Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Are you a big fan of almond butter? I really really want to like it because I know it's much healthier than peanut butter and I love almonds yet I always kind of feel like it's a bit bland and I don't really love the texture either. So I was hesitant to try these cookies but since I had practically a whole jar of the stuff just sitting in the pantry, I figured I had nothing to lose. And I'm so glad I did, because these almond butter cookies are an out-of-the-ballpark hit! The cookies are sort of chewy and crunchy at the same time with the perfect balance of oatmeal, chocolate and of course, almond butter, which is magically transformed to be amazing in these guys! You will love 'em and if you're snowed in like us, these are a necessary treat!
The cookies are easily made and come together in the way that most traditional drop cookies are combined. You mix butter with sugar, beat in eggs and then add the dry ingredients.
Then you have the option of chilling the dough, which I would strongly suggest. And you can do it for as little as 3 hours or up to 2 days. I always try to do it at least overnight because it gives the flavors a great chance to meld and develop. Plus I'm a huge fan of the convenience factor of having ready-to-go dough in the refrigerator so that all you have to do is drop the cookies onto a sheet and bake and you only have to make as many as you want so you can have fresh cookies whenever you choose.
These are wonderful on their own or with a glass of milk. Almond butter, I have a newfound appreciation for you!!!
Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes plus at least 3 hours; Bake Time: 12-14 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 1/2 cups almond butter (I used Jif)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips (you could use semisweet too)
The Recipe
1. Into a medium sized bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a stand electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or a regular mixer) beat together the butter, both sugars and the almond butter, mixing for about 2 minutes until the batter is fluffy and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter on low speed. mixing well so there are no traces of flour. Stir in the oats and the chocolate and either cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or foil or transfer the batter to an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
4. Preheat oven to 350º. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of batter with a spoon and drop onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, reversing trays from front to back and top to bottom in the middle of the process. Cookies should be golden brown but not too dark if you want them to be a little bit chewy.
5. Transfer baking sheets to cooling racks. Let cookies sit on sheets for a few minutes before transferring directly to the racks to finish cooling.
6. Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Note: I used smooth almond butter and dark chocolate chips but otherwise recipe is from http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/almond-butter-cookies/
