Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are a version of my Mom's Christmas Box Peanut Butter cookies I used to make with my Mom a lot when I was a kid. We made them without the chocolate chips and made the traditional criss-cross pattern on the top with the tines of a fork. My husband is a huge fan of peanut butter with chocolate, so I decided to make this treat a little more interesting with the addition of chocolate chips. I like these cookies even better now!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1) In a large bowl, mix shortening, butter, and sugars with electric mixer on medium until blended. Then add eggs and mix on low until blended well.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to other ingredients in large bowl and mix by hand until combined well. Then mix in chocolate chips. Cover and chill. (I didn't need to do this because my dough held together really well.)

3) Heat oven to 375 deg. F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2-3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Press to flatten to about 2 inches wide with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup.



4) Bake 7-9 minutes or until set but not hard. Cookies firm up and brown more once out of the oven, so take them out earlier than you think you need to.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

To make regular peanut butter cookies, omit chocolate chips, and use a fork dipped in flour and flatten the dough balls to 2 inches wide. Bake the same. You could also try rolling the dough balls in coarse or turbinado sugar to cookies before flattening with a fork. I haven't tried that with this recipe, but I did do it with a pecan ball recipe and it made the cookies really yummy and they had a nice sweet crunch on the edges.



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Rice Crispy Treats and Variations

These are so easy and cheap to make and great for kids. You can make them fancier by drizzling chocolate on top or using flavored marshmallows or flavored cereal such as Fruity/Cocoa Pebbles. You can also mold them into shapes or use cookie cutters to cut them out and decorate them with icing and candies.



Rice Crispy Treats

3 tbs. butter
1 pkg. (10oz. about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups crisp rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
vegetable cooking spray

1) Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2) Add crispy rice cereal and mix it quickly before it starts to stiffen up. Stir until well coated.

3) Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 X 9 pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2 in. squares when cool.

Yield: 24 squares

Microwave directions: In microwave safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows at HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above.


Here's the Fruity Pebbles Treats. These are a sugar rush!


This is the Cocoa Pebbles Treats version. This is my favorite.



Oat Bar Variation:

Instead of using crisp rice cereal, use toasted oat cereal (Cheerios). To make it healthier, you can add 1 cup of dried raisins or cranberries.



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Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pan Variation

Save yourself a bunch of money and don't buy the prepackaged dough. It costs a fortune and you get a fraction of the cookies. Besides, what a fun way to spend with the kids while making a fresh batch of chocolate chips cookies. The best part is the dough! Oh, I know it's really bad, but I like to freeze the dough and eat it frozen. You can also take the dough, freeze it, break it into chunks and mix it in vanilla ice cream and voila, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Icecream. It tastes so much better than the pre-made cookie dough icecream and you can control how big of dough pieces you get. So yummy!

Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1) COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 375-degree F. oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies (We make bigger cookies and cook them a little longer.)



PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Prepare dough as above. Spread into greased 15 x 10 jelly-roll pan. (I use a lasagna pan.) Bake in preheated 375-degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen bars. (Mine doesn't go as far because we like BIG bars!)



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Basic Cookie Dough - Very versatile

This basic cookie dough recipe is great because you can make a bunch of different cookies easily with one basic recipe. One of my favorite variations is to add 3/4 cup dried cranberries, 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Gourmet cookies easily and cheaply!

Basic Cookie Dough

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups desired add-ins

1) Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2) Put butter and sugars in a bowl and cream with electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time; mix until combined. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Then mix in desired add-ins.

3) Drop batter by heaping tablespoon for each cookie, 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake, switching positions of sheets about halfway through, until golden brown 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (Keep an eye on it so they don't burn.) Let stand for 2 minutes and then transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Suggested add-ins:

chocolate chips
oats
dried cranberries
peanut butter chips
white chocolate chips
pecans
walnuts
dried cherries
raisins
toffee bits
M&M's
almonds
shredded coconut
Reeses pieces

Be creative. If you want more than one ingredient add-in, mix and match, but don't exceed the 2 cup add-in measurement.



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Very Best Brownies And Variations

This is a picture of my Mocha Chocolate Chip Brownie variation. I just combined the two.

These brownies require no more work than using a box mix and the flavor is better and you can customize them any way you like. I've given many recipe variations below from the basic brownie recipe. Save some money and make them from scratch from common household ingredients. You'll never want the box stuff again! These are super-easy and economical.

Very Best Brownies

1/2 c. vegetable oil (1 cup)
1 c. sugar (2 cups)
1 tsp. Vanilla (2 tsp.)
2 eggs (4 eggs)
1/2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour (1 cup)
1/3 c. cocoa powder (2/3 cup)
1/4 tsp. Baking powder (1/2 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. Salt (1/2 tsp.)
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional (1 cup)

Blend oil, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs; beat well using spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in nuts if desired. Spread into a greased 9 in. square pan. Bake at 350* for 20 to 25 min. or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Cool in pan. Cut into squares.

To double recipe: Use amounts in parentheses. Spread into a greased 13 X 9 in. pan. Bake at 350 deg. for 30-35 min. or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Keep an eye on it because oven cooking times will differ.

Turtle brownies

Make brownies as above, but when cooled drizzle melted caramel and chocolate on top and sprinkle on chopped pecans.

Praline-Iced Brownies

Use double recipe above.
5 tbs. butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbs. vanilla extract
2 tbs. water
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Make the double recipe of the brownies above and cool. In 2 quart saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium-low heat until mixture has melted and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. With wire whisk, beat in vanilla extract and water; stir in confectioners' sugar until smooth. With small metal spatula, spread topping over room-temperature brownies; sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Use double recipe above.
4 oz. room-temperature cream cheese
2 tbs. room temperature butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tbs. all-purpose flour

Before transferring the batter to the pan, prepare cream cheese mixture. Mix the cream cheese with butter. Whisk in sugar, egg, and flour. Alternately spoon chocolate batter and cream cheese mixture into pan; with the tip of a paring knife, swirl to marble. Bake as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Use single brownie recipe and add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into batter instead of nuts or 1 cup of chocolate chips for double recipe. Bake as recipe directs.

Mocha Brownies

For single recipe of brownies above, add 2 tsp. instant espresso powder of instant coffee granules to oil, sugar, and vanilla mixture (Use 4 tsp. for double recipe). Make sure it's well blended. Continue recipe as directed.



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