Soft, chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that stay bendable for four to five days. The keys are no-stir peanut butter, a brown-sugar-heavy ratio, weighed flour, and pulling the tray while the centers still look underdone.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups (270g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to 65-67F (18-19C)
1 1/2 cups (396g) creamy no-stir peanut butter (Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan)
1 cup (220g) light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 extra egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (270g) semisweet chocolate chips, or a chopped chocolate bar
Instructions
1
Heat the oven to 350F (175C) and line two baking sheets with parchment. Do not grease the pans; greased pans increase spread and thin the centers.
2
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl so the leaveners distribute evenly.
3
Cream the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture lightens in color and looks fluffy.
4
Add the eggs, the extra yolk, and the vanilla one at a time, beating briefly after each so the emulsion holds.
5
Fold in the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined. A few streaks of flour are fine. Overmixing here is the top cause of tough cookies.
6
Fold in the chocolate, holding back roughly 1/4 cup for the tops.
7
Portion into 3-tablespoon balls, about 55g each. A cookie scoop keeps them even.
8
Chill the portioned balls 30 minutes on the tray. Optional, but it tightens the edges and deepens the flavor.
9
Flatten each ball to about 3/4 inch thick with your palm or the base of a glass. Do not skip this. The dough will not spread on its own.
10
Bake 9 to 10 minutes. The edges should look set and matte while the centers still look glossy and slightly puffed.
11
Press the reserved chocolate chips into the hot tops, then let the cookies rest on the sheet 5 minutes before moving them to a rack.
