These cookies are exactly what they say they are. BIG ASS DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES.
They’re old school, and I love it. Just a big fat cookie, full of peanutty flavour and plenty of melting dark chocolate. They’re the kind of thing that are a total crowd-pleaser at any event that includes both very young children and their grandparents.
Neither your five year old niece, nor your 76 year old grandad want to know about that chocolate-molé brownie you’ve been working on, or that treacle tart with rosemary in it.
They want a known quantity. If they pick up a cookie, and there’s anything about it that is not immediately advertised in the name, they will not be pleased. Or at least this is my experience with the very young and the very old. Which, admittedly, is pretty limited.
This is the kind of baking that I turn to for reassurance and comfort. On those days where I have had enough of the unexpeced, the unknown. It’s those days where I can totally sympathise with all the grandparents out there.
You just know that you can count on a big, chunky cookie to brighten up your day.
And I’ve needed a bit of comforting lately, because it turns out I’ve had shingles! Which, for those of you who don’t know (I didn’t) is like ‘Chicken Pox Episode Two: One More Time for the Kids’. It’s pretty unusual for a 23 year old to get it, as it usually afflicts the very young, the very old or those with a weakened immune system (the very people who would love these cookies!).
Please don’t worry about me, it’s been a very mild case, and now I finally know what’s wrong with me I’m well on the mend. I just wanted to let you know that things will be back to full fun and creative force any day now! So what’s new with you?
xx Sarah.
- 2 sticks (225g) butter
- ⅔ cup (140g) caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup (140g) brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (170g) peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups (300g) plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 8 oz (200g) dark chocolate, chopped
- First, brown the butter. Place the butter into a large saucepan, or frying pan and heat it for approximately 5-7 minutes. During this time the butter will melt, bubble up, foam, and then begin to brown. It is ready when the once white milk solids which settle at the bottom of the pan have turned a caramel-colour. The butter will smell nutty when this happens.
- Leave the butter to cool completely (I did this by placing it in the freezer for 15 minutes).
- When the butter is cool, place the eggs and caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk. Whisk this mixture for about 5 minutes, until it is a very thick, very pale foam.
- Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the cooled butter, the brown sugar and the peanut butter. Mix on a medium speed until all these ingredients are incorporated into the eggs.
- Stop the mixer and add the salt, flour and baking powder to the mixer. Mix in a few short bursts, until almost all of the flour is incorporated, and then add in the chocolate, and mix for one last burst, until all the flour is mixed in and the chocolate chips are distributed.
- From here, you can either bake them straight away (totally delicious) or leave the dough to rest overnight (even better). Either way, when you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F/180C, and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Scoop out the dough in heaping ⅓ cup portions, and place them, well spaced out, on the trays. Flatten each cookie down to just under an inch (just under 2 cm) thick. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are deep golden at the edges, and just cooked through in the centre.
- Serve them with milk, and be happy.
Love the name. It says it all! pinned
Amazing!! These look delicious!!
one of my favorite flavor combinations, ever! these look perfect.
and, NO! shingles! Seriously, boo…I am so glad you are on the mend, though.
If it’s got “big ass” in the name, sign me up girl1
Also, shingles are a bummer. My boss had it and seemed pretty darn miserable. Glad you’re feeling better!
You had me at big and cookie – YUM!! I hope you feel better soon!!
I want all my cookies big like this. So dang good.
Okay, these look SO good. Hope your fully recover soon. :)
Awesome cookies! Can’t wait to make them :)
Also, I had shingles when I was 14. They suck :( Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks Myfanwy! They’re not fun are they? But I’m feeling much better now!
Dang girl, you are KILLING it! pinned and MUST try!
Urgh, shingles suck! Sorry to hear it. These cookies surely helped, my god they look good.
This name!!! Ahh! Gorgeous Chunky !
Ugh, shingles are the worst! I had them in high school and my mom was convinced it was poison ivy. But these cookies look like just the thing to cheer you up!
What kind of peanut butter? Natural? Jiff/skippy? Does it matter? Thanks.
