I laugh about my choice of peanut butter in foods. Most times they occur with a dessert but it always seems to be enhanced with some form of chocolate. From Peanut Butter Blossoms and Chocolate Peanut Butterscotch Crispies to Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips, peanut butter always seems to be in my chocolate. As I was searching the Friends Food Family blog, I did find a Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich, so I do have something that isn't a dessert. This is hardly something to brag about.
I can't take credit for finding these amazing chocolate chunk peanut butter swirl fudge cookies. Jeff's daughter, Kate, found the recipe on a Pinterest board from CD Kitchen. I wasn't paying attention to the recipe when Kate was asking me about freezing the peanut butter. I had to pick up the directions and read them. I had not heard of freezing peanut butter and swirling it into a batter. Neat concept!
Once Kate mixed the batter, she added the frozen peanut butter and swirled. The batter was delicious...chunky chocolate with peanut butter mixed in. After they were baked it was twice as incredible. Imagine eating hot gooey, fudgy cookies with warm melted peanut butter mixed in...say after me...TO DIE FOR!
We made these cookies a few weeks ago and I am making a double batch tomorrow for three good reasons -
1. They are the BEST chocolate and peanut butter cookies I have ever eaten.
2. It's Memorial Day Weekend and we are having a cook-out. I'm thinking of making some chocolate chunk peanut butter swirl fudge cookie ice cream sandwiches. (That was a mouthful.) Any suggestions for an ice cream flavor? I was thinking Browned Butter Ice Cream.
3. Lastly, my two sons are home for a week before they had back to Missouri and Philadelphia. They both love Peanut Butter Blossoms and I bet I can convince them that these are better...and I can pack a few bags for their travels.
Have a happy and safe holiday weekend. Enjoy the people you are with and serve them the BEST Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge Cookies (they will ever eat)!
Ingredients:
1 cup of chunky style peanut butter
1 cup of butter. softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chunks (we use Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet)
1 cup of cocoa powder
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the peanut butter in teaspoonful dollops on a small cookie sheet lined with alumnium foil. Place in freezer for 30 minutes, until firm.
In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.
Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients along with cocoa powder, and chocolate chunks, slowly mixing until just combined.
Drop dollops of frozen peanut butter into dough and turn mixer on for just a few turns of the mixer to get swirls of peanut butter through the dough.
Scoop dough by the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
