Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your… Cookies?

I talk through baking. I might as well be mute with all of the cakes and cookies I substitute for conversations! This time, I mixed up a batch of thank-you treats with two mouthwatering ingredients—peanut butter and chocolate chips.   

 

It had been a late night at work. A very late night. I stayed until after midnight, desperately trying to perfect a paper after my boss edited it just after lunch. But as the clock ticked away the hours, I couldn’t think straight. I went cross-eyed from staring at the computer screen, and my tummy rumbled every 5 minutes because it hadn’t been fed for over 8 hours. Two others came to the rescue, so I wanted to thank them for their help—for editing my paper, feeding me Clif bars, and keeping me sane.

 

 

Once I finally got a good night’s sleep (and a little free time), I baked a batch of chocolate chip peanut butter bars. When I handed them the cookie packages at work the next day, one of the guys hugged them to his chest like a little kid and said, “I should help you more often!” All I did was laugh—my words were in the cookies.

 

 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

makes 2 dozen

The original recipe from The Best Light Recipe called for 1 c. of brown sugar, but since I ran out, I substituted white and molasses. The molasses added a deep, delicious flavor, and I just may use it instead of brown sugar in all of my cookie recipes!

1¼ c. flour

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 c. white sugar

1 tbsp molasses

¼ c. peanut butter

½ c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9×9” pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in sugar and molasses, mixing well. Stir in peanut butter.
4. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and stir until just incorporated. Add in chocolate chips, stirring to distribute as evenly as possible.
5. Scrape cookie dough into the prepared pan, and smooth it out to cover the entire bottom using a rubber spatula. Cook at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling, or serve warm.