Adam's Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are a few things certain on Sundays. One, we go to church. Two, we take a long nap. Three, Adam gets the cookie bug. Without fail, every Sunday evening the man proclaims he's going to make him some cookies. It doesn't matter if I have made or am making another dessert. The man wants cookies. And even though there are just two of us in the house and we end up giving away (I should call it sharing) three-quarters of all our desserts...I love it. I love that my man bakes himself a darn good cookie.

 

He has his handful of favorite cookie recipes. One from a neighbor growing up, a few from the BAKED NYC and Dorie's BFMYTY cookbooks and others I'm not sure of their origins. He'll make them as is or every once in a while adapt them to his liking. He's also always up for trying a new cookie recipe to mix things up. All always turn out great.

Adam was inspired to make mini chocolate chip cookies after reading my latest issue of Food Network Magazine (May 2011). This issue had a fun article titled "100 Greatest Cooking Tips of All Time." Tip #2 by Jim Lahey of Co. and Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City gave this advice:

"The smaller the item, the higher the baking temperature. For example, I bake mini chocolate chip-toffee cookies at 500* for only four minutes. Perfect end result."

Does that statement blow your mind like it did ours? I mean yes, it's believable. But doesn't it just sound awesome! Five-hundred-freaking-degrees! And for only four minutes. Sign us up! Adam couldn't get it out of his mind. Well, until he made these, that is.

So behold. My sweet husband's first recorded original cookie recipe. I must note these adorable 1 1/2 - 2 inch cookies are delicious. Adam is a sucker for the pb and chocolate combo so he rolled with adding in peanut butter to his creation. Make sure you watch your cookies cause these suckas bake up quickly and you must avoid browning, or rather burning, the tops.

Adam's Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl, and set aside.
3. Mix butter and sugars together in a large stand-up mixer for 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat each egg for one minute after adding. Mixture should now be light and airy.
5. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until peanut butter is fully incorporated.
6. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, one half at a time. After adding the first half, mix on lowest speed until flour is incorporated. Then increase speed until flour disappears. Repeat with the second half of the flour mixture.
7. Remove bowl from standing mixer. Add chocolate chips and mix them in by hand using rubber spatula.
8. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, drop small balls of dough (about 1 1/2-2 teaspoons worth) in rows about 1 1/2 inches apart.
9. Bake cookies on middle rack for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch carefully to make sure top of cookies don't burn. Transfer cookies to wire rack to let cool. Cookies will be slightly gooey in the center. Allow cookie sheet to cool completely before starting another batch.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.