Peanut butter and chocolate cookies

These are my entry for this months alpha bakes. Peanut butter is perhaps not the most original thing beginning with P but time was limited as my holiday was looming! Having said that I have a plan forming and there may be time to squeeze out a slightly more inventive offering before the deadline tomorrow.

I am not, however, going to apologise too much as I love these cookies and they are a regular guest in the biscuit tin. If you do try them I am sure they will become a favourite of yours too.

Peanut butter and chocolate cookies (adapted every so slightly from the hummingbird bakery cookbook)

makes 24 (big cookies!)

225g butter at room temperature
175g caster sugar
175g light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
240g crunchy peanut butter
340g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C FAN and line baking sheets with baking parchment. 

Combine the butter, sugars and vanilla in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add the peanut butter to the bowl and beat on slow until combined. Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda to the bowl and mix until a smooth dough is formed. There is a lot of cookie dough, I had to stir in the flour by hand as my handheld whisk could not cope with the volume! 

Finally add in the chocolate chips and stir until evenly dispersed.

Arrange heaped tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared sheets. Space them well apart to allow for spreading as they bake. I had to bake my cookies in lots of batches. Bake for 10-12minutes until flattened and golden brown, they will continue to flatten as they cool. 

Leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These are a soft and chewy cookie with a fantastic salty sweet peanut flavour.