Make these popular timeless cookies, especially during the holiday season. They are the perfect balance between chewy and crumbly, soft and slightly dense in a good way.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven. Position the oven rack in the middle. I suggest baking one tray at a time
Prepare the cookie dough:
Whisk all the dry ingredients together to combine. Set aside
Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl. Use a sturdy or wooden spatula to beat until the butter is creamy. You don't need a mixer. Add peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar and beat again until creamy. Add the egg and beat until combined and creamy
Add the dry ingredients and mix until no streak of flour is seen. Don't overwork the cookie dough too much
Shaping:
Scoop about 2 Tbsp of sugar (you may need more )into a little bowl to coat the cookie dough
Scoop about 1 Tbsp of cookie dough (about 15 grams) and roll into a dough ball and coat in sugar (if baking on the same day). Place them on a cookie sheet, about 12 per baking sheet, about 2 inches apart
To bake later:
Don't coat the cookie dough in sugar yet. Place all the dough balls on a baking sheet. They can be close together as long as they aren't touching each other. Flash freeze for about 30 minutes. They are partially frozen and won't stick to each other anymore. Transfer to a freezer bag, push all the air out and seal. They can be kept frozen for one month
To bake on the same day:
Place the baking sheet ( I recommend baking one tray at a time) on the positioned rack for 12 minutes. The edges should be just lightly brown but the center is still very soft. Do not overbake these cookies. If your cookie dough has been kept frozen for a while, just add 2-3 minutes extra (monitor closely to avoid overbaking)
Immediately when they are out of the oven, press the chocolate pieces or miniature candy bar on top of each cookie. They are still very very soft at this point, and that's how it should be. When the chocolate is still melty from the warm cookies, I added some crushed peppermints on top (this is totally optional)
Let them cool down on the pan for at least 15 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely
Storage:
Let the cookies cool down completely. Baked cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for about 3-4 days
For longer storage, store them in the freezer bag. They can be kept frozen for up to one month. Simply thaw at room temperature before serving.