Chocolate & Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

For the holiday season and Cookie Exchanges, this is an ideal cookie that can be made ahead and store the unbaked dough in a log in the freezer.  Just remove the pre-made log and slice and bake.  And this is a favorite combo of flavors, so it has universal appeal with kids and grown-ups.

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 ¼ cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat in the egg.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the cream mixture and set the dough aside.

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1¼ cups flour

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the cream mixture. 

Carefully stir the peanut butter mixture with the chocolate mixture to create the swirl.  Only a few stirs are needed to create the effect.  Shape the dough into 4 logs, 10 inches long and 1 inch wide.  Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.  The logs may also be frozen.

If using a frozen log, slice it frozen into ¼’’ discs and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking pan.  Bake 350 for 6 minutes, or until bottoms are light brown.  Cool 2 minutes before removing the cookies from the pan.  Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.