Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.



In a large bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.



Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.



Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.



Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.



For big, bakery style cookies, drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. For normal size cookies, drop cookie dough 1 tablespoon at a time, about 1-2 inches apart. I always opt for the smaller cookies because I get to eat more, which makes me feel better. I also like to use an actual tablespoon because the cookies are a little more uniform in size. I'm terrible at eyeballing it.





Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.



Makes about 18 large cookies or 32 normal sized.



From AllRecipes

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

These just may be my favorite cookies of all time. I absolutely love chocolate and peanut butter. They are a bit time consuming (you have to unwrap every single peanut butter cup) and you have to have access to Reese's Miniatures, but they are worth the effort. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 package peanut butter cookie mix, prepared or Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookie recipe (see below)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures, wrapping removed

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies (Crisco):
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 stick (or 1/2 cup) Crisco vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Stick the Reese's in the fridge while you get the cookies going. It makes the wrappers come off easier. Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl.



Sorry, my crisco looks like butter because it's butter flavored. It didn't affect the taste at all.

Beat at medium speed until well blended.



Add egg. Beat until just blended.



In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix until just blended.



Refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle. Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Place in mini muffin pan.



Bake one pan at a time 8-10 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. While cookies are baking, unwrap your Reese's Miniatures. When cookies are done, remove from oven and immediately push peanut butter cups into center of each cookie (Peanut butter cups will soften and melt.).







Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Notice some of the Reese's are messed up on top because they got warm in the package. If that bothers you, just wait a couple of minutes after you've poked them down into the cookies. The chocolate will melt a little and you can then smooth out the top.