The holidays bring out the inner kid in some, the Scrooge in others and in Mr. S.'s case...the Clark Griswald. I've never dated anyone in my life who loves the holidays as much as he does. Whether it's stringing millions of lights across the bushes, cutting down his own Christmas tree or braving the crazed crowds for the perfect stocking stuffers...he's there. If Christmas had a superhero, he'd be sporting a red cape. He even has a remote to turn the outdoor Christmas lights on and off. I kid you not! (Oddly enough, it resembles a detonator.)
Anyhow, it's taking some getting used to on my part but I'm coming around slowly but surely. In fact, I'm starting to find his rabid enthusiasm for the holidays quite cute. So in the spirit of giving (since I was able to score some fresh eggs from my friend Neal's chickens), I decided to whip Mr. S. up some chewy chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. Now, I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter (I don't hate on it, I just don't go out of my way to eat it) but it's his favorite. So PB & C cookies, it is!
PB &C Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa (I subbed in Ghiradelli Chocolate's Unsweetened Cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar (I like to use baker's sugar, it's smoother)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use the real stuff, not the imitation...it does make a difference!)
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. (I was lazy and used my Kitchenaid mixer...man, I love that thing!) Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.
* Use a Silpat on your cookie sheet if you have one. It makes your cookies cook more evenly and prevents them from burning or sticking to the pan. With my oven, I found that I had to cook the cookies for 10 minutes. So keep an eye on your cookies and adjust your cooking time accordingly.
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