them One-Bowl Criss Cross Peanut Butter Cookies. So here's the chronology of my kitchen experiments with Anna's One-Bowl Criss Cross Peanut Butter Cookies:

1. Made a half batch of Anna's recipe
making no substitutions or changes. I baked some small and some larger.

The cookies tasted dry to me. Did I put in too much flour? Did I overbake them? (Top photo is first batch.)

2. Emailed Anna to discuss cookies. Maybe I just don't like a sandy-textured cookie. That's how they're supposed to be.

3. Decided to make cookies again, measuring very carefully this time. As long as I was making the cookies again, I decided to add some flavors I like with peanut butter: coffee and cinnamon. Used Smart Balance buttery spread instead of butter this time, and baked some of the cookies using 1/4 cup of dough and some using 2 Tbsp. of dough. I slightly underbaked this batch. The flavor of the cookies was improved, but the texture stayed the same -- it didn't matter whether the cookie was large or small. Anna's right: I'm not fond of sandy-textured cookies.

The thing that's decidely different about these cookies is that they don't change when you put them in the oven. They don't puff up or spread. They stay pretty much the way they are when you put them in the oven. The texture is sandy and on the dry side. I'm going to assume that, if they're Anna's fave, there are a lot of others out there who will also like them a lot. So following is the recipe the way I made them the second time. You may think it's crazy to add coffee and cinnamon, but trust me, you won't taste either of those flavors: the cookie just kind of mellows out. Or, you can do what Anna did: add chipotle chile powder!

Just in case you're not sure whether you'll like this cookie, just remember that the half batch doesn't make that many -- only about 10. So you don't have a lot to lose by trying. Who knows, you might find the peanut butter cookie of your dreams.

One-Bowl Criss Cross Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted Half Batch from Teri's Kitchen + Cookie Madness

Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) of Smart Balance buttery spread

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar (I used 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia)

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Smucker's Natural)

1/2 egg (about 2 Tbsp.) (Use the other half egg to make a half batch of something else!)

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. coffee syrup*

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (3 oz. by weight)

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350F. By hand, cream butter and sugars; add peanut butter, egg, vanilla and coffee syrup; mix well, scraping down sides. Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon, mixing well. Add flour and chips and stir till blended.

Using 2 Tbsp. of dough**, shape into 1" balls and place on cookie sheets about 2" apart. Flatten balls with a fork, making crisscross patterns. Bake about 10 minutes, or till just barely done. (Use a toothpick to test for doneness, just like you do for a cake.) Cookies will not be browned and will be soft. Transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool. These cookies break easily, so be gentle. (**Or use 1/4 cup dough and bake about 12 minutes.)

*Coffee Syrup: In a small jar, measure 1/4 cup coffee brandy and 2-3 Tbsp. instant coffee. Refrigerate and use as needed. This is a wonderful flavoring for chocolate recipes, such as brownies, cupcakes, etc.; for peanut butter recipes and for chocolate chip cookies. Use like you would vanilla but add it to vanilla instead of substituting it. If you don't care to bake with alcoholic beverages, you can sub very very strong coffee for the syrup.)

PEANUT BUTTER COCONUT KRISPIE COOKIES, adapted

This recipe is an adaptation of an adaptation. Cookie Madness adapted "Back to School Cookies" from an old issue of Taste of Home magazine. And I was searching for a recipe that would use up some of the peanut butter, coconut, oats and Rice Krispies in my pantry. The changes I made were to use what I had on hand rather than purchase new ingredients, but I did add cinnamon and creme de cocoa because the recipe looked like it needed some additional flavor. If I make these again, I'll add even more flavoring and the new amounts are noted below. (I wonder how they would taste with some cayenne pepper. hmmm.) I really, really liked these cookies. The texture is very different -- very crispy on the edges, with a nice crunch all the way through. I rate these an 8 out of 10 and would definitely make them again (that is, if I ever run out of new peanut butter cookie recipes; I have 8 waiting in the wings). The other matter worth mentioning is peanut butter brands. I'm not really into sweetened peanut butter. I use natural peanut butter, except when I bake cookies. Anna of Cookie Madness says she has tested Jif against other brands, and Jif always comes up the winner for taste. My cookies were made with the remainder of a jar of Skippy crunchy and some Jif creamy. One last note: No need to get the mixer out for these -- I've found that better results are obtained when cookie batters are mixed by hand, using a whisk and/or spatula.

Peanut Butter Coconut Krispie Cookies, half recipe, adapted
Rating: 8 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 +1/8 tsp. sea salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter + 2 Tbsp. Crisco (both softened)
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used part crunchy to empty a container, then part smooth)
1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup white sugar+2 tsp. molasses+1-1/2 tsp. stevia)
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. creme de cocoa (or strong coffee or chocolate syrup)
1 cup crisp rice cereal
3/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small mixing bowl; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the softened butter and shortening with the peanut butter and brown sugar until throughly combined and smooth. Add egg and flavorings and whisk again till very smooth. Stir in flour mixture with spatula, then the remaining ingredients.

