Nothing wins over hearts like peanut butter. It's Valentine's Day and if these cookies don't scream 'i love you' then I'm not sure what does. I'm spending my 14th of February having a girl's night in with junk food and the film Valentine's Day,  just so the six of us will be even more aware of the affection we're not getting. I'll be bringing these along, but I think they also make a quick but meaningful gift for a loved one.

I've had my eye on Deb's salted chocolate chunk cookie recipe for a bit. My sister had made them for some colleagues and came back with rave reviews, which definitely pushed them up my 'to make' list, and when a friend from New Zealand brought us some Whittaker's peanut butter chocolate as a souvenir, I knew it was going to happen. There's just something exquisite about PB and salted cookie, isn't there? Deb's recipe calls for dark chocolate, so I reduced the quantity of brown sugar a little to compensate for my use of milk chocolate. Three types of sugar might seem excessive, and feel free to swap out the raw or white for additional brown sugar but I think it's the combination of them that really contributes the overall taste. And they taste incredible.

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I hope your day is spent with your loved ones whether it be your friends, family or special person.  Make sure to tell somebody that they tickle your pickle ╰(◡‿◡✿╰) 

SALTED PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep: 15 min Cooking: 30min (in batches) Total: 45 min Makes: ~ 13 large cookies

Ingredients

115g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

25g white sugar

25g raw sugar

150 brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp baking soda

A heaping 1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cornflour

220g plain flour

170g peanut butter chocolate (e.g. Whittaker's, Reese's pieces, or alternatively, dark chocolate of your choice), chopped into 1/2 cm-1cm chunks

Sea salt, to finish

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together for 5 minutes until light and creamy.

3. Add in the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.

4. Beat in the baking soda, sea salt and cornflour.

5. Add in the flour, and beat on a low speed until just combined. It will look crumbly as first but should come together.

6. Stir in the chocolate with a spatula.

7. Take 1-1.5 tbsp mounds of the mixture, roll into balls and place them on the baking tray, allowing room for them to spread (about 6 per tray). Top each one with a touch of sea salt. 

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly golden and the centres are still soft.

9. Allow to cool (but they taste incredible warm).