“Fully Loaded” Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Around here, I tend to consider peanut butter a food group of its own. Whether its smothered on a piece of toast in the morning or its just a spoonful straight from the jar, I definitely manage to fit peanut butter into my diet every day. I love the creamy (or crunchy!) texture and the smooth peanut taste. So I kind of surprised myself when I realized I only have one peanut butter cookie recipe here on this blog. And although my Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie recipe is one of my favorites, I felt I needed to share another cookie recipe that features this delicious nutty spread. And what goes better with peanut butter than chocolate? I threw an assortment of chocolate chips and chocolate covered raisins into this classic, fluffy peanut butter cookie recipe and was delighted with the results.  I added cornstarch into the batter, a tip I learned from Pinterest, and the result was incredibly soft & fluffy cookies. I brought these cookies into work with me because I knew it would probably be wiser to share 2 dozen cookies with my coworkers than to leave them in my own kitchen. Well, I think these cookies were a hit, because they disappeared within hours. Although I added chocolate chips and chocolate covered raisins, you could definitely vary the mix-ins for a number of different peanut butter cookie varieties. (I think crushed pretzels or m&m’s would be delicious!) So have some fun and incorporate some peanut butter into you daily diet. It’s a health food, I promise.

Ingredients: Makes 24 cookies

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chocolate covered raisins

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy
2. Beat in egg until just combined
3. Beat in peanut butter and vanilla
4. Add baking soda, cornstarch & flour and mix until just combined
5. Place dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill
6. Remove dough from fridge and stir in chocolate chips and chocolate covered raisins
7. Place tablespoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes