Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

There’s no better way to start the day than to wake up, turn on some She & Him, and bake a fresh batch of cookies.  Seriously, can you think of anything that could go wrong if you start your day like that?  I don’t think it’s possible to have a bad day with freshly baked cookies in the house.

These particular cookies are oldies but goodies.  Once upon a time, the Philadelphia Inquirer printed a recipe titled “Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies.”  My mom cut out the recipe and kept it for years.  My sisters and I then baked it for years.  Eventually, the newspaper clipping got old, and my mom transferred the recipe to these great handwritten cookbooks that she made for each of us.  There’s something about a handwritten recipe that just can’t be replaced, you know?

Anyway, calling these cookies “outrageous” seemed, well, outrageous, so my family settled on the title “Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies,” which is also kind of a mouthful.  Luckily, the cookies are super simple to make.  It’s a one-bowl recipe that requires no mixers or gadgets, just a few minutes of your time, and a little bit of elbow grease.  The cookies are filled with oats, chocolate chips, and peanut butter.  When I stopped eating eggs, we replaced the one egg with a banana, and it worked wonderfully.  I mean, who doesn’t love bananas with peanut butter?

So pull up a chair, grab a glass of your favorite kind of milk, and chow down on these classics.  See?  Your day is looking great already.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen (less for bigger cookies)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 stick margarine or butter at room temperature (I use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)

1/2 cup peanut butter (either creamy or crunchy works)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ripe banana (or 1 egg, if you don’t care about it being vegan)*

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant oatmeal, real rolled oats)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

*The banana doesn’t have much of a strong taste in these cookies.  The big difference here between using the banana vs. an egg is that the cookies tend to flatten and spread out more as they bake when using an egg.  If you’re using a banana and you want flatter cookies, you need to pat down your cookies before putting them into the oven.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

1.  Mash the banana in a large mixing bowl with a spoon or a fork (the riper the banana, the easier it is to do this).  Add the sugars, margarine, peanut butter, and vanilla to the bowl and mix until everything is well combined (it takes just a minute or two of elbow grease).

2.  Mix in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.  Stir until everything is just combined, then add in the chocolate chips and mix again.

3.  If you need to, grease your cookie sheet.  Portion out your dough using your favorite method.  I usually take a spoonful of dough and use a second spoon to push the dough onto a cookie sheet.  Using an ice cream scoop also works, and it helps keep the cookies the same size.

You can make your cookies as big or as little as you want, as long as all the cookies on a single tray are about the same size.  Also make sure to leave room between the cookies so they have room to spread (and read the note above about using a banana vs. an egg)

4.  Bake for about 15 minutes (will vary slightly depending on cookie size) until golden brown.  Allow the cookies to cool slightly, then transfer them onto a cooling rack.  Once the cookies have reached room temperature, you can put them in a zip top bag.  Cookies will stay good for about a week either on the counter top or in the refrigerator, or for several months in the freezer.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Enjoy!