These cookies are the magical result of excess ingredients. I had a bulk buy of peanut butter that was approaching it’s best by date. And I always have plenty of rolled oats and chocolate chips – so they all came together in these cookies. I test my baked goods on a wide audience – from teenage boys and my gardeners to my fellow volunteers at Smartworks. And of course the Davinator, who’s never met a cookie he didn’t like. A European colleague said the taste of peanut butter was well balanced and didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients.

These cookies are quick and reliable – great if you realise after dinner you need to supply treats to the office the next day. My base recipe assumed American peanut butter (sweeter and higher in fat than European) and American butter (slightly lower in fat than European). I used a standard smooth UK peanut butter brand ‘Sunpat’ and unsalted butter. If you use organic or speciality peanut butter you may not get as smooth a dough because the peanut butter is less homogenised.

If you’ve preheated the oven and softened your butter – you can put this recipe together in less than 15 minutes, and each tray takes 12 to 14 minutes to bake. It makes about 36 cookies. You can make a double batch but it might challenge your mixer.

Let’s get baking.

Prep steps

• Preheat oven to 175C (160C if fan)
• Line baking trays with parchment or silicon – you can recycle the trays but if you have enough trays, it’s good for them to be completely cool when you drop the cookie dough on them

• 

• 

Ingredients

• 110 grams rolled or porridge oats (not instant oatmeal but otherwise tolerates most types of oats)
• 125 grams plain white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 115 gram unsalted softened butter
• 125 smooth peanut butter
• 100 grams caster sugar
• 110 grams brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 175 grams chocolate chips (your choice, milk, dark, semi-sweet, white)

Instructions

1. Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Stir well.
2. Put the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Give this as long as it needs to be lump free and uniform texture.
3. Beat in the caster sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until well blended.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, about 1/3 at a time and beat until incorporated.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Drop by generous rounded tablespoons onto the cookie sheets.
7. Place in the oven for about 13 minutes. If you have two or more sheets in the oven rotate them half way through the cooking time.
8. Keep an eye on the first batch – if they spread out promptly take no further action. If they don’t spread out in 2 or 3 minutes, pull them from the oven and tap the top of each dough ball with a metal spoon to encourage them to flatten. If necessary for the first batch, then squish subsequent batches before you put them in the oven.
9. They will turn golden brown – move to a wire rack or laid out tea towels to cool immediately. Try to let them cool before eating – burning the inside of your mouth with a cookie is an embarrassing injury.

Thank you for reading the blog and trying the recipes. Please share photos of your baking and tag me @mamadolson on Twitter and Instagram.

Happy baking.