Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies

I love Peanut Butter! In fact Peanut Butter & Chocolate are probably my favourite sweet combination. Here’s an adapted recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery ‘Home sweet home’ book which has proved very popular in our house. Given a taste I think even Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry would like these.

Ingredients 

• 90g Plain four
• 80g Self raising flour
• 1/4tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 30g Coco powder
• Pinch of salt
• 115g Unsalted butter (softened)
• 130g Peanut Butter (crunchy)
• 120g Caster sugar + extra 40g (ish) for rolling
• 90g Light brown sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1tsp Vanilla extract

Preparation method

1. Preheat oven 170°C, Gas mark 3 and line two or 3 baking trays with baking parchment. 
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer (hand-held or freestanding) with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, peanut butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well scrapping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Once the wet ingredients are mixed and with the electric mixer on slow (unless you want to cover the kitchen in flour) add the dry ingredients, mix until a dough is formed.
4. Put the extra castor sugar in a bowl. Roll the dough into balls (about 3 to 4cm) and roll each ball in the castor sugar to coat. Place the dough balls onto the prepared trays keeping them about 3 to 4 cm apart.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies have a crusty surface and have cracked. Cool completely before serving

Theses cookies end up with a crisp exterior but remain soft in the middle. They are quite satisfying to make as they look great even before baking (try not to eat too many raw). The original recipe calls for slightly more cocoa powder and less peanut butter, but I prefer a strong peanutty taste without the chocolate overpowering the mix. The original also uses plain flour with more bicarbonate of soda but I find better results my way.

I made 27 of these biscuits which seemed to vanish very quickly, I then made another batch which also vanished so I think the rest of the family approve!