Salted Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies - A Recipe from Scratch

      There are few things more delightful than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, and we found one way to enhance this classic pairing: by transforming it into a cookie. We mixed two types of chocolate with smooth peanut butter to create a distinctive dough, which is then topped with gooey milk chocolate chips and a dash of flaked salt to amplify the cookie's sweetness. This elegant variation on the traditional flavor combo yields incredibly chewy cookies adorned with a crackled surface that are indulgently delicious.

      **Ingredients:**

      - ⅔ cup (170 grams) creamy peanut butter

      - 4 ounces (113 grams) 55% cacao semisweet chocolate, chopped

      - 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cubed

      - ¾ cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour

      - ¼ cup (21 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder

      - 1 teaspoon baking powder

      - ¼ teaspoon baking soda

      - ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

      - 2 large eggs (100 grams), at room temperature

      - ¾ cup (90 grams) confectioners’ sugar

      - ½ cup (110 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

      - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

      - Milk chocolate chips

      - Flaked sea salt, for topping

      **Instructions:**

      1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

      2. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the peanut butter, chopped chocolate, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.

      3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.

      4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until frothy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until the mixture is thick and fluffy, around 4 to 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment; add the peanut butter mixture and flour mixture, and mix on low speed until fully combined, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

      5. Using a 3-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, portion the dough (approximately 53 grams each) and roll it into balls. (The dough will be soft but not sticky.) Place the balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

      6. Bake until the edges are set and the tops appear dry and crinkled, about 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Gently press several chocolate chips into the top of each warm cookie and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool completely on the pans on wire racks. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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