Chocolate Chip Nut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chip Nut Butter Cookies

I was having a craving the other day for peanut butter cookies, you know the kind with the little fork cross hatch on the top ?? I wanted to use my own mongrel mixed nut butter (I know it had some walnuts, peanuts, almonds, maybe even a few pistachios, and pecans). I started looking online for recipes. Many of them cautioned me against using fresh peanut butter, what the heck ?? I am sure there were some good reasons, but none of them mattered to me. I finally found this one on the Joy of Baking website and modified it to suit my tastes. You can make them with peanut butter or try a combination of other nut butters, almond, cashew etc...
I decided I wanted chocolate with my cookies but I don't like the way the chocolate chips bake in the cookies or the trouble you have making the fork marks. I love my solution, put the little chocolate suckers on after the mark and before they get baked, that way you can leave some plain if you like.
These cookies were so good, I had trouble keeping them around more than a day.

(Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup  white sugar
3/4 cup  peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) I used my own mixed nut butter.
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups  all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
  some chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). 

• Beat in the nut butter .
•  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. 
• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
• Add Flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. 
• Chill the dough for an hour or more.

• Roll the batter into 1 inch balls. I dipped the top of each ball in the sugar, this made it much easier to do that little fork thing on top. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern. 

• After the fork thing I placed 4-6 chocolate chips. on each cookie.

Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for about a week. Freeze for longer storage.
Makes about 30-35 cookies.