Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

I haven't baked cookies in a while and when I saw this recipe it instantly appealed to me because it promised for the softest cookies ever. Also I thought they looked cool with the light and dark combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

Between the two cookie halves I preferred the chocolate side to the peanut butter and I think that in the future I might just make the chocolate part as its own cookie. However it was fun to bite into the cookie directly in the middle and experience both flavors at once. My family was surprised when I made them and said they could eat all of them, meaning I wasn't baking them for any event or meeting but rather just for us to enjoy. Granted with two different cookies squished together they turned out much larger than my usual cookie but indulgence is nice every once in a while.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies
Note: This recipe makes 3 dozen very large cookies.

For the chocolate dough:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. 
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. 
4. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones. With a spoon or rubber spatula, mix in the milk and then fold in the chocolate chips. 

For the peanut butter dough:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar 
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1¼ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Cream the butter and sugars together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, in that order, and scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour. Then fold in the chocolate chips. 

To Assemble:
Note: I found it easiest to roll out all of the chocolate balls first, then the peanut butter, and then to put them together.

1. Allow both doughs to chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to make assembly easier.
2. Measure out about 2 tbsp of each dough and roll into a ball. 
3. Squish the two balls together and roll into one large ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and place the cookies about 2" apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until they start to crack on top. They may still look a little under baked but it is important to take them out of the oven and leave them on the tray as they will continue to bake and "set up".