There is something wonderful about a cookie. I'm very picky about the cookies I make. I like them soft, or chewy, or sandy - what the French call sablé. I like sablé in pastry too. But I don't like hard and crunchy cookies. My geriatric teeth can't handle crunchy. And you know, they never seem to taste as good, either.Anyhow.
Here is a recipe for a really really really good chocolate chip cookie. I came up with it while looking through Dorie Greenspan's charming Baking: From My Home To Yours. She, like all cookbook writers, has her favourite recipe. I've tried a lot of these favourites, and I don't want to sound supercritical but none of them have become my favourites. I tried Dorie's too. They were okay. But they were not best.
So, try mine. And let me know what you think.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 - 1 cup butter (you choose how decadent you want to be)
1 cup peanut butter (I'm partial to the organic Virginia PB at Costco)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups of white flour (you can use whole wheat but I won't be responsible for the consequences)
one 400 gm bar of decent chocolate, chopped up
Mix in that order. Scoop and plop. Bake 350ºF for about 12 minutes.
Now here is where you can turn these into Amazing Cookies: don't bake them until they are browned. Bake them until they look almost done. Almost. Still dangerously soft and crumbly. Leave them to cool on their parchment or silpat or whatever you baked them on. Do not remove them, or you might cry, because they will totally fall apart. When they are cold, you can move them. Or eat them. Whichever you prefer. They will be soft, chewy, chocolatey, and peanutty. Your mouth will thank you for such an experience.
