Rachael Ray

Last night I invented a new cookie.  I am on a peanut butter kick, obviously, but to me it’s worth nothing if it isn’t paired with chocolate, the darker the better.  But last night I decided to experiment a little and came up with a few variations on the chocolate peanut butter cookie.

Here’s the basic recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 10-ounce bag of peanut butter chips (I like Reese’s)

Instructions:

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Heat oven to 375°F.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well.

Stir together flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.

Last night I tried a few other mix-ins in addition to the peanut butter chips.  I added dried cherries and toasted walnuts in one batch, raisins and dried cranberries in another and macadamia nuts in a third.  My favorite was the dried cherry/walnut/peanut butter combo but they are all good.  The key here is not to overbake because the next day they tend to dry out a bit.