Peanut butter cravings

I can't pinpoint exactly when it started but I've got this fairly constant peanut butter craving that just won't go away.  I've always been more of a Nutella girl but lately, I've been reaching for the peanut butter a lot more often. 

Soft peanut butter cookies - crunchy PB and chopped salted peanuts boost their flavor

So what's a girl to do but make some peanut butter cookies.  I find that when I crave something, I should go ahead and have it or I'll just obsess about it and end up way over indulging.  So I've been eating peanut butter a few times a week and my favorite way of getting that PB kick is to it spread it on a toasted whole wheat English Muffin, which I genuinely prefer over regular.  It might not make a lot of sense but I spread the chunky variety over the already crunchy toasted English Muffin because I love lots of crunch and texture (okay...I sometimes mix a little creamy PB in there to make sure I've got every nook and cranny covered).  That love of texture partly explains this cookie I ended up with, which has crunchy peanut butter and also chopped salted peanuts thrown into the mix.

When I thought about peanut butter cookies, I considered whipping up a batch of proven favorites like these but you know something...?  I'd never had a traditional, pure, peanut butter cookie before - the kind with the classic crosshatch imprint on top - so I thought it was time to see if I've been missing something.  I've heard that classic peanut butter cookies like the kind I'm talking about can be dry, which is not something I want to hear about a cookie so I went in search of a recipe that promises a soft, chewy outcome.

The cookies I ended up with is something of a marriage between two recipes.  It's based largely on the recipe in David Lebovitz's cookbook as well as a recipe I recently came across in a magazine from America's Test Kitchen.  I also looked at the version from Flour Bakery, a recipe I tagged a while ago.  Ultimately, those 3 recipes weren't radically different.  The major differences came down to creamy vs. crunchy peanut butter, a slight difference in leavening, and in one case adding nuts.

I started with David Lebovitz's recipe because it clearly promised soft and chewy cookies.  I liked that, unlike other recipes, it calls for melted butter.  It made me think of a soft, gooey brownie, which usually starts the same way.  Instead of creamy peanut butter, I went with the other recipes' version using crunchy.  My husband and son both prefer creamy but I'm all about the super chunk.  I used a little more salt than the recipe suggests and, most importantly, intead of using just peanut butter, I did as America's Test Kitchen and incorporated finely chopped salted peanuts.  The total amounts were 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts.  If you opt out of the chopped nuts (particularly if you prefer using creamy PB), I'd go closer to one full cup of peanut butter to make sure I have enough PB flavor.

I probably put a little too much thought behind what should be a simple peanut butter cookie but I think it paid off (plus, that's just how I am).  These cookies had crunchy peanut butter flavor and texture, wrapped up in a soft and chewy package.  Overall, I think I orchestrated a compatible "arranged marriage".

Ultimately, I'm very glad I went with the crunchy peanut butter and added salted peanuts.  The bits of nuts really reinforced the peanut flavor and add texture while the extra salt gives the cookies more dimension so that it's not just a sweet cookie with a peanut butter profile.  So I say go crunchy and add more peanuts!