Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies




These �cookies� are essentially molded pieces of peanut butter shortbread �sand�. They are so delicate that they crumble into a pile of fine �sand� with the slightest jolt. I made sure the butter got to room temperature thoroughly and was very soft before I mixed it really, really well with the peanut butter (Santa Cruz Organic unsalted creamy dark roasted) and then with the AP flour-sugar-salt mixture. I did sift the AP flour (as per the �updated page�), and mixed everything by hand. I formed the dough into a roll of about 2-inches in diameter before refrigerating overnight.

I cut the dough into discs ranging from � to � inch thick to bake. I first baked them for 13 minutes. They were extremely delicate still after letting them cool for 45 minutes. So I stuck them back into the preheated oven for another 5 minutes just to see if they�d achieve any kind of strength. It was no help.

I was barely able to transfer them (after having letting them cooled a second time) onto a plate without any disintegrating in the move. They can barely be picked up by hand without falling apart. I was saved only because my steel cookie spatula had the thickness of a sheet of paper.

The �cookies� do have a rather nice, �creamy� (or rather �fine-sandy�) texture and are quite peanut-buttery (though not as peanut-buttery as the Salted Peanut Butter Cookies, which was excellent despite me having made them using the same unsalted peanut butter). The chocolate chips make an excellent complement. These only good for an after-meal dessert fix though. Although rich and sensuous, these cookies are not filling enough (maybe if they were more sensual than sensuous, but that�s neither here nor there�). I don�t think they�d make for a good afternoon snack to tie you over to the next meal (unless you have several�like maybe four�which would contain nearly ? stick of butter (which some may deem to be sensual, but again�)). They are definitely not transportable�not without some severe ingenious packing�because of how delicate they are. So don�t fantasize about bringing them along for a hike unless you plan on bringing along a spoon (or eating like a caveman). Along these lines, I don�t see how these cookies are appropriate for little children. They are too delicate to be placed into a jar and then retrieved manually. Stacking the pieces will cause them to stick together a bit, which puts them at risk of disintegrating when retrieving. Using small pieces of wax paper in between may help (but I�m not going to sit around doing handicraft after spending an hour making cookies and cleaning up afterwards). These should really be consumed within the day or two of baking.

Advisory: Maybe advisable to consume with a bib, in a room with no carpeting (or have a vacuum cleaner by your side).


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