Drop by generously rounded teaspoonfuls 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheets. (I lined mine with parchment paper.) A small cookie scoop is perfect for this.
Flatten the dough balls with a fork, forming a criscoss pattern.
Bake 9-12 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs and how big you make your dough balls. I used a toothpick inserted in center to test for doneness, just like for a cake. Two of my batches took 11 minutes, and one batch took 12 minutes. The batch that took 12 minutes had slightly larger cookies. My yield on the half batch was 40 cookies.

Here's the recipe as adapted by Cookie Madness:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt (original recipe had none)
8 oz butter flavored shortening
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1-1/2 cups chopped nuts or 1 ¼ cup chopped peanuts
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup quick-cooking oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.Cream the shortening, peanut butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg whites and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until mixed, then stir in the cereal, nuts, coconut and oats.
Drop by generously rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork, forming a crisscross pattern. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks.
Makes about 8 dozen

OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES, adapted

This recipe, from allrecipes.com and submitted by Michele, was rated 5 out out 5 by 840 members. So I decided this would be my peanut butter cookie for my friends' grand opening. The recipe looked bland, so I added vanilla, cinnamon, and chopped salted peanuts on the top; and I used chunky peanut butter instead of smooth. I wasn't disappointed. These are not as good as Lalee's Peanut Butter Cookies (see my previous post for these, my #1 fave), but they run a close second. They're not as thick as Lalee's but they are chewy, and the texture and flavor are great. The chunky peanut butter and the salted peanuts on the top really set this cookie off. I only made a half recipe, and I got 2 dozen 3-1/2" cookies, which was more than I needed. I heartily recommend these.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies, adapted
Rating: 9 out of 10
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. molasses
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 large egg
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, lightly spooned and leveled
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup quick-cooking (1-minute, not instant) oatmeal
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, molasses and peanut butter until smooth. (I did this with a wire whisk, by hand.) Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and oatmeal; stir into the creamed mixture; do not overmix. (You can switch to a spatula for this, as the whisk will have too much batter clumping. The finished dough will be kind of fluffy, and a small teaspoonful will do quite a bit of spreading.) Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of each mound of dough and slightly press in. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until just light brown. Don't overbake. Yield: 24 large cookies.

TAKE 5 COOKIES

If you like Take 5 candy bars, you are going to love this cookie recipe. It was invented by Carrie Fields, who sent it to the cookiemadness.net food blog. Carrie called her recipe "Mom and David's Faves", but I changed the name to "Take 5 Cookies." I've never had a Take 5 bar, but the recipe intrigued me, so I finally made a half-batch just to see what these would taste like. I decided to use Kraft caramel bits inside the cookie instead of melting them and using them as a glaze on top, mostly because of laziness. These cookies are very good. They're very peanut-buttery, soft and crumby inside, and have a nice crunch and chewiness because of the pretzels and caramel bits. They're not crisp on the edges, but you can't have everything. The cookies bake up high and don't spread much at all.

Take 5 Cookies (half-batch)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar (I used 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia)
2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla (I used pure vanilla extract)
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)
1 cup chocolate chunks (I used 1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark + 1/2 cup milk chocolate)
1 large fistful salty pretzel sticks, lightly crushed (I broke them)
3/4 cup caramel bits

Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, combine butter, sugars, syrup and peanut butter and stir with a spatula or heavy spoon till everything is well combined and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again till smooth. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and beat till incorporated. Stir in half the chocolate, pretzels and caramel bits. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared sheets, allowing 2-3 inches between cookies. Add 3-4 pieces of chocolate, 3-4 caramel bits and some pretzel pieces on top of each mound of dough. Bake for 15 minutes, or til cookies are lightly golden around edges. Let cool on baking sheets about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 21 cookies (Double this recipe for 42 cookies)

THE VERY BEST PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES EVER!

This morning I awoke at 4am with gobs of mucous coming out my nose and down my throat. Luckily, I'm stocked up on tissues because I went through quite a bit in about a half hour and then gave up trying to sleep. There's not much to do before 5am, so I searched the internet for peanut butter cookie recipes. On the Cooking Light blog, there are tons of peanut butter cookie recipes, and notes to help you decide. I halved this recipe and changed it up a bit. These cookies are deadly delicious. The only mistake I made was to add the peanut butter cups too soon. The mixer chopped them up too much. So I made a note on the recipe directions to fold them in last. Other than that, this recipe is a keeper. These cookies are crispy on the edges but soft and somewhat delicately chewy on the inside, not crumby at all. They have a very peanut-buttery taste, and the cream de cocoa and cinnamon really are perfect flavorings. My landscaper declared these the best cookies he ever put into his mouth. His helper said they were "the bomb." For me, these were the absolute best peanut butter cookies I have ever eaten; and I am rating them 10 out of 10!

