Chocolate Chip and Peanut Cookies

I’m not sure where the recipe for these chocolate chip and peanut cookies comes from. I’ve been making them since I was a kid, and the recipe is very neatly handwritten in my first ever recipe collection book. I have a boy at home recovering from surgery, and this week I am making all the things that he loves, to entice him to eat. He needs the calories more than I do, though!

I prefer the taste of good quality dark chocolate to cooking chocolate, but use whatever you have on hand. I also like to buy peanuts in their shells, because then you can include their papery brown skins in the cookies. Unshelled peanuts can be stored  for several months, in a cool, dry place. Did you know that peanuts are technically a legume, originating from South America? The peanut plant flowers above ground, and then develops its pods underground. For this reason, peanuts are sometimes called groundnuts. Other names include monkey nuts, goobers and pinders.

If you’re looking to bake something without nuts, you might like to try this pear, date and seed loaf. My kids love it! https://atamandastable.com.au/pear-date-and-seed-loaf/

Best wishes,

Amanda

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Print Recipe

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Cookies

These cookies are filled with delicious, melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate and crunchy peanuts.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Servings: 25 cookies

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 125 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanille essence
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups wholemeal self-raising flour Add 1 tbsp baking powder if you only have plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150 g good quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces I use 70% cocoa chocolate
• 60 g shelled peanuts, skin on (1/3 cup, when shelled) substitute with almonds, pecans or walnuts

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced) and line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
• Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together with an electric mixer, then add the egg.
• Add the flour and salt, and continue mixing until all incorporated.
• Add the chocolate pieces and the nuts; continue mixing until all combined.
• Shape teaspoonsful of the mixture into small balls, and place on the lined baking tray. Give them room to spread. Press down lightly on each cookie with the tynes of a fork.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden on top and a little soft to touch. They will continue to cook a little when removed from the oven. When cool enough to handle, put them on a wire rack, and then store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

I weigh the first couple of cookies at 35 g to make to ensure they're uniform in size. This will yield  25 cookies. The uncooked dough is suitable to keep in the fridge for up to a week.