This recipe makes thick and hearty cookies that resemble those at the famous Levin Bakery. It's important to chill the dough once you have shaped the cookies because this helps them keep their shape in the oven. The almond extract gives them a unique richness and enhances the buttery flavor. There's no messing around with these guys.
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars just until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes so the dough is firm and cold when you put the cookies in the oven.
Put the cookies in a 375 degree oven and set timer for 8 minutes for large cookies, 4 minutes for minis. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes (4-5 for minis) or until cookies appear just set.
Some people like thick cakey peanut butter cookies, some chunky, but I prefer them thin but soft. I bake these until they are just barley set so they maintain a chewy, buttery center with the crackling sugar coating on the outside. As an extra treat, you can stir in chocolate chips- warm from he oven, the molten chips stud the nutty cookie like little coco jewels.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each one is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the peanut butter and beat until just incorporated.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate. Chill 30 minutes.
Using a mini ice cream scoop, roll the dough into balls and toss in sugar until coated. Place on the prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, or the flat bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, gently press each cookie down to barely flatten it - it will form a tall disk shape.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick comes out clean.
When it comes to chocolate cookies, these are my favorite. Rich, deep, dark chocolate highlighted by the luxurious chips buried inside that ooze onto your tongue when they're warm. The cookie itself has a crisp exterior but, if baked properly, a chewy interior. I like to sprinkle a touch of sea salt on top before baking - you'll be shocked by how much it intensifies the flavor of the chocolate.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/2 cup to stir in at the end
1 cup unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 180°C degrees.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Melt semisweet chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.
Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl and mix until combined.
Gradually fold in the flour in two batches until just incorporated.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 8-10 minutes (cookies should be soft).
I admit it, I'm a peanut butter addict. While I prefer a spoonful right out of the jar, cookies are a nice alternative. These are chewy and the Resses nestled in the center melts into a silky chocolate disk that complements the divine sweet & salty bite of the cookie. The sugar coating crystalizes on the outside of the cookie and gives it that mouth-feel I love, each grain of sugar teasing your tongue to come back for more.
Ingredients
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough
36 mini dark chocolate Resses, chilled and unwrapped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.
Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 4 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
