Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got my love of cookies from my dad. Every day of his 100 years of life, he treated himself to a cookie (or two, or three). Usually, the cookies appeared at breakfast alongside his bowl of oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. He enjoyed the home-baked varieties my mom made for him, and he ate his way through many a batch of my (somewhat) failed baking experiments as a child. But his favorites were the little vanilla flavored sandwich cookies he purchased in a cellophane wrapped package from the grocery store.


My father lived a simple life, although a hard-working one, and there weren't many worldly pleasures he enjoyed. He spent his life on the family farm, tending his herd of dairy cows and taking care of his family. And then he took care of his spiritual family, too, for he was a Bishop of a Mennonite congregation in our community.  He kept his priorities straight, loved deeply and was kind to everyone, down to the very last days of his life.

So I'm proud to carry on my father's legacy, cookies and all.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Yields 24 - 26 cookies)

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars together. Add eggs, one at a time and whip just until blended. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

With a medium-sized ice cream scoop, portion out the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 360 degrees F. for 16 minutes, or for smaller sized cookies, bake for about 12 minutes.  (Do not over-bake.) Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Tip:  If you're like me and don't own a convection oven, start your tray of cookies on the lower rack of the oven for the first 6 - 9 minutes, then move to the top rack for the rest of the baking time.