Bake

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

by:
December 23, 2019
4.6
25 Ratings
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo by Rocky Luten. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop Stylist: Sophie Strangio.
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes 10 cookies
Author Notes

I love pools of chocolate as much as the next cookie monster, but boy am I sick of chopping bars! And juggling bowls. And chilling dough. And sprinkling flaky salt just so. This cookie recipe returns to a simpler time when everything is mixed by hand in one bowl and the baking happens right away. Plus, best of all, it uses actual chocolate chips. If it’s been a while, I encourage you to rediscover how delightful a slightly melted chip can be.

The big twist here is black cocoa powder, the cocoa du jour in baking circles right now. It adds a bitter edge to cut through the sugary base and rich peanut butter notes. It also adds a stunning, coal-black backdrop for the chocolate chips to sparkle.

And do they sparkle.

The other night, I brought a container of these cookies on the subway. The woman sitting next to me asked if I made them and we chatted for a bit. At one point I said, “…is this weird? Do you want one?” She eagerly pulled a rinsed-out salad container from her bag and I gave her one. When I opened the lid to hand over the cookies, the woman sitting on my other side said, "Oh my god, those smell incredible. Can I buy one off of you?" So I gave her one, too (without charge, of course).

I loved that these cookies, a throwback in their own way, brought a few New Yorkers together on a cold, random night on the subway. —Casey Elsass

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-natural smooth peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup black cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Set racks in the center and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. Add the butter and peanut butter to a small skillet and set over low heat. Use a rubber spatula to stir occasionally, as the butter melts and the peanut butter softens, to form a cohesive mixture. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Pour in the melted butter mixture and whisk to form a smooth, cohesive paste, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk again for about 2 minutes, until well incorporated and slightly aerated.
  4. Add the black cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Use a rubber spatula to fold and fully combine. Add the flour and chocolate chips. Fold again, until just combined.
  5. Use a 1 1/2–ounce cookie scoop, or three tablespoons, to portion the dough onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each scoop. Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating and turning the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and slightly spread.
  6. Remove the sheets from the oven. Lift one of the sheets a few inches above the counter and let it drop. Repeat three more times to flatten and spread the cookies. Repeat with the other sheet. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheets.
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29 Reviews

MBE
MBE October 30, 2024
I love black cocoa and this combo of it and peanut butter is delicious. But 10 cookies!!! I used a #60 scoop (1 Tbsp) and they were just the right size and more for sharing. I've never flattened a cookie after baking but it worked well. They would make a great Halloween cookie with a spider web.
 
Amy
Amy March 29, 2024
These are sooo good. I have made them quite a few times since finding the recipe. If anyone is interested in an even faster version minus scooping, I recently baked this dough in a 9 inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Served warm with vanilla ice cream and everyone lost their minds. If you want to turn cookies into bars or one large cookie, the rule of thumb, according to KAFlour, is the dough should come up 3/4 to 1 inch high on the sides of the pan you use. The baking time is 2.5 times the original cookie baking time. This recipe says 12 minutes, but in my oven, 10 was perfect, so I went with 25 minutes for the tart pan. I think an 8 inch round pan would work great too. 8x8 square is a bit too big for this. If you want to use a large skillet, I would double the recipe.
 
Mother D.
Mother D. January 13, 2023
I would like to add rolled oats to this. Do you think I reduce the flour to 1/4 C, add 3/4 C rolled oats, and still have them spread & turn out correctly?
 
MimiMia
MimiMia June 12, 2022
This is my first time using the black cocoa and this recipe is amazing! So simple, quick and they turned out perfectly! I think this is my new favorite cookie. Perfect amount of sweetness. I made it as written except I used about 1/4 cup peanut butter chips and same amount of milk chocolate chips. I used about an 1/8 cup for each cookie and got 18 cookies.
 
Heidi A.
Heidi A. March 28, 2022
We love these! Easy to make and easy to eat. I have frozen the dough but they bake better with fresh made dough.
 
cocoloco
cocoloco November 6, 2021
Didn't spread as much as the photos would suggest which is strange because there's no chilling stage. More of a cookie/brownie hybrid - chewy and yummy. Would have preferred a more classic crispy chew but it still turned out well.
 
jonne
jonne April 4, 2021
A superstar recipe! Will be making this a lot!
 
Melanie
Melanie November 23, 2020
These are so easy and so good!
 
julieray13
julieray13 July 24, 2020
Consistently excellent. Also made with white chocolate chips at my son's request, and also delicious. I get comments like "these are the best cookies I've ever tasted!" Enjoyed and inspired by Amanda's video!
 
Michelle
Michelle July 21, 2020
I watched these cookies being made on IG and just knew I had to try them in a GlutenFree version. Best cookie I have ever made - I used regular cooking cocoa but will look for Black Cocoa. My glutenFree/SoyFree/DairyFree/NutFree customers request this cookies ALL the time! Win Win!
 
beanieweenie
beanieweenie May 27, 2020
Loved the flavor! Will definitely be making them again. Mine turned out a bit flat/thin (any tips to make them thicker/fluffier?). I did use almond flour instead of all purpose flour which could have been the issue.
 
fearlessem
fearlessem May 21, 2020
These are my new favorite cookies -- outrageously good. I thought the first batch I made was just a little greasy, so tried a second batch using 6 Tbs of butter rather than 8 and thought that was perfect!
 
fearlessem
fearlessem May 21, 2020
Editing to add that I used about 2 Tbs for each cookie and got 11 out of a batch... 11 doesn't seem like nearly enough, but these are rich rich rich.
 
judy N.
judy N. May 4, 2020
o.m.g. these cookies are awesome! My 16 yo son has been making at least one-two batches a week with me since corona lockdown started (6 weeks) - I make them smaller than the recipe suggests (a rounded tablespoon) and I used good quality regular cocoa powder - since that's what we have. Banging them to flatten them works. So good.
 
Linda V.
Linda V. April 24, 2020
Amazing!! They are easy and delicious. Freeze well also, so I won't eat them on the first day. Definitely passing this one on!!
 
Camille
Camille April 22, 2020
Incredible! Doubled the recipe, made with 1/2 regular (dutched) cocoa powder and 1/2 black cocoa powder, used Trader Joe's smooth natural PB, used a 1 1/2 tbsp scoop so mine were a bit smaller than recipe recommends but that's probably better for my health since I ate so many! Our new favorite one bowl cookie in this house.
 
Holly
Holly April 20, 2020
Wow. These were so good. I used regular cocoa and I used almond butter. So decadent. Amazing. I had four today😳!!
 
Yogigirl
Yogigirl April 19, 2020
My new favorite cookie. I used Dutch chocolate and chunky peanut butter because it’s what I had and threw in some walnuts. Sprinkled with coarse salt. Yummy!
 
fearlessem
fearlessem May 21, 2020
Oooh, I bet chunky PB would be really good in these!
 
Jenny
Jenny February 24, 2020
These are so good! I doubled the recipe and used vanilla paste instead of extract (1:1) they're very rich & satisfying without being too sweet. The amount of salt is just perfect to help level out the sweetness and the peanut butter flavor is barely detectable. So very good!
 
kmb
kmb February 21, 2020
These are dangerously delicious. I doubled the recipe and used a two tablespoon scoop to get a bigger yield for an event. I mixed them by hand with a silicone spatula and added all the dry ingredients at once instead of cocoa then the rest. I also only banged the pans once as I took them out of the oven and they spread nicely.
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin December 31, 2019
These cookies are fab. I used the stand mixer. And regular cocoa. And chunky pb. Made 20 balls. Baked about 12 min. Delicious!