Nutty and sweet peanut butter cookies with milk chocolate need just a cold glass of milk for the ultimate afternoon snack! Packed with whole wheat flour and plenty of chocolate, you will love this classic combo turned into a handheld cookie.
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and maple syrup or vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop – about ¼ cup – scoop the batter onto the prepared sheet pan, taking care to leave plenty of space between cookies. (I limit it to six cookies per pan; if you add more, they run together.) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and pale golden around the edges, but their tops have no color.
The cookies will not look fully baked, and this is important! The chewy texture of these cookies depends on it. They’re not nearly as good when baked until golden and crisp.
Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan. Cookies will firm as they cool.