First up, soft peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and the science of creaming.
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 | | Week 1: Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Creaming Method | | Peanut butter and chocolate are old lovers, a timeless combination destined to come together again and again (and again). This recipe showcases them at their very best: in a wonderfully soft, tender, slightly chewy cookie. Before we dive into the recipe, let's talk a little bit about a mixing technique called creaming method: the mixing of sugar and room-temperature butter to create air pockets that allow the cookie to rise and spread to perfection. | | In the world of baking, how and when you mix your ingredients determines how your cookies, cakes, and breads turn out. Baking is, after all, a kind of science project. With cookies specifically, how you cream your sugar and butter determines how much your cookies spread, how soft they turn out, even how many cookies you end up with. | | You can use a stand or hand mixer or, with (a lot) more effort, hand tools. You're going to mix your room-temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until your mixture becomes light and fluffy. That could be anywhere from two to five minutes. You don't want to mix at high speed or for too long. You'll end up with tough, collapsed cookies. | | What you're essentially doing is forcing air to get caught in a web of fat and sugar. In the oven, these little air pockets will become filled with carbon dioxide from baking powder and baking soda, allowing them to expand the way cookies were meant to. | | Some things to keep in mind: a properly creamed dough uses softened, not melted, butter. You want to be able to press your finger into it but still have some resistance. Too-warm butter won't retain any of that crucial air. You'll also want to scrape down the bowl at least once during the creaming process, to ensure all of the mixture is getting creamed together. | | Next week, we'll dive into everything rolling and cutting cookies. Until then, let's get into our first batch of scrumptious cookies. Don't forget to let us know how they turned out in the comments section of our recipe page! | | | | | | | | | | |
 | - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed*
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semisweet or milk chocolate)
| | *Measuring tip: packing sugar helps get rid of air pockets and allows you to create a more standard measure, so that you can achieve the same exact texture every time you make this recipe. | | | | | | | | Let's Make a Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie | | | | | 2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. | | | | | | 3. Cream butter and peanut butter together in a large mixing bowl. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy. | | | | | | 4. One at a time, beat in the whole egg, the egg yolk, and the vanilla. | | | | | | 5. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until fully blended. Fold* in the chocolate chips with a spatula. | | | | | | 6. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. | | | | | | 7. Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop, scoop 2-tablespoon-sized mounds of the dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Lightly press each cookie a few times with the tines of a fork. | | | | | | 8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned around the edges. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy! | | | | | | *The word "folding" sounds fancy, but it's just a gentle way to combine ingredients. Instead of stirring, gently lift some batter up with a spatula and draw it over your other ingredients. Doing it gently will help you minimize the amount of air you squish out of the batter. | | | | | | | More Cookie Recipes to Try | | | | | | | | | | | The Spruce Eats on YouTube | | | | | | | | | This Week's Baking Essentials | | | | | |
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