It’s that time of year again, folks!
Each year, my dear friend, Becca, and I tackle the Food Network’s 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, baking at least 6 varieties each. Sometimes this turned out awesome (thanks to any recipe from Paula Deen), and sometimes it was a huge disaster (I’m looking at you, Alton Brown). This year, rather than subject ourselves to the possibility of baking non-delicious cookies, we’re putting our own spin on the 12 days of cookies. We’re selecting cookies that we’ve been itching to try, scouring the internet and cookbooks for the most exciting and delicious cookie recipes. And let me tell you, it’s a lot harder to pick 12 different cookie recipes than you would think. Apparently I have a one track mind when it comes to cookies: chocolate. Every cookie I picked at first was chocolate. Then I got caught up in a chocolate peanut butter frenzy. Do you know how many chocolate peanut butter combinations there are in the world? I want to make all of them. Finally, I’ve selected 6 cookies that will hopefully be different enough to keep everyone from going crazy, and Becca will make 6 more. And after narrowing down the possibilities, I am kicking off the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies with a chocolate peanut butter concoction. Surprise, surprise.
A few ingredient specifications before we get started: I always like to use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour when I bake cookies. I think it makes for a slightly denser cookie, and it makes me feel slightly healthier. But you can feel free to do whatever you like. And while grocery shopping for these cookies, I couldn’t find any regular dark chocolate chips, but ended up with dark chocolate disks instead, which I think I preferred. You get a wider dose of chocolate, which is never a bad thing.
Salted Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies
from Somewhat Simple
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used one cup all-purpose, one cup whole wheat)
1/2 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips
additional sea salt for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with sea salt.
Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
These were so good. Rich, sweet, dark, salty. You’re going to need to drink a gallon of milk with these bad boys. And then run about 15 miles.
Perhaps the real challenge will be not gaining 20 pounds over the next two weeks.
You can read about last year’s Christmas cookie explosion starting here and here. Be sure to check out One Many Extras for a second day of cookies!
-Ally
[…] partner in cookie crime, Ally, got things started yesterday with her Salted Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies. I figured it was time to honor that decadent chocolate and move onto something […]