Lalee's Peanut Butter Cookies, Adapted
INGREDIENTS: 1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar (you can really cut it to 1/2 cup if you want, these were sweet)
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large egg, 1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. cream de cocoa (if you don't have it, substitute 1 Tbsp. strong coffee)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour (Pillsbury)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. cinnamon (I used McCormick Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts (the mixer will chop them)
8 (.55 oz.) (or 4.4 oz. total) Reese's peanut butter cups, or equivalent yield, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS: In bowl of stand mixer, using paddle attachment, briefly combine first 3 ingredients. Don't get it smooth. Just mix it for about 30 seconds to combine. Ingredients can be a little cold, it doesn't matter. Add eggs, cream de docoa and vanilla and mix again on low for about a minute. Again, don't get it totally smooth and don't beat it on medium or high. Add the flour, peanuts, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix on low for another minute or so till combined. Scrape down sides as necessary. Carefully fold in chips and peanut butter cups. Mixture will be just very very slightly sticky, and it will be soft. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, or overnight if preferred.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 Tbsp. dough onto cookie sheets, leaving 3-4 inches between cookies. Dough should be like a golf ball, but don't make it smooth. See photo below.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, or till edges start to brown. I like to test mine like a cake, with a toothpick inserted about 1" from center. When it returns with just a few crumbs, they are done. These cookies are really good when just slightly underbaked. Here they are when they first went into the oven:

Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. They are very soft when they first come out of the oven, so don't try to move them until they've cooled 5 minutes. Here they are on the rack, cooled:
You'll get 14 3-1/2" cookies from this recipe. My nose is still dripping and my throat is sore, but I had a happy day after eating two of these. Now I'm off to spread the love in the neighborhood with these dandies.

PEANUT BLOSSOMS

The housekeeper at the Holiday Inn Express, Downtown San Diego, left us 2 bags of Hershey kisses during our recent stay. I brought them home to make cookies, and peanut blossoms were my logical choice. Since I only had 14 kisses and the recipe made 24 cookies, I needed something else for 10 cookies. A half jar of Nutella did the trick. (BTW, have you tasted Nutella? Where are the hazlenuts? All I taste is sugar and chocolate. Frankly, I like chocolate peanut butter better; at least you can taste the peanut butter.) I have to say I was a little disappointed in this recipe. Now, I will admit I tweaked it a bit, switching out the sugar for Stevia, upping the vanilla, and subbing 1 cup of whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour. But still, my two biggest disappointments with this recipe were not getting enough peanut butter flavor in the cookie and biting into a very hard kiss. They're not bad, but for me they are just ok and there are better peanut butter cookie recipes out there. I'm going to assume that they are popular because they look cute on a cookie tray. I would rather eat something that tastes really great, even if it doesn't look spectacular. Here's the recipe for those of you who like cute cookies that taste ok:

Peanut Blossoms
INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup white sugar (I used 1 Tbsp. Stevia)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla (I used 2 tsp.)
1 large egg
1-3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour + 3/4 cups all-purpose) 1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
extra sugar (about 3 Tbsp.) for rolling

DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 375F. In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffly. Add peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets; do not flatten. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Immediately top each cookie with a milk chocolate candy kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edges. (First, lightly press the kiss into the cookie top. Do all the cookies, then go back to the first one and press in further. If you just press the kiss in all the way at first, the cookie will split apart.)

For Nutella filling, after you shape dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet. With your thumb, make an indentation in center of cookie. This indentation will partially fill in as cookie bakes. When cookies are done, immediately fill centers with Nutella. (I liked these better than the kiss center, because the Nutella is not hard like the kiss, and so it's much easier to eat.)

CINNAMON-WHOLE WHEAT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

This is my own recipe, but I think I might have used a base recipe to work from, and I don't remember what it was. After yesterday's disaster, I wanted to bake something that I knew would turn out. I've made this recipe before, and it was really good. This time, I subbed half whole wheat flour, and some Stevia Plus for some of the sugar and the results were a little different. The cookies are still very good, but I was disappointed that they didn't puff up and spread like my other cookies. I can't remember what they did last time. Anyway, they're very tender (because of the butter) and the cinnamon and vanilla are nice flavorings with the peanut butter. The Mr. Goodbar is perfect with the peanut butter cookie. All in all, I like this recipe very much, but I am going to try a different one next time just because I like to keep looking. If you don't like whole wheat in your cookies, you can just use all-purpose flour instead. I am adding 2 Tbsp. honey because I think that will compensate for the whole-wheat flour that absorbed moisture.

Cinnamon-Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup unsalted butter + 1/4 cup Smart Balance Buttery Spread (or 1 cup unsalted butter)
1 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp. Stevia Plus (or 1-1/2 cups sugar)
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. honey
1-1/4 cups peanut butter
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour + 1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour (or 2-2/3 cups AP flour)
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large Mr. Goodbar (8 oz.) + 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
Cinnamon sugar topping: 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting. Line baking sheets with parchment. Chop Mr. Goodbar in small pieces. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in medium bowl till well combined.

Cream Butter till light. Add sugar gradually, then Stevia (if using), molasses, honey, and peanut butter and beat till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat. On low speed, stir in flour mixture, vanilla, Mr. Goodbar and chips, just till combined. Drop about 1 rounded tablespoonful of dough onto prepared baking sheet, flatten slightly and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Continue with remaining dough. Bake 12-14 minutes, till set and cookies test done. Insert toothpick in center of a cookie -- if it returns clean, or with just a few crumbs, they are done. Cool in pan 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
Yield: About 5 dozen cookies