Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies - made dough April 6, 2018 from Picky Palate

This is a good, basic chocolate chip peanut butter cookie recipe. Easy to make and the dough is easy to shape into balls, roll into sugar and bake. I’m not sure it stands out as head and shoulders above other peanut butter cookies I’ve made but it’s still a good cookie.

The more I bake certain kinds of cookies I’ve made countless times before, I’ve come to believe it isn’t just the ingredients but how you make it that is important. I have my own cookie making technique that I stick too, almost regardless of what the recipe instructions say.

I never beat the butter and sugar as long as most recipes say because the more you beat them, the more air gets incorporated into the mixture and the more likely the cookies will be airy or cakey. I don’t do cakey unless it’s a cake. So I beat just until the two are combined and there are no obvious butter lumps.

I also barely mix the eggs in, just until they’re somewhat incorporated into the batter but not fully because when I add the dry ingredients, the eggs will become more combined into the mixture. You don’t want to beat the batter too much once the eggs are added or you can end up with a meringue-like film or texture on the outside of your cookies.

And you definitely want to mix sparingly once the flour is added to avoid developing the gluten or else your cookies will end up tough rather than chewy. Lastly, of course, I bake the cookies just until the edges are golden and the middles are “not raw”. They’ll continue baking on the hot baking sheet after you take them out of the oven and they will also set when they cool. Never overbake or your cookies will be dry.

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chunks or chips

1. Place butter into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Melt and let bubble until brown bits form at bottom of pan and butter turns a golden brown color, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
2. Place browned butter and sugar into bowl of stand mixer, beating with paddle attachment until combined. Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter until combined. Gradually add flour, salt and baking soda, mixing on low speed until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Portion dough into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Evenly space dough balls on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges have set and middles are no longer raw. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack and letting cool completely.