Thursday, May 12, 2011

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies

Baking cookies, most cookies anyway, is supposed to be easy. There aren’t too many things that can go wrong with making cookie dough, forming it into cookie-sized portions, and baking the cookies. That is to say, not much can go wrong if the recipe actually works. Last week, I grabbed a book off the shelf that I knew had some interesting options for peanut butter cookies. I didn’t imagine anything could possibly go wrong as I picked a peanut butter cookie recipe that I’d never before tried. As I made the dough, it seemed a little soft, the amounts of both butter and sugar seemed off to me, and the dough tasted like it needed more salt. Like a fool, I was sure I was wrong and went ahead and baked the cookies. The suggested oven temperature was lower than usual, and the baking time was only eight minutes, but I proceeded. When the cookies were not baked through, I gave them more time. It didn’t matter. The cookies were soft, crumbly messes. They fell apart easily and didn’t taste great, and this was a big problem. Some friends were coming to town, and I intended to put some cookies in a welcome basket for them. The rest of the cookies were going to be mailed off as a birthday present. I needed good cookies. Rather than fiddling with a recipe that didn’t work and trying to change it for a second attempt, I ran directly back to the source that has never disappointed. I started over with these chunky peanut, chocolate, and cinnamon cookies from Martha Stewart’s Cookies. The texture of the dough was right, the flavor was good, the baking temperature and time were correct, and the whole process was as easy as baking cookies is supposed to be.

Butter and peanut butter were creamed together in a mixer. Brown sugar and granulated sugar were added followed by eggs. The dry ingredients were mixed together in a separate bowl, and those included flour, baking soda, the right amount of salt, and some ground cinnamon. Those sifted together dry ingredients were then added to the butter mixture, and then chocolate chips, salted peanuts, and vanilla were folded into the dough. I used a mix of bittersweet and milk chocolate chips. The finished dough was chilled while the oven was heated. Balls of dough were placed on baking sheets and flattened slightly before baking long enough to be crisp on the edges and tender in the center.

It could be that I especially liked these cookies because I’d just experienced ones that weren’t nearly as good, but I think you would really like them too. The cinnamon was a nice addition to the chocolate and peanut butter flavors, and the ratio of chunkiness of chips and nuts to cookie was just right. Sometimes, recipes seem weird but actually work, and sometimes, a trusted source saves the day.



31 comments:

  1. That's a bummer about the bad recipe - no excuse for a bad cookie recipe but it does make you thankful for tried and true ones like Martha's! BTW what lucky friends you have! I love the sound of this flavor combo.

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  2. I can personally vouch for Martha's cookie recipe and Lisa's interpretation of it. Yum. Thanks Lisa!

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  3. Irresistibly scrumptious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Oh my, these are the last thing I need to see while I'm trying to eat light! I love the combo of peanut butter and cinnamon - and actually just finished a jar of cinnamon raisin peanut butter. They look amazing!

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  5. You are so right, you cant go wrong with Martha Stewart, that's one of the many reasons why I love her.
    *kisses* HH

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  6. Terrific cookies! Incredibly addictive.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  7. Ugh. A bum cookie (or any bum baked good) is not fun. Good thing you had time to turn around and make something else that worked!

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  8. Yay! Martha to the rescue! So happy that all ended well. I am sure these were delicious ... thank goodness for a reliable source that tests the recipes!

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  9. Oh no, sorry the first ones didn't work out well. These certainly look like fabulous though!

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  10. Love the addition of cinnamon, Lisa. I sure wish I could sample one with my morning coffee:)

    Thanks for sharing...

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  11. These cookies look delicious.

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  12. Now why can't I get my chocolate chip cookies to look that good and thick? And oooh haven't made them with peanut butter before but now I have to. Am hungry now....

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  13. Oh yum!! These look soooo delicious. The addition of cinnamon sounds intriguing. If I could only bite into my screen...

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  14. Yeah, so decadent sounding. They look wonderful too.

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  15. Perfect cookies to have with a cold glass of milk :-) Sorry to hear the first batch didn't work out, but these ones look delectable!

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  16. i've been using martha stewart's cupcake book for awhile now and not a single recipe has let me down. methinks her cookie book is worth a purchase too--these look amazing!

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  17. Oh Lisa! These look so good. Just give me a plate of these and leave me alone for 30 minutes. :) I love how these cookies look plump and chewy!

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  18. Looks like the kind of texture I like!

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  19. yeah, i never try new recipes if i know i have ppl coming over or im giving them away as gifts haha...too risky! from the looks of it, these cookies are a big success! yay!

    the problem i sometimes hv with cookies is that when i bake the dough in shape of balls, sometimes they dont spread and stays fat and i gotta flatten the cookies myself with a spatula ><

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  20. I never would have thought to use cinnamon with PB, Lisa. A glass of milk and a plate of these would make me a happy girl!

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  21. Mmm! I'm loving all the ingredients in these cookies! Bookmarked!

    Mary xo
    Delightful Bitefuls

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  22. I will bake this recipe soon, they look so delicious. Thanks!

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  23. These look terrific! But then I'd expect nothing less from Martha or you :-)

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  24. these look divine....

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  25. I have several things to say here. One, I find it difficult to take pictures of cookies and make them look at all interesting. You have done that well! Two, I think cookies can actually be a bit on the tricky side. I'd rather make a simple cake any day. Three, yum!

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  26. sorry to hear the first one didn't turn out as expected. would have ruined my day.
    the second batch look amazing. Martha comes to the rescue :)

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  27. If a recipe is going to go wrong it's always when folks are coming over or I'm trying to pack up a care package. ;)

    The second batch looks perfect...cinnamon is a yummy touch with peanut butter and chocolate.

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  28. I'm with you, I always try to give the recipe the benefit of the doubt, but it never fails, I am always disappointed when it falls short of expectations, especially when I have an inkling that I could do something about it.

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  29. I think I would like them too with chocolate, peanut butter and cinnamon. :)

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  30. When cookies don't turn out, it's an awful thing - because you're in the mood for them right that second. On the bright side, you found this great Martha recipe for PB choc chip, with cinnamon, which sounds fab. I love that you mixed the two chocolate chips, too.

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