Description
Delicious and rich Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies that combine the creamy texture of peanut butter with the deep flavor of cocoa. Perfectly chewy with a crisscross fork pattern on top, these cookies are quick to prepare and bake, making them a great treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup shortening or butter flavored shortening
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (scooped and swept, do not pack)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it’s ready when your cookie dough is prepared.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the shortening, creamy peanut butter, light brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended and creamy. Add the egg and beat just until blended.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to ensure they are well mixed and free of lumps.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture at low speed, mixing just until blended to avoid overworking the dough.
- Shape the Cookies: Drop heaping tablespoonsful of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets using a cookie scoop or spoon. Flatten each cookie slightly with the tines of a fork in a crisscross pattern for the classic look.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until the cookies are set and just beginning to brown. Be careful not to overbake to keep the cookies chewy.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute butter for shortening, but expect a slightly different texture.
- Measure cocoa powder carefully by scooping and sweeping to avoid packing, which can create a dry dough.
- Using a cookie scoop helps keep evenly sized cookies and consistent baking.
- Do not grease the baking sheets; cookies bake better on ungreased surfaces for this recipe.
- Don’t overbake the cookies to retain a moist and chewy texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
