Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

My daughter, who is the official cookie baker in our house, recently tried these yummy cookies from King Arthur Flour. They are tasty, rich, and sturdy- perfect for packing in a lunchbox. They are a dense, but soft cookie and would also be great with a tall glass of cold milk.

P.S. Go check out the King Arthur Flour website, it is chock full of great recipes and great baking items! Here is the link to the original recipe:http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies-recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour (You may want to weigh your flour- you don't want any extra- these cookies are already dense)
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups mini peanut butter cups or peanut butter chips (we used chips)
Note: I was just thinking- you could use a mix of chocolate and peanut butter chips to achieve more of the peanut butter cup taste...

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, line with parchment paper or use Silpat silicone baking liners.

2) Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.

3) In another bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy.

4) Beat in the vanilla, egg, and water, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

5) Stir in the mini peanut butter cups or peanut butter chips.

6) Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each cookie with your hand or the bottom of a glass to about 1/2" thick. - Make sure you press them down; they do not spread.

7) Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Be careful not to overbake. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.