1.10.2011

peanut butter chocolate chip pretzel cookie

The snow keeps falling, and that makes me hungry for a stick-to-your-ribs kind of food cookie.



What comes to mind is chunky and chockablock-full-of-good-stuff.  I had a yummy peanut butter/pretzel/chocolate chunk cookie this past summer at the Hester Street Fair.  The cookie was super crunchy and delicious, but the pretzel was quite hard.  Today's recipe produces a semi-soft cookie filled with chocolate and balanced out with a crisp, salty crunch from the pretzels.



I had some Milk Duds leftover from Halloween, which I threw in,
(caramel is always a welcome addition)



along with a handful of peanuts, a la Hershey's TAKE 5 bar, which I love.

Be sure to flatten the dough balls a bit, otherwise they come out like peanut butter igloos.

Milk Duds gone wild.

I downed my cookies with a huge glass of milk.  Perfect for a snowy day.



Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies


1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
¾ cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (or as I did, ½ cc and ½ Milk Duds)
½ cup pretzels, coarsely chopped
¼ cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the peanut butter.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.  Slowly add in the flour mixture and combine just until the dry mixture is fully incorporated.  By hand, fold in the chocolate chips, pretzels and peanuts.

With a medium cookie scoop (or shaping batter into 1½-inch balls), place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat.  Using a spatula, flatten the ball slightly.  Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.

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