What kind of peanut butter? Natural? Jiff/skippy? Does it matter? Thanks.
Hey Erin! I think either way would work, but I tested these with Kraft peanut butter, which is probably most similar to Skippy/Jiff!
I hope you feel better! What is caster sugar? Can I just use regular white sugar?
Thanks Tony! Caster sugar is a fine grain sugar – not powdered sugar, just a little finer than regular granulated. If you can’t find it, plain old granulated sugar would work easily.
good god these look goooodd
Sorry to hear about the Shingles, I’ve never had it myself (touch wood I don’t want to ever have it) but I know it can be long and painful. Glad to know yours is mild, and surely cookies like this must help! xx
Thanks Sofia! They definitely did help. ;)
I think I might need to eat all of these forever.
ahhhhh I’m so scared of shingles! Hope you’re feeling better!
These cookies look SO DARNED AMAZING! My tastes are very similar to that of a child’s so obviously I’m like YAYYY COOKIECOOKIECOOKIE!!!!
blargh, hope your pox 2.0 sorts itself out in the meantime… and you’re damn right – my 5 and 65 year old self want nothing but big addictive cookies, just like these :)f
I just made these bad boys and while they look AMAZINNNNNG, I was surprised by the lack of flavor. Maybe they just weren’t sweet enough? Somehow I messed these up…anyone else have this problem or have a solution? Thanks!
Oh no, Elise! That’s such a bummer. I’m sorry they didn’t work out for you. They certainly worked deliciously for me. Off the top of my head, I would suggest things like checking to see if you’re using a light or dark brown sugar (dark obviously has more flavour), using good-quality chocolate with about 70% cocoa solids for the best flavour, making sure you’re adding the full teaspoon of vanilla, and using a processed Peanut Butter, instead of a natural one (it stands up better to baking). Other than that, if you prefer a sweeter cookie, feel free to up the amount of sugar in the recipe. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you do!
xx
Sarah.
“This is the kind of baking that I turn to for reassurance and comfort. On those days where I have had enough of the unexpected, the unknown.”
Ha! Yes, this is exactly the reason I made brownies this weekend. I couldn’t face another macaron,
Great Recipe! I believe you may have forgotten to add the step for the addition of vanilla in your instructions. i figured it out but just wanted to give you a heads up.
AAAAAAh, thanks Jeff! Hope you like the cookies!
Sarah!! I have been lost in a work whirlpool and am just now catching up on old blog reading. Shingles??! Girl, let me send you giant cookies and long-distance hugs and way too many trashy DVDs to speed your recovery!
When you say rest the cookie dough, is that overnight in the fridge?
Connie x
Hi Connie – you got it, that’s exactly right.
xx
Sarah
What is Caster sugar?
Hi Alex, Caster sugar is a fine grain sugar – sometimes also known as superfine sugar, it’s just a little finer than regular granulated. If you can’t find it, plain old granulated sugar would work easily.
HI
I was obsessed with these cookies since I saw the pictures.I just made these today and they are really really great.I reduced the amount of sugar,I almost always do that!
just wanted to thank you for the recipe :)
My pleasure – glad you liked it!
oh and I had a question
this was first time I wanted to make brown butter.I heated it about 10 minutes.it was bubbled and foamed but didn’t turn out brown!i was afraid that i’m gonna burn it,so i didn’t heat it more and just used it the way it was.what did i do wrong?
Hi Zahra – it sounds like you were thiiiiis close to browning it! The foam itself won’t change colour, but the liquid underneath will turn a golden brown. If you’re worried about burning it, you can always take it off the heat, check the colour, and then put it back on for a while. But it’s not crucial!
xx Sarah
definitely making these! I’M 31 and just got over a not-so bad case of shingles myself! (I totally empathize).
Hi! Can I leave these longer than overnight in the fridge…like 2 or 3 days? Or would I be better off freezing them in cookie portions and then baking them off as needed?
Hi Linda – I think freezing them would be a better option – the dough might dry out too much with an extended stay in the fridge. xx