One of our Sunday rituals is a trip to Trader Joe’s, where we scout out cheap wines, load up on produce, and see what’s new in the frozen aisle. Trader Joe’s is always changing things up, but one mainstay (and a personal favorite) is Trader Joe’s Salted Peanut Butter. It took me a while to get used to it because I’m partial to mainstream peanut butters like Jif or Skippy, but now I love Trader Joe’s and don’t really miss the sugar. Plus it works really well for baking. These Peanut Butter White and Chocolate Chunk Cookies are proof!
More sugar usually means more spreading, so in this case I think the sugar that’s missing from the peanut butter helps keeps the cookies nice and thick. In addition, less sugar means more peanut flavor. And finally, since the base dough isn’t quite as sweet, it makes a nice contrast to chunks of white chocolate, which are definitely sweet and which happen to go really well with peanut butter.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces weight)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces weight)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter (5 ounces weight)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces weight)
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (6 ounces weight)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, cut into chunks
- 3 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks
- 2/3 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter and both sugars until creamy. Beat in the vanilla and the eggs.
- Add flour mixture and stir to make a soft dough. Stir in the dark and white chunks, then stir in the peanuts.
- Divide dough into 20 balls and arrange on a parchment or foil lined plate. Chill for an hour, then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies appear set. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and let cool completely
Anna says
October 26, 2014 at 7:46 amHi Kathleen,
Thanks for the comment! I’m really happy you liked the One Bowl Criss Cross because those are one of my old favorites. I’d say the difference between these cookies and the One Bowls are that the One Bowls are a little crumblier, while these are darker, thicker and maybe a little softer. But they are both good. Thanks again for the comment and for the feedback on the cookies.
Kathleen says
October 25, 2014 at 9:55 pmThese look good. But I have to admit that I saw your link for the one bowl peanut butter criss cross cookies and tried those first. They were delicious. So many great recipes here.
Anna says
October 24, 2014 at 7:48 amHi Bob,
I think the key is “unsweetened”. I use the mainstream natural peanut butters (like Jif natural), but they call themselves natural because of the way the peanuts and oil are blended. They still have sugar. For these cookies, I’d recommend a peanut butter that’s made of peanuts, salt and oil (not sugar). I’ve only tested with Trader Joe’s, but I know there are a lot of no added sugar peanut butters out there. And you can still use products like Jif Natural or Skippy Natural or regular peanut butter, but the cookies might not be as thick.
Bob says
October 24, 2014 at 12:16 amAnna – so am I interpreting this right? A natural peanut butter will work for these cookies?
Thanks!
Julie @ HostessAtHeart says
October 23, 2014 at 7:17 pmThese look delicious! Chocolate…Peanut Butter…What’s not to love?