Chewy Brownie Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies may be the single most popular type of cookie out there, but I’m pretty sure that it is the chocolate element of the cookie that really sells it. So, if a cookie with some chocolate in it is good, one that has even more chocolate is bound to be better, right? Besides, it gets boring if you stick to one type of cookie all the time.

As much as I love a crisp cookie with some varieties (shortbread, oatmeal, butter cookies, etc), when it comes to all-chocolate cookies, I think that chewy is the way to go – and these cookies perfectly fit the bill. They are rich in chocolate flavor and have a great chew to them. I described them as “brownie cookies” because I think they have a dark and brownie-like flavor, though they don’t share the fudgy texture that brownies usually have. The trick to getting the chew with this recipe is to take the cookies out of the oven when the edges have set (you can poke them with a fingertip and they should feel firm) but the center of the cookie is not set. If you watch them bake, you’ll see the cookies “crack” a little bit as the end of the baking time approaches. Inside these cracks, the cookies will still be soft and this is what gives them the chewy texture when they’re cool.

For something other than straight chocolate, I stirred in a mixture of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to the batter. There were more chocolate chips than peanut butter chips in my mix, but because the cookie was so chocolaty, the non-chocolate peanut butter flavor came out much better than I anticipated. To enhance it further, I actually recommend using a semi-coarse salt, like kosher salt, in this recipe. I find that the grains don’t always incorporate as well into the batter as finer salts, but in this recipe I find that the occasional, small fleck of salt on the tongue as you eat really sets off the peanut butter in the chips nicely.

Chewy Brownie Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups combo of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips*
*or chopped up peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, and continue to beat until all of the dry mix has been incorporated. Do this slowly to avoid dusting your kitchen with flour and cocoa. Stir in chips and/or peanut butter cups by hand.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet (dough balls were a bit larger than 1 inch in diameter). Leave about 2 to 3-inches between cookies to allow for spread.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set at the edges and tops are slightly cracked looking. Cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen.