peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

i wasn't going to share this recipe for several reasons; one being that i feel as if everything i've made recently has been starchy, fatty or sugary, and two being that i've already made three peanut butter and chocolate desserts in recent months (peanut butter blondies, peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and the tried-and-true peanut butter hershey's kisses blossoms, which i chose not to mention here because what else could possibly be said about them?). after eating one of these, though, i decided the recipe needed sharing.

it's simple, it's a terribly unoriginal flavor combination, and it will probably clog your arteries. the good news is that these are so rich, especially when just-out-of-the-oven-warm, that eating just one will be more than enough to last you for a few hours, which is a good thing because they're so delicious that you might be tempted to demolish them all in a few minutes.

they're sugary-crisp on the outside, densely cakelike in the middle, and aren't completely loaded with chocolate, which in this instance, i love. i cut back on the sugar a little bit, and would even do so a little more next time.

peanut butter cookies
adapted from the magnolia bakery cookbook, courtesy of smitten kitchen
makes 25 cookies, if you use a very generous tbsp of dough per cookie

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter at room temperature
• scant 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• for sprinkling: roughly 4 tbsp white sugar

preheat oven to 350°F. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. set aside.

in a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. add the sugars and beat until smooth. add the egg and mix well. add the milk and the vanilla extract. add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

pour sprinkling sugar on a plate. form dough into rounded tablespoons, then roll in sprinkling sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern. bake for 10 to 12 minutes. do not overbake. cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not--make sure to allow to cool a minute or two before trying to move them, or else they will fall apart.