Peanut Butter Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks

I feel like I have done a bit of an injustice here by always talking about chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.  To attempt to correct that, you may be wondering why I am here with something that, once again, has chocolate in it.  

I have a very good reason actually.  Okay, so the first one isn't really a reason, more of a justification, but there you go, nonetheless.  

These cookies don't just have chocolate... they have PEANUT BUTTER!  Ta Da!  Yes, I am well aware that was lame, but you know me and you know that is just the way I roll.

These Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookies are easy to make and ridiculously good.  The great thing is that the dough freezes and bakes really nicely right from the freezer, with only a couple of additional minutes added to the baking time.  Since this is probably one of the very first times that milk chocolate has ever made an appearance on my blog you may be surprised that it is what I used in these cookies.  Well, after the other Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies I made a while back, with the very dark chocolate, I decided to see the difference.  It was profound.  The milk chocolate compliments the peanut butter beautifully here, where, in the other cookies, the dark chocolate was really good, but somewhat overpowering.  The tip to NOT try to change the chocolate out came straight from the recipe, and for once I listened.  So, lesson learned, milk chocolate plays nicer with peanut butter here.

So, the REAL reason I am talking about chocolate again is that, since Mother's Day is coming up and all, the wonderful folks over at See's Candies offered to giveaway a $25 gift certificate to one of my lucky readers!  That is right!  I'm not just talking about chocolate, but now you have the chance to get $25 worth of the good stuff - of course, if you are generous and not begrudgingly greedy with chocolate like yours truly then you would actually use it to get something for a Mom in your life (and hey, maybe that is you!).

All you have to do to have a chance to win is to head over to See's website to get some great ideas for Mother's Day Gifts and tell me which is your favorite.  Contest will run until Saturday, 12 PM MST!

Peanut Butter Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks

SOURCE:  Baked

Note:  This dough needs to chill for at least 3 hours so plan your cravings accordingly.

Makes approx. 24 large cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (the only change I made was to use light brown - it was all I had at the time, but can't wait to try with the dark)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

6 ounces good milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

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.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds.  Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate.  Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto 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.

Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a little granulated sugar and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies just begin to brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely (although they are also delicious warm).

The cookies can be stored, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

NOTE:  Since this makes so many cookies I shaped out all the dough (including pressing it down slightly) on a lined baking sheet (don't worry about spacing for freezing) and placed it into the freezer until they were frozen solid.  You can then move them to a freezer gallon ziptop bag and bake a few at a time when you want them.  Straight from the freezer just add a couple of minutes to your baking.

Loaded Chocolate Brownies - See's Candies Review

It will come as absolutely no shock at all when I make the statement that I love chocolate. What may or may not surprise you is the fact that my absolute favorite chocolates are See's. Some of my very favorite memories of working in Downtown Salt Lake City was visiting the See's shop around the corner from our office about once a week during one of our lunch breaks with my cousin to just 'pick up a few things.' It always made the whole week so much better to go in and choose a few of my favorite chocolates and maybe try a sample of something new.

My all time favorite assortment is the Dark Nuts and Chews - a boxed mixture of dark chocolate covered caramels, Scotchmallows and nuts. I love knowing that I can get a box that every single chocolate in it is going to be something fantastic.

I decided to see what would happen if I made some brownie cupcakes and loaded them with some chopped up chocolates, and then topped them off with some toasted marshmallows. Well. The brownies you see below are what happened - and they are really, really good. I also thought it would be fun to use my brownie bite pan and make some little miniature brownies that were just the right size to snuggle back into the box of chocolates with the remaining chocolates that I didn't chop up. It made for a very fun, and delicious, presentation and treat!

I was contacted recently by a representative of See's asking if I would be willing to make something out of one of their products and then blog about it to help let everyone know that their Easter candy becomes available tomorrow (March 16th). Of course I jumped at the chance, but not only because I wanted the chocolates.

I remember, when I was growing up, that while Valentine's Day was fun to get some chocolates or something fun, it was actually Easter that I always wished I would get a really cool Easter basket. For me, Valentine's was more about flowers, but Easter was the time I really wished I would get one of those cool chocolate bunnies, or maybe even a pretty chocolate egg - better yet, one I could decorate myself. Brightly colored, egg shaped wrapped chocolates would have been great too.

Inevitibly, around our house, it was just the generic jelly beans in plastic eggs - which, don't get me wrong, is great too, but I always wished I would have had something a bit more fanciful. So, as for me, this year, I know exactly what I will be putting in Aidan's Easter basket. He is a chocolate loving kid and every time I see his face light up when he see's those chocolate bunnies, I just know that I am going to have to get one for him.

To see all of See's Easter candies and chocolates, visit them online at See's Candies.


Loaded Chocolate Brownies
By Holly, PheMOMenon

Makes 12 Individual Brownies + 24 Bite Size Pieces

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/8 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
7 ounces of assorted dark chocolate covered candies with nuts
1 1/2 cups marshmallows

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line or spray the muffin pan (12 cup or 18 if not making any mini's).

In a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt together the butter and chocolate, stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, mix together the sugars, eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium until well combined and starting to lighten and get fluffy. On low speed, add the cooled chocolate/butter mixture and increase the speed to mix well, about 1 minute.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt. On low speed, add to the mixing bowl and mix just to combine. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chopped chocolates and nuts, just to combine. Fill the muffin cups, or whatever molds you are using, just half full with a scoop of batter.

Bake regular size cupcake portions 20 minutes, or until the surface has a glossy, crackled top. For mini's bake, 10 minutes. If you are using the marshmallows, once the brownies are baked, remove them from the oven and, while still in the pan, top them with a few marshmallows and place the pan back in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes - just enough to puff and lightly toast the marshmallows. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool just enough to handle, then remove the brownies from the pan and let cool completely.