Tag Archives: cookies

Puffy Vanilla and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

When it comes to sweets, I tend to make desserts in waves. When I’m craving brownies, I’ll make brownies non-stop for months. My cupcake period lasted about 2 years. But I’m going back to my roots and I’m falling in love with making cookies all over again. I don’t know what it is about cookies but watching the dough come together, dipping a finger or two into the dough to make sure it’s just right, and dropping the scoops onto the baking sheet and waiting, waiting, waiting impatiently for them to bake…it’s bliss for me. I bake cookies one sheet at a time so for a dough that makes a lot of cookies, this means I might be baking cookies all night. But that’s okay with me. I dare say I like a cookie-scented kitchen just as much (if not more) than a bread-scented kitchen. Although that’s a really tough call. Anyway, I made some cookies a few weeks ago and they were such a hit at work that I decided to make another batch of cookies I found on Pinterest: Puffy Vanilla and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. Vanilla and peanut butter? Yum and yum. I’m sold.

These cookies are made with vegetable shortening (à la Crisco) instead of butter which helps to make these cookies puffy. And a healthy 2 teaspoons of vanilla really keep the vanilla from getting lost behind the peanut butter chips. It’s rare that I don’t like a cookie, especially one with any kind of peanut butter, and this is no exception. Although, I’ve become pretty particular and I’ve decided I like good ol’ butter in my cookies. There is that flavor that butter has that just cannot be captured with vegetable shortening. These cookies are great and if you are willing to sacrifice a little bit of puff for a little bit of flavor, make these with butter. You won’t be disappointed. Of course this is coming from someone who could eat peanut butter chips by the spoonful.

The ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl, combine vegetable shortening, sugars, egg, water, and vanilla until batter is creamy.

Add the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, flour and mix until just combined.

Fold in peanut butter chips by hand. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheets lined with silicone mats or parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 8-10 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Averie Cooks

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies

September 28, 2012
Shannon
1 comment
chocolate, cookies, dessert, peanut butter, pretzels

I’m obsessed with Pinterest. I look at it for an hour each day during my lunch break (when I really should be walking around the city for exercise). I use my phone to look at it every morning and every evening on the train to/from work. I look at it at night (because I didn’t ruin my eyesight enough staring at the computer for 9 daylight hours already). I look at it when I wake up at 4am because I can’t sleep (thanks to violent scenes from Sons of Anarchy and a preview of the horror movie Sinister). And as if I don’t already have a stack of recipes that I still have yet to make, I just keep adding more recipes that I find on Pinterest. These Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies are one of those glorious finds that had me at hello and call my name each and every time I see them. Salty and sweet? Umm…okay!

Milk chocolate chip and peanut butter chips are mixed into cookie dough with broken pieces of pretzels and baked to salty and sweet perfection. These cookies were easy to make and could be made with any variety of chips. I took the whole batch to the office (since I can’t trust myself to have cookies in the house) and they were a big hit. A couple people in my department kept coming over for one more, and one more, and two more. And the next day after the cookies were all gone, they still wanted more. So I guess I’ll have to make them again. Oh, darn.

The ingredients:

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).

On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour.

Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with sea salt (optional). Bake for 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Sea salt

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Sugar Cooking Blog

Funfetti Cookies

I work for a company that likes to show employee appreciation by celebrating certain sports events so from time to time, the company will buy us lunch and we get to wear our favorite sports apparel. Not long ago, we celebrated MLB opening day and shortly thereafter celebrated the NHL and NBA playoffs. Because they happened about a week apart, the powers that be decided not to have a second lunch but to surprise us with a sundae bar with tons of ice cream and all kinds of fun toppings. Since then, each time I go into the kitchen cabinet for a bowl or plate at lunch, I see a little plastic container holding the leftover rainbow sprinkles from that ice cream party. I finally asked one day if I could take them home so I could make Funfetti Cookies which I would share with people at work. The answer was “Um…cookies?! YES!!”

The result are these colorful, chewy, perfect little cookies. A basic sugar cookie dough with both vanilla and almond highlights is made fantastic with the addition of both rainbow sprinkles and nonpareils. These cookies didn’t last long at the office and it was everything I could do to keep my paws off of them before I set them out for everyone to enjoy. You don’t have to be a kid to like funfetti, ask my co-workers. It looks like I’m going to have to make these again.

And again.

Good thing there are more sprinkles left.