Description
Delicious chocolate peanut butter cookies combining rich cocoa and creamy peanut butter for a soft, flavorful treat that’s easy to make and perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening or butter flavored shortening
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (scoop and sweep only, do not pack)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature for baking cookies.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, combine shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the mixture is well blended. Then add the egg and beat just until incorporated.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to evenly distribute the leavening and cocoa.
- Combine mixtures: Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture at low speed on your mixer. Mix just until blended to avoid overworking the dough.
- Form cookies: Drop heaping tablespoonsful of dough about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Use the tines of a fork to slightly flatten the dough in a crisscross pattern for classic peanut butter cookies appearance.
- Bake and cool: Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until they are set and just beginning to brown. Avoid overbaking to keep them soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- You can substitute butter for the shortening, though it may slightly change the cookie texture.
- Measure cocoa powder carefully by scooping and sweeping—not packing—to maintain correct dough moisture.
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure uniform cookie size and even baking.
- Do not overbake; cookies will remain soft and chewy if removed as soon as they begin to brown.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
