Thick and Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies {Foodie Friday}

If you are a gluten lovin' fiend like myself, I promise you will love these cookies-but there is no gluten. This is post for my former boss Kelly who is gluten free.

I made these for her a couple times and they were a hit with gluten lovers (or not) of all ages. These taste really similar to a no bake cookie-but there is not oatmeal. Be careful not to over bake them, because they will be really crumbly. For these, it's much better to under bake.

One Year Ago: Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Two Years Ago: Easy Vanilla Buttercream

Thick and Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (gluten-free)

YIELD: about 13 medium-sized cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup + 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS

1.  Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer gritty or granular, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl as necessary.

2. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, and beat to incorporate, 1 to 2 minutes. Dough may be a bit crumbly in pieces, but pieces should all stick together forming a large mound when pinched, squeezed, and pushed together. If your dough seems dry, adding 1 to 2 additional tablespoons of peanut butter will help it combine.

3. Using a 2-inch medium cookie scoop, form dough mounds or roll dough into balls. Place dough on a large plate and flatten each mound with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern on top. Slightly flattening the mounds before baking ensures they don't stay too domed and puffed while baking because this dough, when properly chilled, doesn't spread much; just don't over-flatten. Cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough.

4. Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats, parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray; set aside. Space dough 2 inches apart (8 to 10 per tray) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly under baked in the center. It's tricky to discern if they're done or not because they're so dark, but watch them very closely after 7 minutes. I recommend the lower end of the baking range. Cookies firm up as they cool, and baking too long will result in cookies that set up too crisp and hard

6. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Source: Averie Cooks

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