Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I have a few solid cookie recipes, so it's not too often that I try something new. But today I was craving something peanut buttery, so my classic chocolate chip just would not do!

 

Grades and I spent this past weekend in Durham and Raleigh North Carolina for a little birthday getaway for me. We totally loaded up on amazing savory foods like gourmet pizza and decadent homemade pasta with meat sauce and italian sausage, so we came back craving something sweet. This little number sure hit the spot. 

This recipe comes from a blog that I love, Brown Eyed Baker. She is wonderful! This cookie is crisp and buttery on the outside and soft, yet delightfully nutty on the inside. And it's totally stuffed with chocolate chunks. Plus this cookie keeps a nice texture and shape which is a big bonus in my book. I hate flat cookies!

I'm an oatmeal lover and found myself wanting a bit more of it than what this recipe delivered. If you are into oatmeal as well, you may want to increase the oats to ¾ cup. I'm planning to do so next time around. 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies 
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Makes about 24 cookies

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2-3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or chunks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine.

On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. 

 

Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

Drop dough on to greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Resist the urge to roll them into pretty little balls. They look best a bit messy and rustic!

Bake for 9 minutes or until the cookies look set in the middle. They taste excellent warm and would be fantastic with ice cream. But if you can wait it out, cool completely and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

And now for some snapshots from my birthday weekend! We visited Duke University on Friday and it was a spectacular sight. We spent the evening wandering through gorgeous gardens and admiring majestic gothic architecture. 

Then we got up early, helped ourself to an extensive breakfast buffet and explored downtown Raleigh, a city with a history centered on Tobacco. It was interesting to see a few of the old cigarette ads and huge factories still scattered through the streets. We even got to join the locals in watching the annual St. Patricks day parade and picked up some delicious apples and sweet potatoes at the Raleigh farmer's market. To top it all off, we got treated like royalty at an adorable italian restaurant—they covered our table in confetti and even gifted me a birthday cannoli!