Super Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {Egg-Free!}
Yield: 36Cookies (2 to 3 Dozen Depending on Size)
Prep Time: 15 minutesmins
Cook Time: 10 minutesmins
Total Time: 25 minutesmins
Ingredients
6ounces(170g)cream cheese, softened to room temperature
12tablespoons(170g)salted butter, melted and cooled (still pourable but not warm to the touch)
1cup(255g)creamy peanut butter
1cup(212g)lightly packed light brown sugar
½cup(106g)granulated sugar
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
½teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
2 ¼cups(318g)all-purpose flour
1 ½ to 2cups(255 to 340g)chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, can sub in part of the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment or silpat liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, melted butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until mostly incorporated but a few dry streaks remain. Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
Roll the dough into 1 to 1 1/2-inch balls (I use my #40 medium cookie scoop) and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will still be puffy (they shouldn't flatten much in the oven). Immediately after removing from the oven, use a flat-bottomed glass and press each cookie until evenly flattened (don't smash to smithereens, they should still be thick, 1/4-inch or more). If the chocolate leaves a lot of smears on the bottom of the glass, wipe with a paper towel in-between flattening each cookie.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Flattening the Cookies: it might seem counterintuitive to flatten the cookies after baking, but by doing so, the cookies take on an ultra-soft, super decadent texture that isn't the same if they are flattened pre-baking. Don't Bake the Cookies Too Long: underbaking them just slightly is the way to go.