Peanut Butter Cookie Update

Adorable cookie jar, isn't it- birthday gift from AudioDad and I figured it was time to fill it! I started this blog almost a year ago, sharing a recipe for peanut butter cookies. I'm still hunting for that just right cookie recipe- but I think I'm getting closer! After my recent discovery of Annie the Baker's cookies at the St. Helena Farmers Market, I was inspired to try out a few more peanut butter cookie recipes online. Because as much as I will gladly travel for something yummy, I'd rather be able to make it (or something close to it) fresh, in my own kitchen, whenever I want. I came across this one on Baking and Books and decided it was worth a try, with a good couple of handfuls of Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups thrown in, Annie-style.

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Krispy Peanut Butter Balls

I'm so excited about these, I just had to blog again today! I had already decided that I would be sending Rice Krispie treats to Munch's preschool on her birthday. (As a teacher, I'm not a fan of these huge, frosting laden supermarket cupcakes that kids bring in for celebrations- the aftermath is not pretty. Crumbs everywhere-and they're not easy to sweep/wipe up, frosting everywhere, and usually most of the cupcake gets tossed in the trash.) But I was recently flipping through the December Oprah magazine and saw these yummy looking Rice Krispie balls that had peanut butter and mini chocolate chips mixed in- you know I had to try them! To see the original recipe, click here. It doesn't seem to make many- about 15 golf-ball sized treats. Cute if you're going to package several up for a friend. But for a class treat, I knew I'd need to increase the recipe- this should make enough bigger treats for a class (and don't forget the teacher!)

1/4 c. butter or stick margarine
16 oz. bag marshmallows
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
11 c. Rice Krispies cereal
3/4 c. mini chocolate chips
1 c. Heath toffee bits

Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan (I used my 6 qt. stockpot) over low heat. Add the marshmallows and peanut butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the cereal, chocolate chips, and toffee bits. Stir quickly until well combined. Using your hands, shape the mixture into balls (coat your hands with oil first if you need to) about the size of an ice cream scoop. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve (if you don't eat half the batch before then!)

The quest for the ultimate peanut butter cookie

Who doesn't love a good cookie? They are my favorite treat- it's so easy and quick to bake up a batch and have a nice, warm cookie in minutes. I usually make chocolate chip- but I'm always on the look-out for something new. I recently was given a few peanut butter chocolate chip cookies from a Petaluma bakery. While I'm fairly neutral about peanut butter cookies- they're usually too crumbly and dry for my tastes- these were something else altogether- moist, chewy, and very chocolately. Now, anyone who knows me also knows I'm NOT driving 45+ miles for anything, much less a cookie- so I had to find a recipe to replicate these at home. After trying out and fiddling with several recipes from the web, I think I'm close:

2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until fluffy. Add the peanut butter and mix well. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients and add the chocolate chips.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart (I got 6-8 large cookies on each sheet). Flatten each cookie with a fork twice to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake for about 11 1/2 minutes until cookies start to brown around edges. They won't look fully done, but will "set" on the pans as they cool (about 5 minutes), then transfer them to cooling racks to cool completely.