Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Thanksgiving (a bit belated)!

I know, it is 2 days after Thanksgiving and all I’ve got is cookies. But here is the deal. A. I don’t actually care for traditional Thanksgiving food, and since everyone else wants it I rarely cook it. B. My life is totally chaotic right now so I was super excited to let my sister, a fabulous cook and outside the box Thanksgiving meal planner 😉 in her own right, do it instead. C. I brought dessert, but one was a the Ultra lemon Bundt Cake I have already shared and the other was a chocolate caramel shortbread bar I am still trying to perfect and hence not ready to share.

So cookies it is.

But there is nothing mundane about these cookies. This is my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, despite my complete willingness to flirt with other recipes. Based on King Arthur’s Triple Play Peanut Butter Cookies, it is seriously peanutty, which I appreciate, and the sprinkled grey sea salt on top elevates it to new heights. Thick and chewy and just downright delicious.

In an effort to really get back into blogging, I am submitting this to my former Taste & Create partner, Aparna, for the 1 year Sweet Celebration of her blog, My Diverse Kitchen. These cookies make great party fare because they stay so tender and chewy for a long while after baking (days really, but who would wait that long?). Just be sure to warn anyone with peanut allergies! I don’t know about you, but I think December is pretty much synonymous with sweets, so be sure to head over to her blog to check everything else out.

Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from King Arthur Cookie Companion

1 cup (2 sticks, 8 oz) unsalted butter, very softened
1 1/4 cups (11 7/8 oz) creamy peanut butter (I like either all natural or partially natural)
1 cup (8 oz) dark brown sugar
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups (11 1/4 oz) AP flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t table salt
1/2 t coarse grey sea salt plus more for sprinkling
1 cup peanut butter chips, such as Reeces*
1 1/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone.

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until well blended. Add the sugars and cream until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs and the vanilla and blend thoroughly. Stir in the flour and then the chips, being careful to not over-stir.

Using a tablespoons cookie scoop, drop rounds of cookie dough onto the baking sheet–I fit 12 per sheet. Sprinkle some grey sea salt on top of each one. Bake for 11-14 minutes; the cookies are done when they are set and are just starting to brown at the edges. Remove and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

*I personally dislike nuts in baked goods from a textural perspective so I never use them, but obviously if you do like them, chopped roasted salted peanuts would sub in well here.