Salted Peanut Butter Cookies

*Jill pointed out in the comments I never said anything about the final product- LOVED these cookies!

My sweet friend, Jill, sent me this recipe from Orangette on 6 Oct. 2011.  She said this lady is a great writer and from reading her cookbook, she started to read her blog, too.  Anyway, I love cookies, and I love salt, and I love peanut butter, so it was a must-make for me.  Unfortunately, I did not have the exact ingredients on had, so I made notes of where I made changes.

• 240 grams (2 cups plus 1 tsp.) pastry flour                                                                                {I used normal flour}
• 5 grams (1 tsp.) baking soda
• 12 grams (1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.) kosher salt                                                                                    {I used normal salt}
• 275 grams (2 sticks plus 3.5 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature                 {I used margarine form the fridge}
• 200 grams (about 1 ¼ cup, packed) dark brown sugar                                                         {I don’t like dark brown, so I used light}
• 170 grams (¾ cup plus 2.5 Tbsp.) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 400 grams (1 ½ cup) natural salted creamy peanut butter                                                 {I had crunchy Skippy on hand}
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract                                                                                                                             {I used vanilla bean paste- wow!}
• 170 grams chopped milk chocolate                                                                                               {I used American milk and peanut butter chips}

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the pastry flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk well.
3. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (You can also do this by hand, with a sturdy spoon.) Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.  {I used my cruddy 4-pound mixer and it worked out….I so miss my Kitchen Aid!}
4. Using an ice cream scoop – mine has a capacity of about ¼ cup – scoop the batter onto the prepared sheet pan, taking care to leave plenty of space between cookies. (I limit it to six cookies per pan; if you add more, they run together.) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and pale golden around the edges, but their tops have no color. (The cookies will not look fully baked, and this is important! The chewy texture of these cookies depends on it. They’re not nearly as good when baked until golden and crisp.) Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan. They will firm up as they cool. (Also, they taste better when fully cooled. Promise.)
5. Repeat with remaining dough.

Note: This dough freezes beautifully. Actually, I like the texture of these cookies best when they’re baked from frozen. Scoop the dough onto a sheet pan and freeze until hard; then transfer the dough mounds to a freezer bag or other airtight container. Do not defrost before baking, and plan to add four or five minutes to the baking time.

Yield: about 20 large (4-inch) cookies

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